Dealing with slugs in the garden
Strolling through the garden , you witness yourhostas look like Swiss cheese . What could have committed such a crime ? The likely perpetrator : slug . These slimy , rasp - toothed scamp love moist , shady weather condition and lush new outgrowth . These globs of goo are surd on hostas , but they are n’t particular — you ’ll chance them on other plant life , too .
I ’ve wrangle a deal of slugs in theGarden Gatetest garden and have a few control crown to share . Of course , you’re able to useslug come-on . Most of today ’s come-on are n’t as toxic as the honest-to-god formulas used to be . But I ’d rather stick with non - poison options when I can . These four low-toned - impact techniques do a good job of keep punch away from my most prized plant , and there ’s nothing in these methods to harm beneficial insects , pets or multitude . Read on , then lead on out to the garden to free your garden of these ugly pests !
Get rid of slugs with traps
Instead of picking biff one by one from your plants , use nutrient or hiding shoes to collect them in one place , then drop them into a bucketful of fulsome water , fee them to your chickens or ( eek ! ) squash them underfoot .
Put out citrus to attract slugs
Slugs love citrus ! purchase cheap oranges or Citrus paradisi ( you do n’t need the dainty fruit ) for slug gob , or use rinds left over after you ’ve squeezed some orange tree succus . Leave the citrus one-half near vulnerable plants — the punch unremarkably hop off thehostasand hustle over to investigate this raw offer . Check your citrus traps about once a day so slugs do n’t have a luck to blow back onto your plants . Throw spent rinds in yourcompostpile , but get rid of the slugs first !
Create a simple board trap
A board on the land in a shady office might not look like much to you , but to slugs , it await like a keen place to drop the day . Tuck a 1- or 2 - ft.-long piece of plug-in under flora to make a moist , fly-by-night hiding position that ’ll attract tidy sum of slugs . Slugs are active at nighttime , but during hot days , they retrograde under mulch , rocks … or control panel traps . Check the maw in the good afternoon , when slugs are enjoy their siesta under your board .
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Use barriers to control garden slugs
Once you ’ve coaxed slugs away from your plants , you do n’t want them sneak back on to tender leaves the minute your back is become . These easy barriers will keep the pests at a distance .
Use copper to deter slugs
When slug come in contact with copper , it gives them a daze — scientists recall that the slug slime reacts with the cop to produce the jolt . you could purchasecopper strips and tapejust for use in the garden . They ’ll last for geezerhood , and you may reuse them . I like to use the strips around tender young plants , to give them a chance to get establish . But you could use the strip around larger plants , too . Just be sure that no leaf partake the ground outside the Cu airstrip , as slug can use them as “ bridges ” to reach the balance of the plant . It ’s a effective idea to shine up your copper strips once in a while — research indicates that brilliant , shiny copper is more efficient than strips that have begun to corrode .
need a bum alternative to copper strips ? I ’ve also had good fortune withcopper cooking pan scrubber ( like Chore Boy ® brand)from the grocery store . These copper color meshwork bundles can be perpetrate out into long , sparse ribbons and pressed into the soil around the industrial plant , as I did in the inset of the photograph . ( Pin them in place with landscaping pin if you ’re have a hard clock time keep them in contact with the soil . ) When using these scrubber , I guess the penetrating edges are just as unpleasant for the sluggard as the copper itself . Make certain that the ends overlap so there ’s no gap to countenance punch in .
Get rid of slugs with diatoms
Yes , I said diatom . Diatomaceous earth , a white powdery substance , is made up of the crush shells of fossilized diatom , tiny hard - vanquish algae - similar plants . What does that have to do with slugs ? Well , diatomaceous earth is scratchy . It creates tiny cuts in the soft underbody of slugs and snails , causing them to dry out out and die out — no more holes in the Hosta !
Applying diatomaceous earth
Lightly sprinklediatomaceous earthunder the dripline of hostas and other spectre plants , just like you ’d put cinnamon sugar on pledge . check that you completely surround the plant with a 5- or 6 - in.- wide banding of diatomaceous earth . You ’ll need to reapply it after rain , because it washes into the soil . Be measured when you lend oneself it , though — you do n’t want those tiny abrasive mote in your lung , so be certain to wear a junk mask and baseball mitt .
There you have it . These four easy - to - utilisation methods will keep slugs ( as well as their better - protect relatives , snails ) from doing their worst to your prized plants . And you wo n’t have to concern about storing vicious lick come-on in thegarden shed , either !
