1)
Beer.
Yes, it really does work. It’s also the best non-personal way to
confirm that overnight damage is due to the slimy beasts. Just don’t
use the often-cited “stale beer”, which slugs like about as much as you
and I do. Place commercial traps or old margarine tubs on top of the
soil close to the damaged plants, wait until dusk and then fill them
with the cheapest—but freshest—beer you can find. The next morning,
they should be filled with dead drunken slugs. Dump this defeated
debris nearby (where it will attract their cannibalistic pals) and
repeat every evening.
2)
Coffee.
New research has found caffeine to be very effective at dispatching
slugs. Save your dregs and spray them full strength directly on the
beasts in the evening. Surround plants under attack with a mulch of
used coffee grounds to deter slugs and feed the plants.
3)
Iron phosphate.
Turns out that iron is very bad for a slug’s digestion. Like deadly
bad. So a new generation of products with brand names like “Sluggo” and
“
Escar-Go!”
wrap iron in a slug-attracting bait. You simply scatter the pellets
around plants in peril to wipe out the pests without poisons. (And a
little extra iron is good for your garden soil.)
4)
Copper.
Slugs get shocked when they touch this shiny metal. You can buy
ready-made copper plant guards or just adorn your raised bed frames
with copper flashing. Hot-glue rings of pennies around the tops of your
containers. Drop captured slugs into a jar of pennies and watch ‘em
spark!
5)
Diatomaceous
earth. Available at garden centers, ‘DE’ is the mined fossilized
remains of dinosaur-era, sea-going creatures called diatoms. It looks
like white flour, but is incredibly sharp on a microscopic level,
dehydrating slugs on contact. Surround plants under attack with
protective rings of DE (be sure to wear a dust mask); freshen them up
if they get wet.
6)
Boards.
Lay some old planks between your garden beds. The vampiric slugs will
crawl underneath to hide from the sun. Come morning, lift the boards
and scrape the slugs into a bucket with a flat piece of metal. Then do
with them what you will. Hey—got any pennies?
7)
Human hair.
Surround your plants with a protective barrier of hair. The slugs will
get all tangled up in it and strangle (hey—it was them or the hostas!);
and the hair will eventually add plant-feeding nitrogen to the soil.
8)
Citrus.
Leave lemon, orange and grapefruit rinds out overnight near slug prone
plants, and then collect and trash them—covered with slugs—first thing
the next morning. Old lettuce leaves work well too.
9)
Vinegar.
A spray bottle filled with plain white vinegar is a great cure for
slugs that aren’t on plants. An extremely effective mollusk dissolver,
vinegar is also an herbicide—so don’t spritz the salvia.
10)
Toads.
Avoid all pesticides, provide water low to the ground and a damp shady
spot for them to hide during the heat of the day, and these wonderful
nocturnal predators will eat lots of slugs for you.
11)
Rove beetles.
These big black bugs don’t bother plants, but do eat LOTS of slugs and
their eggs. So don’t hurt them!
12)
Lightning bugs.
The larval form of these summertime entertainers, the fascinating
“glowworm,” eats slugs and their eggs. To encourage adults to breed
nearby, turn off outdoor lights at night, allow a small area of your
garden to stay moist and a little weedy, and don’t use pesticides.
13)
Ducks!
Just turn a few loose in the garden—these feathered friends (and
natural fertilizer providers) are among nature’s FINEST slug-eaters!
And all together now: “We can always use the eggs”. Thank you.
