Secrets of a Slug-Free Garden

You can stop these leaf munching machines.

Recently, I read that these nasty little creatures have like 2700 teeth. Thank heavens they aren’t meat eaters! There are 40 different types of slugs found in North America but only three of them are commonly found; Gray Field Slugs, Common Garden Slugs and in the Northwest they have the Black Slug that can grow to a mammoth six inches in length.

Image courtesy of photogirl7 - CreativeCommons

Recently, I read that these nasty little creatures have like 2700 teeth. Thank heavens they aren’t meat eaters! There are 40 different types of slugs found in North America but only three of them are commonly found; Gray Field Slugs, Common Garden Slugs and in the Northwest they have the Black Slug that can grow to a mammoth six inches in length.

I’m sure any gardener, no matter how novice or expert, will whole heartedly agreed that slugs are disturbing on so many levels. There is one additional bonus to having a drought garden. Slugs don’t like arid conditions! Unfortunately, hostas are not at their finest baking in all day sun without a good deal of moisture. In the warmer regions of the US, it was beyond impossible for even sun tolerant hostas to survive the solar intensity.

No one wants hosta leaves that look like Swiss cheese!

While hostas seem to be the number one slug attracting garden plant, they do heartily enjoy feasting on the foliage of a number of other flowering plants. For the most part, you will find slug damage occurs in the moist, shady areas of your yard… namely the place that hostas flourish. The effects of these slimy pests are also found to be rampant in the vegetable garden where tomatoes, cabbages and beans are only part of slug population’s vegetation feast.

The bold, luscious leaves of hostas are so addictive to plant lovers. It appears they offer a unanimously tasty treat to all manner of wild critters as well. If you aren’t battling Bambi, it’s the rabbits and if you are saved from the first two pests, you will without a doubt have problems with slugs. You’ve probably seen several homemade methods for getting rid of slimy slugs in your flower garden and vegetable gardens too.

Beer in a shallow pan …

If you are going to do this, make sure you buy the cheapest brand of beer. Beer works really well, but you’ll have to keep replacing it in the pans. Rain and irrigation dilutes it. High temperatures cause rapid evaporation. Best results come from putting out fresh brewery traps early every evening. You’ll want to empty each pan readily, as the slug corpses can start smelling pretty ripe after a day in 90°F temperatures. Not recommended for weak tummies! The beer must be replaced every day as soon as leaves emerge to be effective.

Rock salt used in mounded lines as a slug barrier …

Slugs cannot live after they have slimed their way over a pile of salt. The fastest way to kill a slug is to pour salt on them. They quickly dry right up like a worm on a hot sidewalk after heavy rainfall. However, hostas are highly sensitive to salt burn foliage damage so caution of placement and longevity is recommended with this DIY slug control method. The salt melts and runs into the soil with normal irrigation and rainfall. Too high of a sodium content in the soil can be harmful to many ornamental and food garden plants.

Sand and gravel slug deterrent …

Slugs are slimy because they travel on the disgusting mucous beneath them. They are highly capable of traversing gravel to get to the feast on the other side. Sharp sand can be effective as long as it remains in place. Slugs have a hard time being mobile when that gooey fluid they ride on is clogged up with cutting sand. Every heavy rain or stiff wind that comes along will make it necessary to keep constant watch over your sand barrier berms. All it takes is one slug to break through and you’ll have holey hostas until the following spring.

Container growing to raise plants above soil level …

I hate to burst your bubble, but slugs will climb up the side of pots and containers. This is not an effective slug control method at all. They’ll truly adore the moist shade the pot gives them and can enter the pot through a drainage hole and slime their way along the edge to hosta heaven up above. They don’t mind a little mud.

Partially submerged container grown hostas …

While hostas do adore moisture, they still need drainage. This method I’ve seen bantered about is not what I would deem wise. While it may be true that slugs cannot swim, your container cannot drain at all if the bottom 2 inches is below water level! This will cause two serious health problems over long periods of time.

1. Root rot, which will ultimately kill the hosta plant.
2. Poor drainage can cause fungus to attack your hosta foliage that is unsightly and will continue to reinfect new leaves without good anti-fungal applications to both soil and foliage.

Photo courtesy of photogirl7 – CreativeCommons license

Nematodes as organic slug control …

Using beneficial soil nematodes is far more popular in Europe than it is the US. These are microscopic worms that feed on other insects and wormlike soil dwellers. There are a limited number of places to purchase beneficial nematodes online. I would recommend you make sure you get the right nematodes for your climate. There are different organisms for cold regions than those that thrive in warm growing zones. Nematodes are effective for about 6 months and do an excellent job at controlling not only slugs but all manner of undesirable pests like fleas, cutworms, armyworms, caterpillars and more. Beneficial nematodes are not inexpensive, but they do work well and rid your yard and garden of far more pests than slugs.

Sluggo brand biodegradable slug bait …

This slimy plant pest control product is applied in early evening in a sprinkled area or individual plant treatment. The slugs eat the granules and feasting ceases immediately. It takes three to six days for them to die after ingesting the bait. Not a pretty picture if you are plagued with a lot of slugs. This slug bait contains things found in fertilizers and is safe for your pets. Sluggo is effective if you keep on top of reapplication and is perhaps more economical than other commercially sold slug control methods. This merchant has an excellent price on Sluggo bait.

BugGeta Snail & Slug Killer …

Talk about beauty in effect! You can get both Bug-Geta and BugGeta Plus formulations. BugGeta Plus controls far more undesirable garden pests. This long-lasting product from Ortho works very well in doing away with cutworms, armyworms, earwigs and more. Sprinkle it around and water the granules in and the slug population will be a historical occurrence in no time at all. Heavy rainfall and irrigation will cause you to have to reapply it more often than the package states. Under normal rainfall it works 1-month per application by drying out any soft skinned pest rapidly from the outside in. Don’t worry about your pets eating it, none of them will find it at all delightful smelling. (Contains Bitrex and Metaldehyde.)

Effective slug control can also be done with plants.

Astrantia Star of Summer

Beautiful reblooming Astrantia drives away slugs!

Astrantia Roma

To learn more about the ornamental perennials,  shrubs, annuals and blooming bulbs that drive slugs away is very simple here on Lost In The Flowers.

Astrantia Snow Star

To learn more about slug control using natural and organic methods, you will want to read … Plants Slugs Don’t Like To Eat