slug control

Last year was my first time to try organic gardening using the Ruth Stout method of composting. Slugs ate up a lot of our plants. I've been saving chicken egg shells from our chickens to put around plants. Has anyone else done this? I tried putting tuna cans of beer throughout the garden last year, but quit after going through a whole case and still having slugs. Any other ideas on how to get rid of slugs would help. Thanks!

I know diatomaceous earth does the trick I heard that if you actually test the egg shell method you will find it does not work. You put some egg shells on a plate and the snail in the middle and see how fast he will covers that ground (was told to test the theory never did).

I also heard beer/lager actually did work (did not for me later I was told UTAH beer would never cut it that I should buy a special lager at the Liquor store - my slugs are NOT getting better beer then me!). Apparently with that method you pour some (I believe to the top) into a 2-3" deep container with the container buried so the top is level with the earth and let the snails drown.

Also read you should go out late at night with a flash light and a bucket and physically pick off plants - not my idea of a good time but may have to resort to it...

I have bought some DE but have not used it yet - thought I saw something somewhere that it is not FRIENDLY for worms so I will NOT use till I find out more.....anyone out there know? Sorry not much help but I am interested in what others have to say...Nadine

Hey Linda7 --- put the words "slugs" or "slug control" in the search forums box (upper right corner of this page) and I am sure you will find many threads discussing your slug problem and solutions, organic and non-organic.

After years of messing around with de and beer and yada, yada, yada, I finally tried the iron phosphate slug/snail baits aka Sluggo, Escargo etc. IMO, there's no point in messing around with anything else. The iron phosphate baits are easy to use, are not toxic to children, beloved pets, beneficial insects, or other critters, and are acceptible in organic gardening. Oh, yeah, and they WORK.

I'm with MaryMD: the iron phospate works.

So the Iron phosphate does NOT hurt my worms?

No, it does not.

Way cool thanks!

I thought you might like to see what I caught last night. I'm amazed I have any plants left at all. I've caught about this number of slugs and snails on five consecutive nights. I tip them out in nearby woodland instead of killing them so I'm not depriving hedgehogs and other wildlife of their food. I just hope they aren't all coming back again!

Pat you are my hero I could not imagine touching those....back to the Iron phosphate can not find it at the nursery or home improvement centers, is it sold under any special brand name or should I be looking at a multichemical fertilizers list of ingredients and if it is listed as a major ingredient .....? sorry need just a little clarification, thanks.

It's in many large stores like Walmart and Home Depot under Sluggo or Escargot.

You can also easily order it on-line if you can't find someone who carries it locally. That's what I used to do, but now I find more places will carry it.

I tried beer (before I found Sluggo) but I got freaked out by some of the creatures that ended up in the beer. Not only slugs but other weird things - some unidentified but others known like centipeds. Just got to afraid to go near the trap in the end. And who knew slugs could get so large. EEEK

I read somewhere that slug bait works well. As for handling the trap, use a plastic pop/soda bottle. Cut off the upper third, put the neck into the bottle, staple edges. Slugs crawl in but can't get out, and you just toss it.

For rural folks Muscovy ducks are well known for slug hunting and eating and they don't scatch up your mulch like chickens.
They also eat alot of Mosquitoes.

Ducks and geese of nearly any kind love to eat slugs, grubs, etc. Of course they also gladly feast on the earthworms they find.