Garden Slugs and Snails
Slugs and snails are one of the more common pests in the home garden. They
slither around in the night, on cloudy days, and in early morning hours.
They leave a shiny, slimy trail to mark their coming and goings. They like
the same type of plants that are most common in your flower and vegetable
gardens. They have been known to climb right into container gardens that
are on the ground. Slugs and Snails even enjoy a variety of common shrubs.
Seemingly impossible to completely rid your garden of these pests, they can
at best be controlled. There are both chemical and organic means of controlling
these pests. We recommend the latter, but recognize that chemical control
is sometimes needed.
Did you know? Slugs have four noses. Perhaps that explains why they
are so slimy.
Organic and Natural Control:
Most everyone has heard of using beer in a dish as effective control. Some
people even suggest you bury a beer bottle up to the lip. Slugs and snails,
which love sweet things like your garden vegetables and flowers, will climb
over the edge of the bottle or dish, fall in and drown. It works very well
to control the slugs and snails around your plants.
You do not need to use beer. Soda pop, fruit juices or even sugar water will
work equally well. We do recommend you use plastic containers rather than
glass that can shatter in your garden soil. This author uses soup cans. Make
sure you know where you placed each container. You also need to empty and
refill the containers regularly, and after each rain. Better yet, discard
the yucky contents, container and all, and start fresh.
Another tried and true approach is to use a bed of sand around your plants.
Slugs and snails do not like coarse materials, and will not cross it. This
has limited applications. But, it works well with fruit that lies on the
ground like pumpkins and melons. Gently lift the small fruit,and lay a bed
of sand so there is at least a three to four inch perimeter of sand on the
ground around the fruit. Add more sand as the fruit grows.
In controlling slugs and snails, it is important to remove their habitat
and shelter. Keep your garden clean of debris. A board or piece of wood on
the ground is a great home for these little pests. Mulches, consisting of
large wood chips, also should be avoided.
Other common deterrents that slugs and snails do not like to come in contact
with include:
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Wood Ash
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Crushed Egg shells
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Sawdust
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Human or animal hair
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Salt, fatal in even small quantities.
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Coffee grounds, slugs don't like them, possibly fatal to them.
A Note on using Salt: Some people get a kick out of pouring salt on
slugs and watching them melt. Yes, it works. But, it is not practical in
your garden. Too much salt in the soil is also fatal to your plants.
Natural predators is another means of controlling them. Many birds eat slugs
and snails. Among them is ducks and geese. The offset is that predators may
also enjoy the fruits of your garden as well as the slugs and snails.
Chemical Controls
Slug bait and Snail pellets and dusts are readily available. But it is a
chemical, and should be used sparingly. It should not be spread around your
garden fruits and vegetables, as it can be absorbed by the roots. Any use
in the home garden should be limited to a covered container or bait trap,
so wind and rain do not wash it into your soil.
Valuable Links:
Slug
and Snail FAQ If you want to learn about slugs and snails, this 19-page
site is the place to go!
UC
Pest Management: Snails and Slugs
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