Slugs

What works that I don't have to go out to Home Depot and buy? I think I have some beer on hand but have heard mixed results. And I've tried setting out bowls before with no results either. Maybe I did it wrong?

I don't have sand, eggshells (don't eat much) or anything to put around my plants and there's too much room to be able to cover it all.

I used to sprinkle salt on them but they lay there in the middle of the walkway, waiting to get stepped on. It sounds horrendous but I used to take a machete to them. We bought one for weeds, I think.

Any ideas please? The holes in plants bother me but what makes it worse is going out at night and having to side step slugs and their slime trails.

Diligent hand picking could work...anything else you're probably going to have to make that trip to HD. If you're really that desperate to get rid of them I would think the trip would be worth it? Otherwise you can keep trying with the beer, I remember catching slugs that way in the strawberry patch when we were kids and we would catch some although I'm not sure it made a huge difference in the population. The bowls we used were very shallow, only an inch or two tall and had sides that went pretty much straight up (rather than most bowls that are narrower at the bottom and wider at the top). If you're putting out deep bowls or ones with sides that slope out, they might have more trouble climbing up into the bowl. If you do decide to go to HD, look for one that has iron phosphate as the active, it's much safer than metaldehyde which is the other common active.

The beer is effective but I would use bowls (or plastic tubs) set into the ground. I use something like one of those ziploc round tubs, something fairly shallow, and just dig a little spot for it, so that the rim of the bowl is just about in line with the dirt, or slightly above.
Claire

I can't hand pick them b/c they hide underneath the plants and mulch and stuff. I don't see them unless they cross the pathway.

I'll try the beer thing and I hope it works. Home Depot is like 15 minutes away. And gas being what it is...

I think you can also put out upsidedown halves of grapefruits or oranges (just the skins, after you eat the grapefruit) with the cut side down, and they will go inside it. I can't remember where I read that. I am pretty sure it was for slugs though.

Another method is putting down scrap boards - plywood, pressed wood, whatever. Lay them (it) down between plants. In the daytime, pick it up and harvest the slugs and snails. Repeat. They like to go into dark hidey holes when the sun is up, and under a board is ideal. Nice and dark and moist...

I've never had much luck with the beer (I read somewhere that Bud is the favorite) and my DH hates to waste it....

My plants are packed together, it's a tightly planted bed. I can't get boards in there. Which is why it's so hard! Stupid slugs...

Well, 15 minutes away is kind of a non event here... I'd make the trip. Get the bait that was mentioned before - the one containing iron phosphate. Kills slugs and snails, and as it breaks down, nourishes the plant.

EscarGo from Gardens Alive works really well on slugs for me, and you can order it online. Nontoxic to pets, but does a great job on slugs and snails. You just scatter the pellets on the soil. Beer never worked predictably for me.

I also hate slugs! They eat EVERYTHING!!! argh! Now I just use Sluggo though. Whenever I find a slug, I just don't have the guts to kill it...believe it or not, I feel bad! In the beginning I didn't know what do do with the slugs I hand picked so I just threw them accross the fence next door, lol....( I know, I know!)

I tried the beer thing but it didn't work...

Maybe it works for me because I always use Canadian beer....

This message was edited May 13, 2008 11:35 AM

Ha, ha, CMoxon: as someone who loves Canadian beer, that seems such a waste...

Ruth

Oh come on--- who says you're gonna waste the beer? The slugs probably didn't drink much....
Try Sluggo- also safe for pets, I think, and works for me.

I don't know; I've shared a brew with some odd characters from time to time, but think I have to draw the line at slugs....

LOL, they just fall in and drown, they aren't good conversationalists!

But I agree, there are times it seems like a waste of good Canadian beer! The things we sacrifice for our gardens!

Only certain beer seems to work for me. When I tried it I used Bud and it worked great. I tried it with a cheaper beer and it didn't work at all. But you definately have to bury whatever container flush with the ground so they can get in and drown. Cat food cans work well for me. I'm going to resort to the egg shells around my Mexican Sour cuke plants though. The beer is just not swaying them with those.

hahah! They won't just settle for the cheap stuff will they!

Try lint from your dryer. It was a tip in Fine Gardening, the lady said to roll the lint up into a "log" and put it around the base of your plants. I haven't done it yet, just read it last night, but its worth a shot. The other suggestion is pennies, but I don't know how much copper is still in them these days!

Pennies didn't work for me. I'll try the lint thing!

I use old potatoes from my fridge, you know, the ones that are soft and wrinkled? I slice them in half and lay them sliced side down, in and around my garden. In the mornings, they're full of slugs and pill bugs. I throw them in a bucket and dump them into the trash dumpster. Helps a lot, and hey, the potatoes aren't a total waste...!

I think I'll give this a try!
By the way...does anyone here use sluggo? It really does work although it's pricey. But what I wanted to know is HOW MUCH sluggo to apply....I'm never really sure.

I just sprinkle a little bit around the base of the plants....

Me too. Sluggo works very well for me, and I just sprinkle it around the plants, then when I go out and it's all gone, I do it again. So far a regular canister has lasted me the seaon, but I anticipate purchasing another before the season is over.

I might be putting too much then...

Tin cans! Place a can with both ends removed over small plants. This has solved an awful problem I've had for years and hadn't diagnosed. I didn't realize that slugs could cause plants to turn brown, as well as making holes in leaves. Delphs that I had marked for dead in August are returning. I'm so excited! My perennial garden is in front of a stone wall, and I'm sure thousands hide there.

Copper is recommended for repelling slugs, and I did get a roll of 20' x 8" copper flashing at Home Depot. It's good for plants that are too large to slip a can over. And it can be used around a whole bed of seedlings. But the plain old tin can seems to work quite well.