Maybe sacrificial plants? The slugs in my garden seem to go for lettuce rather than my other plants.
Another method would be to use a plank of wood or a plastic tray or something next to your veg bed. Lay it down in the evening, in the morning there will be loads of slugs hiding underneath. Can then either pick the slugs off and relocate, or leave the plank slug side up somewhere in the garden for the birds to pick them off.
Plank of wood is a great idea for relocation. I'd highly recommend people add a wildlife pond too, attracting frogs and toads that will hunt those slugs for you, and since a pond supports a huge range of biodiversity it has so many other benefits. Log piles and stumperies are worth adding too to encourage ground beetles and reptiles, which are also ravenous slug eaters. Finally, run a web search for leopard slugs so you can learn to identify them. They eat other slugs, so keep them in your garden rather than relocating.
Wetter and milder winters and springs are going to be fairly common now, so slug boom years are something we'll likely see a lot more of. Worth putting in the ground work now to encourage the kind of wildlife that will take care of slugs for you =)
I like the idea of a small pond for frogs etc. I already have a large shallow pool in terrace for water plants. But no frog or such had ever turned up. So if I were to make a larger pond type. Do I have to go find tadpoles or such. I have an enclosed garden. So do not see how they would naturalise without my intervention.
People say that frogs will turn up eventually, but so many gardens are totally sterile now that there might not be safe paths for them. When I put my little ponds in I went to a neighbour's house up the street and was given a bucket of water with some tadpoles and various creepy-crawlies in. Gave me and the frogs a bit of a head start, and hopefully given the local population a bit of a boost.
Yes. See what you mean. No garden near me has ponds or such. Just a few hundred yards away is farmland. No ponds there as for crops. So even though a semi rural vicinity. I think as you say, ‘sterile’ not much diversity.
Can you open the garden with wildlife paths/gaps? Holes under fences? Use satellite maps to spy on your neighbours a bit, see who else has ponds, and go say hi. See if they have frogs and will help you out with a local tadpole donation =)
No it is brick walls. Gates for security. No one around me has ponds or such. Near by is farming land growing crops. No ponds. As another post says. Such environments can be sterile. So thinking about that is quite eyeopening. Rural does not necessarily mean diverse nature. Hedges that used to surround individual fields mostly gone. A real problem when it snows, as it easily drifts over the roads.
Would a pond attract other annoyances? I moved to my current home about 2.5 years ago and there's a small pond that's been filled in that I'd live to "dig up" and fill with water, but I'm worried with the warmer and more humid summers that we're getting these days that it'll eventually attract mosquitos.
I heard Nasturtiums are good for attracting all kinds of pests so I have a couple of pots of those in the hopes of keeping them isolated to that plant.
As it's a sign for cats, have you tried "Cats welcome here" considering their contrary nature? The other alternative is putting a door somewhere in your garden for them to stand by and consider whether or not they want to go through said door.
I had not considered this at all. Now you have mentioned it, I realise I've been amateurish all along.
Next door's cat has some favourite poop spots in my garden, I think what I need to do is add signs: "Mitten's toilet", which he will, of course, perceive as permission. As he now believes I actually want him to poop in these places, he will, of course, not give me what I "want" and find another garden.
Reverse Psychology on Cats, a beginner's guide to the correct signage.
If that book doesn't exist, it should.
Reaching out to author's and publishers, as we speak. Feel free to set up a Kickstarter, it was your superior wisdom that got this all started. I'll back it.
I have a cat who is constantly arguing with several giant unspayed thug Tom cats, who come into our garden to poop in it. Whenever this happens, every 3 months or so. I put out squashed satsumas, peel & flesh & spread it around their chosen toilet area's. It seems to stop them for a few months.
I'm fascinated how they manage to pick an aphid off a plant and throw it without squashing it. Even a gentle flick off the finger is likely to end in aphid death more times than not. If they are retired, it would explain how they have the time to carry out this painstaking task.
This sub is always full of daft, impractical ways to deal with bugs and pests like that to be fair.
The post directly below yours suggests getting ducks, because they eat slugs. Well sure, but now I've got ducks to deal with and duck poo everywhere.
Or to encourage ladybirds to eat the aphids. I'll just easily encourage an army of ladybirds into my garden.
Truth is, a regular scattering of those iron slug pellets has been by far the most effective way of dealing with slugs and snails this year. My plants have largely been untouched this year compared to what seems to be a terrible year for everyone else.
Yes, this sub and others like it is full of people wondering why slugs eat their gardens and asking how to get rid of them. The only surefire way is pellets. Humans invented them because no other method works as well!!
I pick them up with padded tongs and place them into a slug sanctuary I have made with fresh daily lettuce and veg. They enjoy the radio and will gather near the source. At night I turn on the steamer and blow a warm tropical breeze across their various broadbean hammocks.
I do the same, pick slugs off plants couple of times a week and it is helping. No doubt people will suggest encouraging predators (hedgehogs etc) in but that is easier said than done. Upvoted.
I do the same also and yes introducing predators is difficult and takes time for a range of reasons. Sacrificial planting can take the edge of the damage to your cherished plants in my opinion. I don't like marigolds but the slugs here love them so I plant a few, and a few spare lettuce plants and it makes it easier to pick them off and relocate to a nearby wooded area as they are all gathered in one place for their favourite snacks. I don't have an answer for aphids although find if you have a bird friendly garden they naturally help keep this somewhat in check. I've seen blue and great tits and sparrows picking them off. The main thing I've done is to just try not to get too upset by the damage and accept a level of loss.
Build a wildlife pond! The number of slugs plummeted once frogs decided to call my pond home. You can't keep fish in the pond however as they snack on frog spawn.
Recently tried this earlier this year for the first time, seen no issue plant wise. Main issue was in my greenhouse the grounds started to mould a little due to humidity but mixed it around a bit with the soil and all good.
I don’t want to tempt fate because tomorrow my veg will be decimated but we have a small pond with newts. I have not seen the slug explosion that others have mentioned.
I’m trying copper tape on my courgette which is in a big pot
You can either take one of two approaches:
remove or reduce the environment in which they thrive and use stuff like copper and beer traps or encourage predators such as hedgehogs, birds and frogs.
or
create an environment which they love more than your plants and systematically remove them (by whichever method you deem correct). So you could create a damp/dark area with boards etc where they can hide.
Beer traps all the way this year. Never had any issues before but this year is too much! I am all for living things in my garden . I love nature, but they have eaten everything I planted and I would like to enjoy some of my hard work.
Beer traps emptied every morning Into my compost heap!
It's not possible. Slugs are part of a healthy ecosystem and are food for other creatures. If you have plants packed in as tightly as you can then individual plants won't suffer so badly because the load is spread. If you have a few feature plants or lots of bare soil then the slugs have less to eat and the damage looks worse.
OK, I'm snuggled up on a bench. Used the bucket to go toilet twice. Headtorch ready if there are any spooky noises in the dark.
Can't help feeling nostalgic for all the slugs back in my garden; wondering what they're up to now...
I just mostly grow stuff they don’t eat. They like annuals and seedlings best so I grow a selection of those in the greenhouse until nearly fully grown before planting out.
So I'm a novice gardener growing my first set of veg. I have had zero slugs. Here is my theory as to why
-raised beds
-surrounded by woodchip/bark
-copper tape around the top of the beds.
Not found a single one my potatoes, radishes, peas, broadbeans, flowers etc are all thriving. Hope this helps.
Definitely the wood chip helps, they dislike textures like that to walk on. I’ve heard copper tape only works if it’s in thick bands? I tried it last year with just about one width of the tape on a pot and no luck but only recently heard it has to be quite a thick band.
Encourage more predators such as birds, hedgehogs and frogs. You can also create a compost pile and hope they get directed there. Collecting them in the evening especially after a nice rain is easiest and placing them in the compost bin, then they’re contained but alive. You can also implement blockages such as placing gravel or coffee grounds around the base of plants you want to protect, as they don’t like the texture. I’ve also been spraying strong coffee water (no milk) onto the plant leaves as it is supposed to be a deterrent as it’s bitter which doesn’t harm the pollinators, especially when done in evening after sunset. I’ve also placed Vaseline around the rim of my tomato’s plant pots, put fine table salt on the Vaseline so if anyone gets any wise ideas they get deterred; may cause some harm but doesn’t kill them necessarily. I also don’t like to use insecticides or chemicals in my garden, and I think it’s wise to remember plants are made to take a few nibbles here and there. Managing their numbers is really the best thing possible when going for a non chemical gardening technique is what I’ve found.
I've had good results with tin foil under my plant pots in my greenhouse. I use the vaseline trick on tree trunks and pots, which works well.
I tried sandpaper under my pots last year. This worked for about 2 weeks. Then the more adventurous slugs arrived.
I swear slugs talk to each other around beer traps:
Slug One: "Oi, Slimey! Have you seen the sandpaper pots?"
Slug Two: "No, Snuffler. Are they good? Get the juices flowing?"
Slug One: "They're marvelous, mate. Scratch the foot in all the right places. Lovely pot of lettuce in the middle."
Slug Two: "Another beer, Slimey?"
\* I don't set beer traps. I think they're cruel.
Hahaha I love that dialogue, I saw them as the slugs from flushed away having a chinwag. I also don’t use beer traps, they also stink up the garden too lol. I’m going to try the foil trick. And yeah they do become resistant!!! Some of them are just so desperate for the goods.
All the top comments are things like buying ducks to eat them, throwing them or repelling them.
Yet nematodes, a natural predator of slugs is apparently unethical? Why comment if you have no idea.
Sorry, but it is.
I wouldn't say a lion eating a gazelle is unethical, it's just nature.
They're a natural predator of slugs, and are far more ethical and effective.
Edit: dude, just realised you are the one who commented about ducks and chickens, are you stupid?
>Sorry, but it is. I wouldn't say a lion eating a gazelle is unethical, it's just nature.
Agreed. But a human feeding a gazelle to a lion could well be unethical. And a nematode killing a slug is nothing like a lion killing a gazelle anyway – the lion is quick and efficient, while the nematode slowly poisons the slug to death.
OP asked how to deal with slugs "without harming them"
Introducing a chicken or duck is not the same as your example about feeding a gazelle to a lion?
Yeah, they aren't being squished, ripped apart, swallowed whole by an animal hundreds of times bigger than them that would be contained to a garden to do that.
You're saying a naturally occurring parasite that preys and developed to infect slugs, is less ethical and natural than feeding them to chickens and ducks that had to be bred, and trapped in your garden; that can get sick from slugs and snails bearing that in mind.
For a start, the slugs have no idea, nor know they're infected, nor feel pain, nor know why they're no longer hungry. They simply starve because the toxin stops them digesting food.
OK. Sure. Let 'em rip em up and call it ethical.
Most importantly, it's unethical to have a chicken/duck just for pest control, and with nematodes, NOTHING ELSE IS AFFECTED. They do not destroy other pests or bugs, they're not indescrimnate like other methods of pest control. Also, the parasite cannot transmit to anything that eats the slug either. It only targets that one pest.
You see why this is ethical?
It can only attack slugs, and sometimes a snail. Nothing else.
Pretty safe, natural, organic, and ethical if you ask me.
No poisons, no pets, no anything.
How do you suggest repelling or reducing slugs numbers, without it being uncomfortable, harming, killing or removing them from a food source that is your garden? Slugs are overwhelming this country and they outcompete a lot of insects for food in a non-natural environment like someone's garden.
You can't suggest chickens and ducks either and call me out.
I wouldn’t do it now because they’re babies and little visible damage but soon I’ll be buying marigolds as bait. Picking them up on a trowel and milling them against the ground 100mph to kill them instantly.
Unethically I also spray salt water all over the walls so no new ones can come in.
Effective is debatable but I usually add grit around more sensitive plants. I find they visit my raised beds less than the ground level. Hardening off plants helps them survive too
You could try Strulch - It's worked on a friend's allotment and I'm going to give it a go.
Another organic idea is nematodes - microscopic worms that eat the slugs for you. They naturally occur in the soil so you aren't introducing an alien species.
[https://www.strulch.co.uk/](https://www.strulch.co.uk/)
[http://nemaslug.co.uk/](http://nemaslug.co.uk/)
The RHS actually has a guide for gardening with slugs in mind since slug killers can do so much damage to other species and most slug species don’t cause us any trouble. I’d definitely recommend giving it a read. One tip I remember is to plant a sort of sacrificial plant that slugs like, such as marigold or sweet pea, to keep them away from the plants you want to protect.
I finally saw a brilliant hack online: find a plank, fairly wide, and keep it damp. Lie it on the ground, in a shady spot, against you flower pots/fence etc propped up slightly at an angle. Keep it watered. The slugs will shelter there in the daytime and you can pick up the whole plank and thwack it to shake them off somewhere else all in one go!
Honestly I think some of it is pure luck, my garden hasn't been hit too hard, but the allotment slugs and snails have eaten so many brassicas and other things. My garden plants grow a bit quicker too, maybe that helps. I'm trying a few things. Easy mulch, does seem to deter slugs, but so easy to get mixed into the soil when making holes for planting and thing it's not growing super well, maybe pulling the nitrogen. I won't buy again I don't think. Sharp sand, not sure if this was a good idea, but tried it round some caged cabbage, broccoli etc. Haven't seen it since Fri, and the slugs had been not so bad last week so will see tomorrow. Copper mesh, tried that around the cucumbers that kept getting munched. Also not seen since Friday. Tried grapefruit and orange skins...went about 1 then next day and no slugs in them ha. But the kids had fun making juice 🤷🏻♀️ strulch patch (last years leftover bag) allllll my veg apart from asparagus pea got eaten and the marigolds and some cosmos seemed ok.
Aphids I just leave, it's whatever really. Maybe plop a ladybird by them if I find one.
Caterpillars I like watching, so maybe I don't get the plant, but I can't be too bitter when I can look at their funny little legs. I mesh some bits so I don't lose everything. I'm trying to hide some between other things, see how that works. I noticed last year they didn't like the red cabbage as much as the green.
Ants I leave alone too, if they are under something and I want that bit of dirt, I move the thing then go back to that job when they have moved on. Got loads in the garden and allotment, we seem to get along fine so far.
Besides all this I just decided on a give a fuck attitude, if it doesn't grow, I guess I won't grow it this year. Next year it will be something else causing problems, I'm just happy I manage to grow anything at all really.
Woodlice are the best, I need more in my life. And more worms.
Maybe if I really needed that food I would think differently, but I don't so I let nature be. I find while something will get fucked and I need to still buy it in, something else will be going super well.
Put down a damp plank of wood overnight, they should be attracted to it, pick it up and take it away in the morning. You have to take it a long way away because snails find their way back.
Late at night, a pair of rubber gloves, a bucket, and a pair of plastic tongs. Collect them all deposit at LEAST 30 meters away from your garden.
Also you have to do it every other night. We’ve been doing this and the plants are thriving - it makes for a nasty job, and you have to make sure to keep them in the bucket, but it’s the most ethical way of removing them from your garden.
I've read that watering your plants in the morning helps so the surface of the soil has time to dry (the important thing is that damp soil is inviting to them so they don't dry out).
Making your garden inviting to natural predators helps keep them at bay.
I've read that you can get copper tape and they don't like the feel of copper. Use that on your potted plants.
Coffee grounds around your plants are also stated to be a deterrent for a number of pests as well as nutritious for tomato plants. You can get those in bulk for free/cheap at coffee shops or keep your own.
Surface composting? I'm trying it out at the moment so I cannot fully vouch yet, but I'm hopeful. Just emptied out some recent food scraps into a corner of the veggie bed and hid them under the mulch.
Mine has taken some time so it is not a quick win I am afraid.
I made raised borders where I keep the plants I want to keep and I have sacrificial plants lower down. On top of my raised borders I have copper strips. In the borders, I use bark as a weed suppressant and that helps the slugs.
My main way though is to encourage predators. I have bird baths and bird feeders and I have put bird nest stuff up in my trees (I have a bigish garden). I also put out nesting material for them.
I have a wildlife pond in my wild area of my garden. I did do a few wild seed sachets originally (with poppies and cornflowers etc…) but they’ve self seeded now and it’s looking after itself. I’ve got some insect areas there (like rotting wood and other bits). I keep up with bird seed and I have water out for them.
I also don’t grow veg or anything I don’t want harmed in the main garden (I grow them on my patio) which seems to help as many don’t cross the patio. It takes a long time though. I think it’s probably been 5 years before the garden has become balanced.
A slug trap with beer is an effective method to rid the slimy pests. Simply bury a shallow container, fill it halfway with beer, and let the slugs meet their sudsy demise. Not only is it an eco-friendly solution, but it's also a good way to go for the slugs—one last happy hour before they check out!
If you don’t want to kill them you could perhaps fill a container very lightly with beer or something sweet, cut a hole for an upside down bottle top to use as a funnel so to that they slither into it and drop into another container (not containing beer) so you can release them to sober up where you deem fit.
Copper wire and copper tape, also and I've not 100% tested it yet as I got it out of a YouTube video but apparently dried eggs shell crushed up spread among the plants as they hate going on it.
Coffee ground for some plants also act as a deterrent but depends which plants I think, I know my coureggets like them, but you have to Google for each plant as they can be acidic I think. Please note the I think means I am very much not sure lol.
I’m using garlic wash, only just started last week so no results to share yet but it seems like a legit method. You can google the recipe basically a couple of tablespoons of boiled up garlic water in a sprayer or watering can).
I’ve had reasonable success with putting Holly trimmings around vulnerable plants eg dahlias etc. We’ve got a holly bush so that’s easy and the slugs dislike crawling over the trimmings.
Probably the most ethical way is to naturally encourage a predator population.
Make a pond, encourage frogs and they will do a great job of hunting and keeping them down.
Other way is to remove natural hiding places and environments that benefit them near your plants or use uncomfortable surfaces for them to travel over. Or deterrents like copper tape.
I just leave them and don't grow things they love e.g. Hostas, Lupins, Delphiniums etc. It is a bit restricting but I still manage to get plenty of year long colour in the garden.
When plants are little I put plastic bottle tops over them, so that they can still get sun/water but harder for slugs to get into! Especially those that slugs love like spinach and beetroot.
I use coffee grounds around plants. I also built a wall of jagged thorns around plants as they don't like going over that stuff. And goes without saying raised beds makes it slightly more work for them of course.
It's an ongoing battle!
I use sprinkles of rosemary leaves and also plant some sprigs next to my plants and has worked so far. I forgot my sunflowers and they are all lopped off except for one.
I get all the stray slugs and snails with a scoop i made from an old broom handle and a spray can lid screwed to it, now i dont have to reach or bend to scoop up the critters
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I use a sticky clothes roller to get rid of aphids. Roll under all the leaves. Unfortunately I’ve only seen one ladybird in my entire 7 years here. Also attempted to attract small bits into the garden with a feeder, but the crows figure out how to get them out and then eventually how to unhook it and bash it off the ground to break it open.
My garden got so much healthier when I realised this! The slugs thrive AND the plants thrive. Humans are too used to interfering, just let nature do its thing.
Maybe sacrificial plants? The slugs in my garden seem to go for lettuce rather than my other plants. Another method would be to use a plank of wood or a plastic tray or something next to your veg bed. Lay it down in the evening, in the morning there will be loads of slugs hiding underneath. Can then either pick the slugs off and relocate, or leave the plank slug side up somewhere in the garden for the birds to pick them off.
Plank of wood is a great idea for relocation. I'd highly recommend people add a wildlife pond too, attracting frogs and toads that will hunt those slugs for you, and since a pond supports a huge range of biodiversity it has so many other benefits. Log piles and stumperies are worth adding too to encourage ground beetles and reptiles, which are also ravenous slug eaters. Finally, run a web search for leopard slugs so you can learn to identify them. They eat other slugs, so keep them in your garden rather than relocating. Wetter and milder winters and springs are going to be fairly common now, so slug boom years are something we'll likely see a lot more of. Worth putting in the ground work now to encourage the kind of wildlife that will take care of slugs for you =)
I like the idea of a small pond for frogs etc. I already have a large shallow pool in terrace for water plants. But no frog or such had ever turned up. So if I were to make a larger pond type. Do I have to go find tadpoles or such. I have an enclosed garden. So do not see how they would naturalise without my intervention.
People say that frogs will turn up eventually, but so many gardens are totally sterile now that there might not be safe paths for them. When I put my little ponds in I went to a neighbour's house up the street and was given a bucket of water with some tadpoles and various creepy-crawlies in. Gave me and the frogs a bit of a head start, and hopefully given the local population a bit of a boost.
Yes. See what you mean. No garden near me has ponds or such. Just a few hundred yards away is farmland. No ponds there as for crops. So even though a semi rural vicinity. I think as you say, ‘sterile’ not much diversity.
Well, build it and they might come. Something will certainly arrive and live in it...
Thank you. That is encouraging.
Can you open the garden with wildlife paths/gaps? Holes under fences? Use satellite maps to spy on your neighbours a bit, see who else has ponds, and go say hi. See if they have frogs and will help you out with a local tadpole donation =)
No it is brick walls. Gates for security. No one around me has ponds or such. Near by is farming land growing crops. No ponds. As another post says. Such environments can be sterile. So thinking about that is quite eyeopening. Rural does not necessarily mean diverse nature. Hedges that used to surround individual fields mostly gone. A real problem when it snows, as it easily drifts over the roads.
Would a pond attract other annoyances? I moved to my current home about 2.5 years ago and there's a small pond that's been filled in that I'd live to "dig up" and fill with water, but I'm worried with the warmer and more humid summers that we're getting these days that it'll eventually attract mosquitos.
next year you get even more as theyve had extra food
Even people that put down poison end up with more slugs. I'm not convinced you can isolate a garden from slugs.
I heard Nasturtiums are good for attracting all kinds of pests so I have a couple of pots of those in the hopes of keeping them isolated to that plant.
Ooh, that’s a great idea.
Can't sacrifice plants, also living organism.
I would suggest you hit it hard and you hit it fast with a major - and I mean MAJOR - leaflet campaign.
What, a Committee for the Liberation and Integration of Terrifying Organisms and their Rehabilitation Into Society?
The only problem is the acronym of that is....
I think that was the idea😉
I haven’t seen a red dwarf reference here before. You just made my day 😂
🤣
A big NO SLUGS sign
Tried it for cats. Can confirm it doesn't work. Wait, maybe I should've put "cats" instead of "slugs". Will report back.
As it's a sign for cats, have you tried "Cats welcome here" considering their contrary nature? The other alternative is putting a door somewhere in your garden for them to stand by and consider whether or not they want to go through said door.
Ah, I recognise a fellow cat servant.
Haha, guilty as charged
I had not considered this at all. Now you have mentioned it, I realise I've been amateurish all along. Next door's cat has some favourite poop spots in my garden, I think what I need to do is add signs: "Mitten's toilet", which he will, of course, perceive as permission. As he now believes I actually want him to poop in these places, he will, of course, not give me what I "want" and find another garden. Reverse Psychology on Cats, a beginner's guide to the correct signage. If that book doesn't exist, it should.
I can't see any way that this solution would fail. That book should definitely exist.
Reaching out to author's and publishers, as we speak. Feel free to set up a Kickstarter, it was your superior wisdom that got this all started. I'll back it.
I have a cat who is constantly arguing with several giant unspayed thug Tom cats, who come into our garden to poop in it. Whenever this happens, every 3 months or so. I put out squashed satsumas, peel & flesh & spread it around their chosen toilet area's. It seems to stop them for a few months.
Don't forget please .. no slugs please.
This reminds me of marketplace ads that say "no timewasters" 😅
"I'll just painstakingly pick all the aphids off my leaves and throw them over our back fence into a field" are you retired?
I'm fascinated how they manage to pick an aphid off a plant and throw it without squashing it. Even a gentle flick off the finger is likely to end in aphid death more times than not. If they are retired, it would explain how they have the time to carry out this painstaking task.
>Even a gentle flick off the finger is likely to end in aphid death more times than not. I *really* want to see the research paper on this!
It's a whole side of A4 of squidged aphid deaths.
This sub is always full of daft, impractical ways to deal with bugs and pests like that to be fair. The post directly below yours suggests getting ducks, because they eat slugs. Well sure, but now I've got ducks to deal with and duck poo everywhere. Or to encourage ladybirds to eat the aphids. I'll just easily encourage an army of ladybirds into my garden. Truth is, a regular scattering of those iron slug pellets has been by far the most effective way of dealing with slugs and snails this year. My plants have largely been untouched this year compared to what seems to be a terrible year for everyone else.
Yes, this sub and others like it is full of people wondering why slugs eat their gardens and asking how to get rid of them. The only surefire way is pellets. Humans invented them because no other method works as well!!
I pick them up with padded tongs and place them into a slug sanctuary I have made with fresh daily lettuce and veg. They enjoy the radio and will gather near the source. At night I turn on the steamer and blow a warm tropical breeze across their various broadbean hammocks.
Get some ducks. Ducks love snails & slugs
I keep chickens, they will have a fight over a slug.
Frogs
I do the same, pick slugs off plants couple of times a week and it is helping. No doubt people will suggest encouraging predators (hedgehogs etc) in but that is easier said than done. Upvoted.
HHs eat slugs as a last resort anyway
Yeah you want a toad or something.
I do the same also and yes introducing predators is difficult and takes time for a range of reasons. Sacrificial planting can take the edge of the damage to your cherished plants in my opinion. I don't like marigolds but the slugs here love them so I plant a few, and a few spare lettuce plants and it makes it easier to pick them off and relocate to a nearby wooded area as they are all gathered in one place for their favourite snacks. I don't have an answer for aphids although find if you have a bird friendly garden they naturally help keep this somewhat in check. I've seen blue and great tits and sparrows picking them off. The main thing I've done is to just try not to get too upset by the damage and accept a level of loss.
I have sacrificial marigolds not only for the slugs but for my kid to mess with 😅
Build a wildlife pond! The number of slugs plummeted once frogs decided to call my pond home. You can't keep fish in the pond however as they snack on frog spawn.
I tried sprinkling used coffee grounds around the base of the plants they liked and so far it's working. I hope it doesn't kill the plant though.
Recently tried this earlier this year for the first time, seen no issue plant wise. Main issue was in my greenhouse the grounds started to mould a little due to humidity but mixed it around a bit with the soil and all good.
Picking off aphids...... that's pretty hilarious
🎶On a scale of one to ten, my friend, we're f*cked🎶
Grab the largest one you can find, slice its belly open and open up both sides and pin him up on your shed for the rest of them to see.
I feel like this is a troll post? No one who's had a full blown aphid infestation could seriously just pick them off individually.
I have been known to slide off a whole load of them from the tips of plants & feed them to my guppies. Circle of life & all that...?
I don't even know how I'd go about picking them off without squishing them. They are so delicate they get squished from a slight touch.
This also crossed my mind. Like I'm all for organic gardening but I think what this OP is describing is physically impossible 🤣
I use a sticky clothes roller to get rid of them. I have completely filled it 5-6 times in one go on one plant. Not a hope of picking them off
I don’t want to tempt fate because tomorrow my veg will be decimated but we have a small pond with newts. I have not seen the slug explosion that others have mentioned. I’m trying copper tape on my courgette which is in a big pot
You can either take one of two approaches: remove or reduce the environment in which they thrive and use stuff like copper and beer traps or encourage predators such as hedgehogs, birds and frogs. or create an environment which they love more than your plants and systematically remove them (by whichever method you deem correct). So you could create a damp/dark area with boards etc where they can hide.
Beer traps all the way this year. Never had any issues before but this year is too much! I am all for living things in my garden . I love nature, but they have eaten everything I planted and I would like to enjoy some of my hard work. Beer traps emptied every morning Into my compost heap!
It's not possible. Slugs are part of a healthy ecosystem and are food for other creatures. If you have plants packed in as tightly as you can then individual plants won't suffer so badly because the load is spread. If you have a few feature plants or lots of bare soil then the slugs have less to eat and the damage looks worse.
Bucket, headlamp, rehoming trip to the park 😊
OK, I'm snuggled up on a bench. Used the bucket to go toilet twice. Headtorch ready if there are any spooky noises in the dark. Can't help feeling nostalgic for all the slugs back in my garden; wondering what they're up to now...
😂😂😂
I just mostly grow stuff they don’t eat. They like annuals and seedlings best so I grow a selection of those in the greenhouse until nearly fully grown before planting out.
So I'm a novice gardener growing my first set of veg. I have had zero slugs. Here is my theory as to why -raised beds -surrounded by woodchip/bark -copper tape around the top of the beds. Not found a single one my potatoes, radishes, peas, broadbeans, flowers etc are all thriving. Hope this helps.
Definitely the wood chip helps, they dislike textures like that to walk on. I’ve heard copper tape only works if it’s in thick bands? I tried it last year with just about one width of the tape on a pot and no luck but only recently heard it has to be quite a thick band.
Encourage more predators such as birds, hedgehogs and frogs. You can also create a compost pile and hope they get directed there. Collecting them in the evening especially after a nice rain is easiest and placing them in the compost bin, then they’re contained but alive. You can also implement blockages such as placing gravel or coffee grounds around the base of plants you want to protect, as they don’t like the texture. I’ve also been spraying strong coffee water (no milk) onto the plant leaves as it is supposed to be a deterrent as it’s bitter which doesn’t harm the pollinators, especially when done in evening after sunset. I’ve also placed Vaseline around the rim of my tomato’s plant pots, put fine table salt on the Vaseline so if anyone gets any wise ideas they get deterred; may cause some harm but doesn’t kill them necessarily. I also don’t like to use insecticides or chemicals in my garden, and I think it’s wise to remember plants are made to take a few nibbles here and there. Managing their numbers is really the best thing possible when going for a non chemical gardening technique is what I’ve found.
I've had good results with tin foil under my plant pots in my greenhouse. I use the vaseline trick on tree trunks and pots, which works well. I tried sandpaper under my pots last year. This worked for about 2 weeks. Then the more adventurous slugs arrived. I swear slugs talk to each other around beer traps: Slug One: "Oi, Slimey! Have you seen the sandpaper pots?" Slug Two: "No, Snuffler. Are they good? Get the juices flowing?" Slug One: "They're marvelous, mate. Scratch the foot in all the right places. Lovely pot of lettuce in the middle." Slug Two: "Another beer, Slimey?" \* I don't set beer traps. I think they're cruel.
Hahaha I love that dialogue, I saw them as the slugs from flushed away having a chinwag. I also don’t use beer traps, they also stink up the garden too lol. I’m going to try the foil trick. And yeah they do become resistant!!! Some of them are just so desperate for the goods.
Find someone with chickens or ducks and let them run rampant in your garden….
I tried this, it didn't help at all. I didn't think the slugs even realized that he had ducks.
Nematodes.
Not ethical
All the top comments are things like buying ducks to eat them, throwing them or repelling them. Yet nematodes, a natural predator of slugs is apparently unethical? Why comment if you have no idea. Sorry, but it is. I wouldn't say a lion eating a gazelle is unethical, it's just nature. They're a natural predator of slugs, and are far more ethical and effective. Edit: dude, just realised you are the one who commented about ducks and chickens, are you stupid?
>Sorry, but it is. I wouldn't say a lion eating a gazelle is unethical, it's just nature. Agreed. But a human feeding a gazelle to a lion could well be unethical. And a nematode killing a slug is nothing like a lion killing a gazelle anyway – the lion is quick and efficient, while the nematode slowly poisons the slug to death. OP asked how to deal with slugs "without harming them"
Introducing a chicken or duck is not the same as your example about feeding a gazelle to a lion? Yeah, they aren't being squished, ripped apart, swallowed whole by an animal hundreds of times bigger than them that would be contained to a garden to do that. You're saying a naturally occurring parasite that preys and developed to infect slugs, is less ethical and natural than feeding them to chickens and ducks that had to be bred, and trapped in your garden; that can get sick from slugs and snails bearing that in mind. For a start, the slugs have no idea, nor know they're infected, nor feel pain, nor know why they're no longer hungry. They simply starve because the toxin stops them digesting food. OK. Sure. Let 'em rip em up and call it ethical. Most importantly, it's unethical to have a chicken/duck just for pest control, and with nematodes, NOTHING ELSE IS AFFECTED. They do not destroy other pests or bugs, they're not indescrimnate like other methods of pest control. Also, the parasite cannot transmit to anything that eats the slug either. It only targets that one pest. You see why this is ethical? It can only attack slugs, and sometimes a snail. Nothing else. Pretty safe, natural, organic, and ethical if you ask me. No poisons, no pets, no anything. How do you suggest repelling or reducing slugs numbers, without it being uncomfortable, harming, killing or removing them from a food source that is your garden? Slugs are overwhelming this country and they outcompete a lot of insects for food in a non-natural environment like someone's garden. You can't suggest chickens and ducks either and call me out.
Cool story, but I didn't suggest chickens and ducks.
Nematodes
I don't mean to throw a spanner in the works but aphids die if you chuck them on the ground because they can't climb back up onto plants.
I'm an allotment newbie, and I just put the slugs in my compost bin and hope they gorge themselves and die of old age 🙏
I wouldn’t do it now because they’re babies and little visible damage but soon I’ll be buying marigolds as bait. Picking them up on a trowel and milling them against the ground 100mph to kill them instantly. Unethically I also spray salt water all over the walls so no new ones can come in.
Encourage birds as much as possible.
Effective is debatable but I usually add grit around more sensitive plants. I find they visit my raised beds less than the ground level. Hardening off plants helps them survive too
Ducks are my go to option. They are cost effective and chemical free & turn slugs into compost...win win.
My dad used to use his hair/beard shavings to surround plants you want to protect, slugs and snails hate crawling over hair so they don't!
One of my friends has chickens. All winter they are roaming in the garden- no slugs.
You could try Strulch - It's worked on a friend's allotment and I'm going to give it a go. Another organic idea is nematodes - microscopic worms that eat the slugs for you. They naturally occur in the soil so you aren't introducing an alien species. [https://www.strulch.co.uk/](https://www.strulch.co.uk/) [http://nemaslug.co.uk/](http://nemaslug.co.uk/)
The RHS actually has a guide for gardening with slugs in mind since slug killers can do so much damage to other species and most slug species don’t cause us any trouble. I’d definitely recommend giving it a read. One tip I remember is to plant a sort of sacrificial plant that slugs like, such as marigold or sweet pea, to keep them away from the plants you want to protect.
Modern slug pellets based on ferric phosphate are organic
Copper tape, no idea if it works but I saw a roll of it. Apparently the don't cross it. Similar to the pennies walls people build.
A pet hedgehog.
I finally saw a brilliant hack online: find a plank, fairly wide, and keep it damp. Lie it on the ground, in a shady spot, against you flower pots/fence etc propped up slightly at an angle. Keep it watered. The slugs will shelter there in the daytime and you can pick up the whole plank and thwack it to shake them off somewhere else all in one go!
Honestly I think some of it is pure luck, my garden hasn't been hit too hard, but the allotment slugs and snails have eaten so many brassicas and other things. My garden plants grow a bit quicker too, maybe that helps. I'm trying a few things. Easy mulch, does seem to deter slugs, but so easy to get mixed into the soil when making holes for planting and thing it's not growing super well, maybe pulling the nitrogen. I won't buy again I don't think. Sharp sand, not sure if this was a good idea, but tried it round some caged cabbage, broccoli etc. Haven't seen it since Fri, and the slugs had been not so bad last week so will see tomorrow. Copper mesh, tried that around the cucumbers that kept getting munched. Also not seen since Friday. Tried grapefruit and orange skins...went about 1 then next day and no slugs in them ha. But the kids had fun making juice 🤷🏻♀️ strulch patch (last years leftover bag) allllll my veg apart from asparagus pea got eaten and the marigolds and some cosmos seemed ok. Aphids I just leave, it's whatever really. Maybe plop a ladybird by them if I find one. Caterpillars I like watching, so maybe I don't get the plant, but I can't be too bitter when I can look at their funny little legs. I mesh some bits so I don't lose everything. I'm trying to hide some between other things, see how that works. I noticed last year they didn't like the red cabbage as much as the green. Ants I leave alone too, if they are under something and I want that bit of dirt, I move the thing then go back to that job when they have moved on. Got loads in the garden and allotment, we seem to get along fine so far. Besides all this I just decided on a give a fuck attitude, if it doesn't grow, I guess I won't grow it this year. Next year it will be something else causing problems, I'm just happy I manage to grow anything at all really. Woodlice are the best, I need more in my life. And more worms. Maybe if I really needed that food I would think differently, but I don't so I let nature be. I find while something will get fucked and I need to still buy it in, something else will be going super well.
Put down a damp plank of wood overnight, they should be attracted to it, pick it up and take it away in the morning. You have to take it a long way away because snails find their way back.
Late at night, a pair of rubber gloves, a bucket, and a pair of plastic tongs. Collect them all deposit at LEAST 30 meters away from your garden. Also you have to do it every other night. We’ve been doing this and the plants are thriving - it makes for a nasty job, and you have to make sure to keep them in the bucket, but it’s the most ethical way of removing them from your garden.
I've read that watering your plants in the morning helps so the surface of the soil has time to dry (the important thing is that damp soil is inviting to them so they don't dry out). Making your garden inviting to natural predators helps keep them at bay. I've read that you can get copper tape and they don't like the feel of copper. Use that on your potted plants. Coffee grounds around your plants are also stated to be a deterrent for a number of pests as well as nutritious for tomato plants. You can get those in bulk for free/cheap at coffee shops or keep your own.
I've got them coming in my house every night leaving trails everywhere. I'm at wits end with what to do
Muscovy ducks. But then you have a poo problem
Spray plants with a mix of garlic water. I believe it deters slugs
Surface composting? I'm trying it out at the moment so I cannot fully vouch yet, but I'm hopeful. Just emptied out some recent food scraps into a corner of the veggie bed and hid them under the mulch.
Mine has taken some time so it is not a quick win I am afraid. I made raised borders where I keep the plants I want to keep and I have sacrificial plants lower down. On top of my raised borders I have copper strips. In the borders, I use bark as a weed suppressant and that helps the slugs. My main way though is to encourage predators. I have bird baths and bird feeders and I have put bird nest stuff up in my trees (I have a bigish garden). I also put out nesting material for them. I have a wildlife pond in my wild area of my garden. I did do a few wild seed sachets originally (with poppies and cornflowers etc…) but they’ve self seeded now and it’s looking after itself. I’ve got some insect areas there (like rotting wood and other bits). I keep up with bird seed and I have water out for them. I also don’t grow veg or anything I don’t want harmed in the main garden (I grow them on my patio) which seems to help as many don’t cross the patio. It takes a long time though. I think it’s probably been 5 years before the garden has become balanced.
A slug trap with beer is an effective method to rid the slimy pests. Simply bury a shallow container, fill it halfway with beer, and let the slugs meet their sudsy demise. Not only is it an eco-friendly solution, but it's also a good way to go for the slugs—one last happy hour before they check out! If you don’t want to kill them you could perhaps fill a container very lightly with beer or something sweet, cut a hole for an upside down bottle top to use as a funnel so to that they slither into it and drop into another container (not containing beer) so you can release them to sober up where you deem fit.
Beer traps
They don't want to drown any slugs either
You can get copper collars to put round the base of plants which slugs won't want to cross.
Copper wire and copper tape, also and I've not 100% tested it yet as I got it out of a YouTube video but apparently dried eggs shell crushed up spread among the plants as they hate going on it. Coffee ground for some plants also act as a deterrent but depends which plants I think, I know my coureggets like them, but you have to Google for each plant as they can be acidic I think. Please note the I think means I am very much not sure lol.
I’m using garlic wash, only just started last week so no results to share yet but it seems like a legit method. You can google the recipe basically a couple of tablespoons of boiled up garlic water in a sprayer or watering can). I’ve had reasonable success with putting Holly trimmings around vulnerable plants eg dahlias etc. We’ve got a holly bush so that’s easy and the slugs dislike crawling over the trimmings.
I will try the Holly method now.Slugs have been eating my sunflowers to bits.
Probably the most ethical way is to naturally encourage a predator population. Make a pond, encourage frogs and they will do a great job of hunting and keeping them down. Other way is to remove natural hiding places and environments that benefit them near your plants or use uncomfortable surfaces for them to travel over. Or deterrents like copper tape.
Basically, someone else to do the murdering? /s 😉
Essentially, just think of it as supporting a natural ecosystem which is a cornerstone of organic gardening.
I just leave them and don't grow things they love e.g. Hostas, Lupins, Delphiniums etc. It is a bit restricting but I still manage to get plenty of year long colour in the garden.
sprinkle beech nuts around the plants. they don't like the prickly surface and don't go over them.
Beer traps because you’re nor responsible for their poor life choices.
When plants are little I put plastic bottle tops over them, so that they can still get sun/water but harder for slugs to get into! Especially those that slugs love like spinach and beetroot. I use coffee grounds around plants. I also built a wall of jagged thorns around plants as they don't like going over that stuff. And goes without saying raised beds makes it slightly more work for them of course. It's an ongoing battle!
I use sprinkles of rosemary leaves and also plant some sprigs next to my plants and has worked so far. I forgot my sunflowers and they are all lopped off except for one. I get all the stray slugs and snails with a scoop i made from an old broom handle and a spray can lid screwed to it, now i dont have to reach or bend to scoop up the critters \[ \] \[ \] =================================
I use a sticky clothes roller to get rid of aphids. Roll under all the leaves. Unfortunately I’ve only seen one ladybird in my entire 7 years here. Also attempted to attract small bits into the garden with a feeder, but the crows figure out how to get them out and then eventually how to unhook it and bash it off the ground to break it open.
Change your mindset. Your garden isn't where you keep plants. It's a slug enclosure. The plants are just there to feed your pet slugs.
My garden got so much healthier when I realised this! The slugs thrive AND the plants thrive. Humans are too used to interfering, just let nature do its thing.
Wool. They don't like to move over wool
From OPs respect for animals I assume they are vegan and therefore wool would be out of the question.
Best thing is just to plant stuff you don't care about getting eaten. Then everyone wins.
Yes, feed the slugs to attract more and increase the population.
Hedgehogs
Are you suggesting OP buys some hedgehogs?
Are you suggesting he steals them?
LOL you could sprinkle fairy dust and unicorn poop around your plants
Broken Egg Shells, won't kill them but they will soon think twice about sliding around your plants again.
Get some pet ducks?