NationStates Jolt Archive

I have just sown some salad leaf seeds in some pots in my backyard for the third time. So far every time they have grown to a few centimetres tall they have been eaten overnight by slugs and snails. So far I have tried ground coffee to keep them away - it worked until it was washed away by the rain. Currently I am trying someone else's suggestion of spraying the pots with WD40 to keep them away. All this is combined with picking them off and killing them whenever I see them. Yet the slimy little bastards are still winning - they have even started coming into my house at night. Does anybody have any anti slug methods that they find particularly effective?

Many years ago when I worked in a garden centre we sold slug pellets. Are you adverse to the idea of using pesticide?

Many years ago when I worked in a garden centre we sold slug pellets. Are you adverse to the idea of using pesticide?

Slug pellets are dangerous to a wide range of animals, so yes I do refuse to use them.

Use fire. Fire kills anything. I killed a roach outside last night with a match. I felt a little bad afterwords, though. :(

Slug pellets are dangerous to a wide range of animals, so yes I do refuse to use them.

Yeah, poisons are supposed to be dangerous or they wouldn't kill anything. That's the trade-off that you have to make really - I don't think there's anything that just kills slugs.

IIRC my mother said to use either stinging nettle or horsetail/equisetum solution (put bunch of cut-up plants in water for a day or two so all the good stuff goes into the water, then spray all over plants); however, I've no idea how effective it actually is. Just word of mouth, and all that.

*Wiki says it's what you want to do, too, so it must be right! It says to use about a kilo of fresh plants on 10 litres of water. More specifically, it advises ot use Equisetum arvense as the best option.

Ring of salt around your plants. Then set the salt on fire.

Dig small holes in the ground and then put upturned bottle tops filled with beer in them, the slugs are attracted to the beer, fall in the bottle top and drown, the other advantage of this method is that it doesn't kill any other animals

I've heard that putting copper wire around the plant pots stops them, I don't know why though.

Small dishes of cheap beer around the plants will do the trick. They crawl in, attracted by the beer, fall in and drown.

;) Use Old Milwaukee or Bud. Don't waste GOOD beer on them.

http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticulture/DG7561.html

Dig small holes in the ground and then put upturned bottle tops filled with beer in them, the slugs are attracted to the beer, fall in the bottle top and drown, the other advantage of this method is that it doesn't kill any other animals

Or just use shallow cups and put them on the ground. This definitely works; I've been able to witness that in many a garden (or at least it does with German beer..)

Does the beer thing not kill lots of useful bugs as well, like bees?

Does the beer thing not kill lots of useful bugs as well, like bees?
Doesn't seem to. As I recall, bee traps use beer or sugar water to get them to fly up inside a jug from underneath... and then they can't figure out how to fly back down and out.

I've had good experiences with broken egg shell. Keeps any slugs and snails off, but you've got to use a lot of the stuff. Other than that, my grandfather used to use the beer in a bottle method to some effect, although if they really want your plants, they'll ignore the booze.

I've heard that putting copper wire around the plant pots stops them, I don't know why though.

Yeah, you can even buy it as pre-manufactured "slug tape" in DIY stores and other stores that carry gardening articles. Or buy it on Amazon, of course. http://www.amazon.com/Corrys-15SLUG-SNAIL-COPPER-TAPE/dp/B000QD3BPW

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/main.jhtml?xml=/gardening/2001/05/12/gslugmn.xml

This looks useful. A review of different slug trap stuff.

We use copper tape. Wrap a length of it around the plant pot and the slugs never go past the copper tape. Gives them an electric shock or something. My parents got some the a DIY store. Not sure where you live, but this UK site (http://www.pestfree.co.uk/slugtape.htm) sells it.

Edit: Looks like someone beat me to it.

Slug pellets are dangerous to a wide range of animals, so yes I do refuse to use them.

Yet you have no issue with spraying WD40 around your plants? Odd.

But the beer and egg shells DO work pretty well.

Tiny mouse traps.

Yet you have no issue with spraying WD40 around your plants? Odd.

But the beer and egg shells DO work pretty well.

Is WD40 particularly toxic - I was assuming it was just too slippery for them to climb over?

I guarantee that this approach (http://www.newprophecy.net/Pak-India_Nuclear_Blast__1.jpg) will kill all the slugs.

I guarantee that this approach (http://www.newprophecy.net/Pak-India_Nuclear_Blast__1.jpg) will kill all the slugs.

...or lead to giant mutant slugs running amok.

If you live in a fairly dry climate, garden-ready (untreated) diatomaceous earth is the most effective and organic approach to killing the little bastards.

...or lead to giant mutant slugs running amok.

...or immature radioactive samurai slugs (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6Cl7AM9Fdc).

Awww, poor slugs! :(

Try putting some copper around the plants. If I remember right, it should keep the slugs away, and not kill them. Or anything else.

...or immature radioactive samurai slugs (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6Cl7AM9Fdc).

omfg that was funny as shit...Makes me want to watch Ninja Turtles though...*goes to find old VHS's* lol....

Dig small holes in the ground and then put upturned bottle tops filled with beer in them, the slugs are attracted to the beer, fall in the bottle top and drown, the other advantage of this method is that it doesn't kill any other animals
That!

Really works, the slugs ain't picky (so you can use the cheapest beer), and they go out with nice buzz.

However, please refrain from putting the filled bottles to the recycling bin. ;)

pump those slugs full of slugs
http://i1.tinypic.com/o0o07q.gif

Quite a few fans of the beer trap - one slight problem is that in this typical British summer it has been raining every day for weeks, so unless slugs like American beer...

That's why most slug traps for sale have a lid...

http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:DV7YS2RO5ORUvM:http://www.promarkt.de/mall/1/pic/Standard/Standard/548/11000001548.JPG

http://www.thoomcare.com/archives/images/mar07/eslugs-1.jpg

THE SLUGS ARE COMING THE SLUGS ARE COMING!

Oh noes!


http://www.iamtrex.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/slug.jpg

If you live in a fairly dry climate, garden-ready (untreated) diatomaceous earth is the most effective and organic approach to killing the little bastards.

This^

And you can get some here>http://www.gtghydroponics.com Look under pest control :)

leave some apple cores around, like the beer method the slugs will ignore your crappy salad (when pissed they would rather go for a kebab) only this method doesn't kill them and improves your soil.

this is also helpful if you want an apple tree :p

they have even started coming into my house at night.

:eek: its too late just move and hope the sticky menace does not have your scent!

Oh yes, Also, I prefer a more "hands on" approach...A pinch of salt accross the length of their body, and they become a bubbleing puddle* (sometimes, I swear I can here them scream), That and cutting their heads off with a nice sharp knife, the bigger half turns inside out...cheap entertainment...

*Don't use the salt near your plants though, because it could harm the organic activity in the rhyzomes...

Ring of salt around your plants. Then set the salt on fire.

Gets rid of zombies too.

Oh yes, Also, I prefer a more "hands on" approach...A pinch of salt accross the length of their body, and they become a bubbleing puddle* (sometimes, I swear I can here them scream), That and cutting their heads off with a nice sharp knife, the bigger half turns inside out...cheap entertainment...

*Don't use the salt near your plants though, because it could harm the organic activity in the rhyzomes...
There's no need to take such glee in torturing them.

There's no need to take such glee in torturing them.

I guess I chose the wrong wording, really, I was just trying to make it more entertaining of a read...Anyway, if you knew me you would understand, so it is pointless for me to try to make it any less gleeful...:)

Gets rid of zombies too.

Tis true, agent Mulder once did it when fighting three zombies and it saved his life. ;)

Tis true, agent Mulder once did it when fighting three zombies and it saved his life. ;)

See, being self-educated does pay.

Tis true, agent Mulder once did it when fighting three zombies and it saved his life. ;)

But that only works against Voudoun Zombis. Again your garden variety microbially animated carnivorous living dead sheer firepower to the nervous system is best.

What about a bed of nails?

Is WD40 particularly toxic - I was assuming it was just too slippery for them to climb over?

does the lable say it is? If so, yes. If not, no. It does, iirc, have mineral oil in it, so it will give you the shits at the very least

Get some DE (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diatomaceous_earth), available at any place that sells pool supplies and several garden shops. It does the same thing as salt, without damaging the soil quality. The beer thing works well too. Try doing both.

Beer trap.
Salt.
Ammonia solution, in a spray bottle.

If that fails. Napalm, in a handy spray can.

Salt! Slugs/snails turn into a yellow mustard goo after they get a little salt on them. Or, you could try digging a trench around your garden and filling it with coffee grounds (Starbucks usually has free bags of used esspresso grounds); maybe coffee and salt mix would work...

If all fails, nuke the site from orbit. Only way to be sure.