# How do you get rid of slugs/snails in your gardens?



## save$ (May 22, 2012)

Ok,  I tried ashes,  amonia spray,  slug bait both the poison and the iron base kinds, I've tried the stale beer and I have tried squashing them,  but no matter what I try there are hundreds waiting to eat up my plants.  They craw in from the woods.  I tried removing hiding places, but there is no shortage of them. Step on one,  ten minuts later there are 5 others there eating the remains.  I would try chickens or ducks, but I think they would eat my plants up faster than the slugs and snails. I saw on you tube where someone ran an electric wire along the top of  the edge of a board.  He claimed that worked.
Anyone else?


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## woodsman23 (May 22, 2012)

salt


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## save$ (May 22, 2012)

salt kills one at a time.  Is there a plant they don"t like? a substance, like boric acid, (kills ants)  Like maybe planting onions next to other plants they like to feast on?


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## coaly (May 22, 2012)

Copper slug barrier tape is about 7.50 / 15 feet at Home Depot and is supposed to last a long time. I've never needed to try it.

I keep a mowed 10 or 12 feet of grass between garden fence (electric on top) and the woods. I also cleared out all trees to the south, and east so I get full sun on the garden all day. I let chickens free range outside the garden all day and they are always pecking at things right up to the fence. I only see slugs after quite a few days of rain. I removed all the flat rocks I was using for walkways, markers and borders this year to get rid of ants and small slugs under them. We'll see.

I also try not to water late in the day so it's not wet all night. It's good to water so the evaporation factor isn't there overnight, but the insects that are there for the water increase more than it's worth.


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## begreen (May 23, 2012)

I got this large accordian folded copper from the scrap yard. It looks like it was made for car radiators. Anyhow, it was about 4" wide, so I made a fence around the beds and it worked pretty well. 

In the non-organic category (garden perimeter), Deadline works. In the organic category (in garden) Sluggo works somewhat.


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## billb3 (May 23, 2012)

_*Diatomaceous earth is supposed to shred them up.*_
_*I've never tried it.*_
_*I have tried beer with absolutely no takers. I even tried guinness.*_

_*I've seen most of mine in the lawn.*_
_*I've seen dandelions 100% covered so that it looks like a brown plant.*_


_*I've had some luck with the slug bait.*_

_*Maybe lots of toads and ring necked snakes.  *_


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## begreen (May 23, 2012)

Beer works like a charm for us using the cheapest stuff we can get. But it gets diluted too quickly in our rainy springs. By the time summer dries things out, the slug problem is not too bad.


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## firefighterjake (May 24, 2012)

I always put out a few alumnium pie plates full of cheap beer . . . seemed to work pretty well.


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## laynes69 (May 27, 2012)

We had slugs by the hundreds a few years ago. Every time a seedling came up it was gone, thought it was a small animal until I saw the slime trail. Anything in the garden where they can hide should be removed. We have some trees with tall weeds on both sides. After cutting everything down where they hide, the numbers dropped but they were still bad. We ended up using sluggo, which was placed 10' around the perimeter of the garden and a little in the garden itself. It took a week or so, and they were gone. The product doesnt kill them instantly, but makes them where they won't eat. So the few left after using the bait should be harmless.  It's still early in the season, but I'm going to half bury some old clay drainage tiles for toad houses in the garden. I seen a few toads here and there, but want more. They eat slugs and are good for a garden. Slugs can be very frustrating, been there done that.


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## save$ (May 29, 2012)

Thank,  I did buy some Slugo, and another one that isn't harmful around pets.   They are so thick here.  I can fill a tin can in no time.  Raining now, but I'll try some slugo as soon as the rain is overwith.   Slug and a snail issue is worse every year lately.  Amonia and water, 1 to 5 parts, sprayed on will kill them and their eggs if you can spay it on them.  Most of my plants don't mind the amonia, however it has no lasting effects to discourage other slugs.  Slugo is $8.50 at the nursery. But another brand of the same thing is $6 at the box store for one pound.   I have many hosta plants that those slugs and snails like to eat.  Hard to keep the slugs away, but if I don't the plants get very ugly with many holes in them.


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## fespo (May 30, 2012)

spent coffee grounds around the plants.


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## save$ (May 30, 2012)

fespo said:


> spent coffee grounds around the plants.


I would have to run a restaurant to get enough coffee grounds!  I think I have at least a hundred hosta plants and they aren't the only ones under assault.  Our wave petunias are getting hit hard.  I'll have to replace a lot of them.  I am thinking of trying a hot pepper solution.  trying to think of plants they don't go after.  Maybe something like ferns.  I could make a blended solution of that and mix with ivory soap and spray it around the plants.   Can't let them win!


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## fossil (May 30, 2012)

Asphalt.


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## firefighterjake (May 31, 2012)

So far this year here in Maine it has been a banner year for slugs and skeeters . . . at least the black fly season was short lived.


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## save$ (Jul 2, 2012)

Ok, here is a really good artical on slug control.  http://kgi.org/blogs/amy-manning/got-slugs-get-solutions-actually-work-not-same-old-misinformation


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## Backwoods Savage (Jul 3, 2012)

save$ said:


> Ok, I tried ashes, amonia spray, slug bait both the poison and the iron base kinds, I've tried the stale beer and I have tried squashing them, but no matter what I try there are hundreds waiting to eat up my plants. They craw in from the woods. I tried removing hiding places, but there is no shortage of them. Step on one, ten minuts later there are 5 others there eating the remains. I would try chickens or ducks, but I think they would eat my plants up faster than the slugs and snails. I saw on you tube where someone ran an electric wire along the top of the edge of a board. He claimed that worked.
> Anyone else?


 
No worries about chickens and ducks. The will definitely keep the bugs down but don't eat much else. When we had chickens we always let them out to roam during the day. The garden is about the first place they went. Just had to watch your step sometimes.


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