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On an early morning stroll through the garden, sipping a mug of steaming coffee and inhaling the fresh dewy air, one comes upon a new begonia bloom with most of the petals chewed off. What a way to start the day! One or two slugs in a flower bed can wreak havoc, so prepare yourself for the onslaught of this night visitor.
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These "snails without shells" have been around for centuries and, according to horticultural references from the late nineteenth century, have plagued mankind's gardens worldwide, especially in areas of high humidity.1 Slug damage not only affects the aesthetics of the garden, but the holes in (or defoliation of) a plant or fruit also provide a gateway for disease, not to mention relegating the specimen to an "un-saleable condition." The bad news is that "land slugs" - those we battle in our gardens - are hermaphrodites (having both female and male reproductive organs). Yes, every slug you see (or not) lays eggs!
Okay, enough about the history and love-life of these pests. What can you do about them? 
The first and best control method consists of reducing the conditions for favorable habitat. Moist, cool, protected sites will attract slugs seeking shelter during the day and conditions in which to lay their eggs. Look at your gardens and determine ways to open them up to more sun or warm air. Over-mulching can provide perfect conditions for slug residence, so be sure mulch is 2 inches or less; keep the mulch material away from plant stems and trunks - an excellent hiding place with easy access to food. Remove dead or dying leaves from large-leaved plants such as Hosta or Caladium; this decaying material left in the garden provides yet another place to hide.
Next, adjust your watering schedule. Do not water in the evening, as the moisture will stay through the night, offering perfect dining conditions for these nocturnal creatures. (Additionally, watering at night provides perfect conditions for mildew and other humidity-related diseases.) Studies have indicated that watering only in the morning can reduce slug damage by up to 80%.2
Okay, the exposure and water conditions have been adjusted. What else can you do?
Traps
Methods for trapping slugs have been around since forever. Trapping is time and labor intensive, but effective (if you have the time and don't mind the work). Simply place the traps in cool moist areas, then collect the slugs in the morning and destroy them. Commercial traps are available, but homemade traps are simple and no-cost. Good trap materials include:
 - Flat boards
- Rocks
- Cabbage leaves (or damaged leaves from Hostas or Caladiums)
- Wet newspaper
- Cardboard
- Plastic bags
- Overturned flower pots: use a rock to prop up the rim
- Grapefruit half: the fruit scent also acts as an attractant to the trap
- Beer or near-beer: pour a small amount into a cup sunk into ground so the lip is at surface level
- Fermented brew: mix sugar, yeast and water; place into a cup in the ground
Repellents (commercial products are also available)
- Garlic-based
- Caffeine-based: 1-2% caffeine (more than found in normally brewed coffee)
- Seaweed: also a good soil amendment when it breaks down (keep this salty material from touching plant stems)
 - Copper wire or strips of sheeting: provides a sharp barrier when placed around base of plant, inside planter rim, or edges of raised beds
Dehydrators & Deterrents
- Diatomaceous earth: sharp material that cuts into soft-bodied creatures; less effective when wet, so apply during dry weather
- Lava rock: abrasive surface acts as deterrent, but once the slug gets on it, the body is damaged, as with diatomaceous earth
- Coffee grounds: effective, but use in moderation; excess material can affect soil pH
- Salt: visit the garden at night and sprinkle salt on exposed pests
- Ammonia solution: mix household ammonia with water (80/20) and spray directly on slugs after dark
What About Commercial Slug Bait?
As responsible gardeners, we must always seek ways to control garden pests without harming our environment. In decades past, chemical control was utilized without too much thought to future consequences. Today's agricultural and horticultural communities are learning new methods to ensure a healthy planet for future generations. Commercial products for slug control still include a few that contain metaldehyde (which is toxic to pets and wildlife), but there are several safe "baits" which are effective for controlling slug damage; look for the ingredient "iron phosphate."
Slug baits are only effective if ingested. University of Oregon Extension recommends spreading bait at planting time, or just before seedlings sprout. OSU entomologist Glenn Fisher says, "When plants are just about to germinate, your slug bait is the only food on the soil surface and [slugs will] be more likely to go for it." Slugs are not likely to come down off mature flowers and vegetables to eat bait on the ground. With baits, "Even when good control is achieved, only about 60 percent of a given slug population is destroyed."3
Use any or all of the methods mentioned in this article, but first and foremost, keep your gardens clear of debris and hiding places, and be diligent about watching for early signs of slug damage.
For more than you ever wanted to know about slugs, visit these links:
- 1 Ohio State University Extension Fact Sheet - http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2010.html
- 2 Eartheasy.com - http://www.eartheasy.com/grow_nat_slug_cntrl.htm
- 3 Oregon State University Extension News - http://extension.oregonstate.edu/news/story.php?S_No=805&storyType=garde
- 4 Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slug; Adams, L.E. The Collector's Manual of British Land and Freshwater Snails, Second Ed., Taylor, Leeds, 1896. Commons License.
Thanks to DG'er Art_n_Garden for some of the photos of these critters!
 | Toni Leland has been writing for over 20 years. She has written a biweekly gardening newspaper column as a spokesman for the Ohio State University Master Gardener program, and writes for Grit magazine and Romance Writers Report. She has been a gardener all her life, working soil all over the world. In her day job, she scripts and produces educational DVDs about caring for Miniature Horses, as well as writing and editing books about this unique height breed. |
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Subject: White lime works
Posted by pearlsanna (from Bridgetown
(Barbados)) on April 1, 2008 at 11:12 AM:We had some unexpected rain yesterday, and although i got home late i armed myself with white lime and went in serch of those pests. It really works it dries them out on contact. i tried the salt but they just slime out of that and continue on their merry way. and also the bear but did not catch many with that. Thanks for the other useful information. ...
Subject: Excellent work!
Posted by adinamiti (from Bucuresti
(Romania)) on March 28, 2008 at 6:11 AM:Toni, congratulations for the excellent article! I've been searching for answers to this question for years and I couldn't find anything I could apply. Your ideas are great, thanks !
Adina ... Posted by tonileland (from Nashport, OH) on March 28, 2008 at 12:31 PM: Adina, thanks so much for your kind words. I am so happy I could help!
Toni ...
Subject: Slugs
Posted by larohweder (from Seattle, WA) on March 24, 2008 at 5:18 PM:I have a very nontoxic way to get rid of slugs. Go out early in the am with a trowel and plastic bag. Pick the critters up with the trowel, put them in the plastic bag and throw them in the garbage. Works every time! ... Posted by whywormsarespecial (from Indianapolis, IN) on March 26, 2008 at 1:19 PM: You hit it right on. Sounds like that will work best of all. ...
Subject: I have a question
Posted by beebonnet (from Coos Bay, OR) on March 24, 2008 at 10:55 AM:Why such a weak solution of ammonia to water and WHY spray after dark. We use a much stronger solution and spray whenever we see them. I keep a spray bottle handy when I garden. Of course, I am going for a direct hit. Since I wear gloves while I garden, I just pull them off or throw them out on the lawn and then spray. Works for snails, too.
Never watering at night or evening is not an option here in Oregon. God does it, especially in the spring when slugs are hungriest.
Now I am going to look for the ingredient iron phosphate on my slug bait box that I just purchased. I am also going to check on my kohlrabi starts that I baited with the new box of bait. And I will take my spray bottle along, too. Armed and ready for war I go off to the spring garden.
Thanks for the great article. I really did like it.
... Posted by tonileland (from Nashport, OH) on March 24, 2008 at 11:51 AM: Hi from another Oregonian!
I grew up in Oregon and spent every weekend at my family's cottage in Reedsport. LOVE the ocean and miss it a lot.
Since you toss the slugs onto the grass, you can use a stronger solution; otherwise, you'll burn your plants.
Glad you enjoyed the article. I enjoy hearing from everyone who posts. ... Posted by beebonnet (from Coos Bay, OR) on March 25, 2008 at 2:55 PM: Thanks tonileland for your answer. It's actually kinder to use a stronger solution, as they slim away faster. Yuk!! Anyway, hope you return to your native state someday. It is still the best one in my humble opinion, slugs and all. LOL ...
Subject: Been There, Done That!
Posted by Dotsy1 (from Steamboat Springs, CO) on March 24, 2008 at 9:56 AM:My garden was plagued with slugs for many years and believe me, I tried evrything you suggested. The last and best product/method I used was iron phosphate granules.
It was amazing. The slugs went right for it. In fact I would set a little granule about three or four inches away from one of the little guys and then watch it go right for it and then devour it! I was sold. This stuff works.
I followed the label instructions and made sure I had enough to scatter in the fall when the next summer's slug eggs are actually laid. In the spring I had significantly less slugs and with a couple more scatterings, just a few last summer. My garden was glorious. It's like it had all that saved up energy from the years of chewing and it just burst into bloom.
The other slug treatments just dehydrate the slugs. They seek water or moisture but return to your plants. Iron phosphate is the way to get rid of them for good. ... Posted by garth_wunsch (from Lively (Sudbury)
(Canada)) on March 24, 2008 at 10:54 AM: So how do the granules work, or maybe the correct question is "why do they work?" Thanks ... Posted by Dotsy1 (from Steamboat Springs, CO) on March 24, 2008 at 6:36 PM: From what I remember reading is the iron phosphate is not compatable with their electrolite balance and kills them almost instantly. ... Posted by Sharkey (from Marianna, FL) on March 24, 2008 at 11:01 PM: Is iron phosphate readily available in stores and how is it packaged? I also have a problem with slugs (along with grubs and snails.) ... Posted by tonileland (from Nashport, OH) on March 24, 2008 at 11:12 PM: My article mentions a "safe" slug bait in which the active ingredient is iron phosphate.
Do a search using the terms "slug gait" and "iron phosphate" and you'll get lots of hits of products and brands that qualify as safe. ...
Subject: Good article
Posted by pirl (from Southold, NY) on March 24, 2008 at 8:03 AM:Thank you for a good article though seeing their ugly bodies with the first cup of coffee wasn't the way to start the day.
Above all, scissors work well.
If I can find the lava rock I'd like to give that a try this spring. We've used Sluggo for years since it doesn't harm pets or birds. Putting it down, here, after each garden has been cleaned and before plants emerge does a great job to eliminate many of them. Diligence is the key to winning the war. ... Posted by tonileland (from Nashport, OH) on March 24, 2008 at 8:24 AM: Ack! scissors?? I'm not that brave. LOL! ... Posted by pirl (from Southold, NY) on March 24, 2008 at 8:30 AM: Actually I have little slug graveyards in a few shady areas and, yes, a little white cross so I don't make the "grave" error of thinking I can dig there. ... Posted by KyWoods (from Melbourne, KY) on March 24, 2008 at 10:43 AM: ROFL, pirl! I don't want to poison them, in case a possum comes along and eats them and gets sick. I just want them to go away....how exactly does the copper work, in what form--wire, sheets, or what?
"little slug graveyard"...LOL ... Posted by garth_wunsch (from Lively (Sudbury)
(Canada)) on March 24, 2008 at 11:28 AM: I use two methods to control the slugs. The first is one you mention, using household ammonia, but Ed Lawrence (CBC's Ontario Gardener) says we only need a ten percent solution of ammonia, which suits me fine because it seems to work, saves me money and is less likely to burn the plants. I don't spray it on them at night, but rather do a mass watering of slug prone areas in the spring just before the Hosta shoots sprout. The solution kills the eggs before they hatch and can't burn the plants. If I put it on plants later in the season, I then wash ot off in about fifteen minutes.
My "second wave" in this this little war is a most unorthodox approach, and at first you will think it counterintuitive, but just rty it... IT WORKS! I make a lot of compost (about 1 -2 cubic yards per year) Most of it goes through my garden shredder and comes out "black gold". I always had trouble getting my baby beans up to the 4 -6 leaf stage, the point at which slugs leave them alone... too tough I guess. Now I keep a close eye on the seed row and as soon as I see the ground starting to swell with the germinating seed, I cover the row with about 1/2 - 1 inch of finely shredded compost. One might think this slug heaven, but it really isn't. It is more like a summons to slug hell (yeah). What happens is that the upper 1/8" or so of the compost dries out very quickly, the sun goes down and the slugs come out for dinner, heading straight for the salad bar. They hit the dry compost and it coats their slimy little bodies, preventing them from laying down the telltale slime trail, and thus immobilizing them... now think/sing that little childhood ditty about the "rinky dinky spider" who got washed down the drain... "out comes the sun and dries up all the slugs" ...et voila, Escargots for the birds! I spread shredded compost over all sluggy areas every spring just before the new growth starts. I have gained a great degree of control over those little sluggers.
This is mostly my own invention, but I had been told by another gardener of using shredded peat moss in the same fashion. It works too, but is expensive and packs down easily when it rains. I thought, if peat moss works, let's try compost... I have lots and it's cheap and is really good for the soil. Ruth Stout also advocated a similar treatment. She covered her entire garden with about 8 inches of salt marsh hay and kept it there year round, repleninshing it every year. She started this because she got too old and frail to dig, and she never dug her garden again, just pulled the mulch back, sowed her seeds and pulled the mulch up to the plants as they grew. The biggest unplanned bonus for her was that she no longer had slugs problems!!!!! I don't think they can crawl on the hay. I'm experimenting with shredded leaves this year???? I don't have access to salt marsh hay. Good slugging! ... Posted by pirl (from Southold, NY) on March 24, 2008 at 12:43 PM: Here's the link to the copper control: [HYPERLINK@www.leevalley.com] ... Posted by KyWoods (from Melbourne, KY) on March 24, 2008 at 5:28 PM: Thanks for the link, pirl, I never knew there was such a thing as copper "tape".
Garth, how very creative of you--that sounds like a good solution, too! ... Posted by tonileland (from Nashport, OH) on March 24, 2008 at 11:13 PM: What an interesting forum within a forum! Maybe someone should start a Slug Forum! LOL
Thanks for all the good info, everyone. ...
Subject: slugs
Posted by Juinette (from Annapolis
(United States)) on March 24, 2008 at 7:51 AM:Toni,
Thanks for a most interesting article. My traps will be going in soon before the Hostas emerge. We always used beer traps when I lived in England but it makes sense not to wait until your plants are mature.
I am also interested in miniature horses!
... Posted by tonileland (from Nashport, OH) on March 24, 2008 at 8:25 AM: Well Juinette, when you've finished setting your slug traps, trot right on over to the miniature horses site. ...
Subject: slugs
Posted by rachel211 (from Springdale, PA) on March 24, 2008 at 7:35 AM:very informative article ...
Subject: Thank you, Toni!
Posted by cyra (from Central Valley, CA) on March 24, 2008 at 7:28 AM:For years, slugs have been happily decimating my garden, now at least I have some recourse!
-Cyra ...
Subject: Slugs
Posted by ringwood (from Niagara Falls
(Canada)) on March 24, 2008 at 6:56 AM:Any experience with biological controls ie. nematodes? ... Posted by tonileland (from Nashport, OH) on March 24, 2008 at 8:24 AM: Hi ringwood,
From what I can gather through research, the nematode solution is available in Europe, but not yet in the US. Ohio State University published an article in 2003 about research being done to see if US native nematodes would be effective, but apparently, our home-grown strain is not as deadly as the European strain.
The concern here has been damage to Earthworms. Perhaps more has been learned in the past few years, but on a quick search to answer your question, this is all I found. ... Posted by vbtyler (from Pittsboro, NC) on March 24, 2008 at 10:41 AM: As a life-long gardener I find the beer idea works best. Our courtyard is shady,
filled with hostas, shade loving flowers and a fish pond, all the ingredients for an
ideal habitat for slugs, along with the North Carolina humidity. I simply place 5 or
6 small custard dishes filled 1/2 with beer and the next morning collect hugh
quantities of the nasty critters. I have tried other products on the market but
find they didn't work as well and I dislike the idea of using chemicals. ...
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