If you’re not a big fan of chemical slug baits and pesticides, you might want to know how to get rid of slugs in the garden in more organic ways.
Slug damage is far-reaching due to the wide range of plant types they target. Are you suffering from an onslaught of these voracious pests?
If you don’t want to see all your time and efforts on gardening go to waste, try one of these slug control methods.
Different Between Slugs And Snails
Slugs and snails belong to the same group called mollusks, which also embrace oysters and octopuses. They are both greedy animals, slide along the muscular foot and feed on plants and leave behind a slimy trail as they move along.
The main distinction between these slimy pests is that snails have a hard, external shell. These shells also make snails’ habitat slightly different from slugs.
With a bulky shell, a snail cannot possibly squeeze into small spots that a slug can. For that reason, turn over loose bark on trees, large rocks, or logs, and you’re are likely to find some slugs underneath, but you will never spot a trace of snail in these areas.
Where Do Slugs Come From?
You will know how to get rid of slugs in the garden better by looking at where they’re most likely to live.
Slugs are fond of cool, dark, and moist locations. Their go-to hiding places are underneath large stones, boards, piles of leaves, low weedy areas, and plant debris.
Their watery bodies need moisture to thrive, so these invasive species often inhabit warm, humid climates. Plus, moist soil is especially appealing to slugs if there is a food source such as plants, leaves, fruits, or flowers nearby.
Space tends to draw slugs to come if it has a damp problem. As a result, to better control slugs, you may want to remove their hiding spots throughout your vegetable gardens and deal with the moisture problem.
Here are some tips on how to deal with slugs in your garden:
Slug Damage To Plant
So what do slugs do to your plants and garden?
Slugs are 1 of the most harmful pests in the garden. They are voracious creatures, feeding on virtually anything they come across. They are the culprits for unsightly damages to your gardens, causing ragged holes in leaves, stems.
Slugs are the most damaging creatures because they are active all year round, and their digestive system is not picky. Thus, they can cause damage to a wide array of plants and can entirely consume tiny seedlings.
You may want to be extra alert about pesky slugs in spring, as this time of the year is when these hungry mollusks are most aggressive.
How To Get Rid Of Slugs Permanently
The Grapefruit Trap
Next time you squeeze orange juice or snack on some grapefruits, don’t hastily dispose of the peels. Slice the fruit in half, and then take out all the fruity flesh.
Place each half near the susceptible plants. The hollow part should be face down on the surface. Check your circus traps the following day, and you’ll see that the slugs have taken over the fruity domes.
Remove the slugs and soak them in soapy water to kill them.
Make Your Garden More Hospitable To Natural Predators
If assaults of slugs plague your plants, you can introduce some slug predators to your garden. Install a birdbath, for example, will draw birds.
This slug killer will help you take care of them correctly without posing threats to your plants. Other slug-hungry animals you can have in your kitchen are chickens, ducks, frogs, turtles, or hedgehogs.
Employ Slug Beer Traps
Another trick on how to get rid of slugs that is highly effective for severe slug invasion is beer trap. The reason behind it is pretty simple: Garden slugs love the yeasty aromas of beers as much as humans do.
Fill beers in some open containers such as margarine tubs, then bury these slug traps in various places around your vegetable garden.
Ensure you keep the rim about one inch above the soil level so ground beetles, a slug predator, won’t fall for the trap. Slugs will crawl into these beer pools and get drowned. Discard the traps the following day in your trash bins.
Set up Copper Fences
Copper tape is not a slug killer; however, it’s durable and reusable, and most importantly, does an excellent job at keeping slugs at bay. When slugs come into contact with copper, they will suffer from an electric shock.
Thus, copper strips or tapes can effectively deter slugs from approaching your plants. They are highly durable and reusable, so your vegetable garden will stay slug-free for years with one purchase.
Simply lay the strip around the vegetables you want to protect. Keep in mind to avoid letting any leaves touch the ground outside the strip since slugs can effortlessly reach the whole plant via these bridges.
Search For Slugs
If you like the idea of hunting for slugs, you may want to do it at night with a flashlight and some salt on standby. Check every dark, moist spot where slugs are likely to hide.
Look for them underneath the boards, logs, and rocks, especially those soaking in the mud. Sprinkle some salt on the slugs you catch. Salt will dehydrate their slimy body.
Be mindful about the amount of salt you apply, as too much of it can be detrimental to your soil and trees. It’s best to avoid using salt around precious plants to keep the soil quality intact.
Form A Barrier
Sharp barriers are an effective slug repellent as they are uncomfortable for these slimy creatures to move on.
You can use crushed eggshells, coarse sand, wood ash, pointed pine needles, or thorny cutting to stop them from penetrating the plant areas. Whichever you choose, make sure it won’t negatively affect the soil quality while getting rid of slugs.
Eliminate shelters
As mentioned, slugs are likely to hide underneath logs, wood boards, large bricks, especially when positioned in muddy areas. By making your beloved garden less friendly to these pests to survive and thrive, you can ease the problem.
Conclusion
That’s all about our tips and tricks on how to get rid of slugs in the garden that work well for most gardeners.
You can combine two or more methods to get the quickest and most effective results. Slugs are not hard to keep at bay, and you won’t need to spend much money and hard work on doing the job.
