101 ways to get rid of slugs

[Andy Hamilton]

I am guessing that one way thay you could have slugs getting in there is down to leaving slug eggs in with the soil. I keep finding them emerging from the soil.

I really like the copper tube mate, most ingenious.

Someone on the allotment mentioned organic slug pellets, anyone heard of these.

Oh one more to add to the list, coke and coffee apparently they will have a quick drink and buzz off never to return.

[The Chili Monster]

Never heard of organic slug pellets. Perhaps they're made from pumice (since my local garden centre's never heard of pumice to get rid of slugs) but it's probably just seaweed.

[Andy Hamilton]

Just did a quick search and found that some organic slug pellets in the organic gardening catalogues most interesting.

[Andy Hamilton]

Right a bigger search and there is a cheaper version

[The Chili Monster]

Garlic! Wonder if garlic granules would do the trick ...

[hedgewizard]

hey muddy, how's the piping thing working? I'm guessing it's more expensive than copper tape though, so only worth it if you have old pipe from the skip or something.

[Muddypause]

Well I haven't seen any slugs in there yet. But then again, I haven't seen many anywhere - too dry here, I think. But there are currently lots of slug-enticing shoots emerging, and they're not getting eaten.

It also occurs to me that the timber I made the raised bed out of is tanalised - ie. pressure treated with a copper solution, so that may be having an effect also (tanalising used to involve arsenic and chromium too, but modern methods seem to have removed these from the mix).

You're right about the price of copper tube, though. I'm pretty sure tape would be a cheaper option. Most of what I used was lying around in the back of my shed, but I had to buy 2m extra to finish the job. Not much change from £10 for that. The whole job, done with new stuff, would have cost around £50, I guess. This was with 22mm pipe. 15mm stuff is significantly cheaper, though. Or do a bit of skip-weaseling, as you suggest.

[elfcurry]

Two years ago I went out most nights on a slug and snail hunt and collected them and salted quite a few. The resulting mess was pretty disgusting and I realised the a salty gooey mess couldn't be disposed of in a green way as I didn't want to harm birds or hedgehogs etc.

Last year I collected them and threw large numbers over or into my large hedge onto a footpath the other side. That didn't seem satisfactory, imagining passers-by treading on slimy stuff.

Then I started using instantaneous execution by...
27. ... slamming them with a brick!

One time I was a bit close and got some splatter on my face, including my lip, which was a bit

A couple of times I was a bit careless with the placement of the brick and discovered that the insides can be propelled several feet. I found various connected bits (think slug giblets) and possibly a miniature liver dangling from another plant.

After that, I tried the same thing a few more times. Try it! Bang the brick down hard half way along its body and don't get too close!

Is it so wrong? I rationalised that they die quickly and the remains are available to whatever wants them.

[Stonehead]

Live in a desert.

Live in the Arctic.

Become a slug breeder and grow lettuce as feedstock.

Encourage frogs and black ground beetles as well as birds and hedgehogs.

And referring back to the birds, from my observations the best slug eaters are thrushes, robins and blackbirds. Crows will go for onion sets in preference to slugs any day!

Cut plastic milk bottles into deep rings. Slide these over individual plants and push into the soil so there's a a good few inches sticking up.

I know nematodes have been mentioned already, but I have found they work very effectivly and especially if application is repeated six weeks after the first time.

Use a flame weeder. I don't have one at the moment, but when I used to use one I found a burnt ring around the beds kept most slugs and snails out. Plus, they're very effective on the slugs that do get through!

Spray gun with 25% ammonia/75% water solution. Go on the prowl at night with your torch and sprayer - to entertain your neighbours do it in wellies and dressing gown!

If you're a homebrewer, don't waste good beer on slug traps. Instead, use the dregs of your brewing - just as effective and you get to keep the booze for yourself. (Although I did read a study somewhere that claimed Budweiser was the preferred tipple of slugs!)

Use barrier crops around plants that attract slugs. So, if you're growing lettuce, cabbage, comfrey, beans etc, then surround them with things like garlic, mint, chives, sage, fennel, chicory and endive.

If you're a home barber (as I am), keep the hair clippings and sprinkle them as a barrier around your plants. It's said to be as effective as eggshells. But, they do have to be kept dry.

Hope this helps.

Stonehead

[Boots]

Use them as an excuse to move to Australia.


(pssst Nev! What these folks on about then? You have these things down there?)

[Wombat]

Yeah, mate, a few........a few!

Nev

[elfcurry]

I*ve only planted 3 individual plants so far this year: all runner beans at the weekend. Last night the snails attacked them all, destroying one and taking the biggest leaf of a second. One snail still had a stalk in its nasty slimy grip and I took some pleasure in executing them as above with a brick!

little bastards!

[*I noticed this the other day on this site: why are some keys misbehaving? I can*t do an apostrophe (it starts a search) or use some keys like delete and end? Only happened on these two occasions. Firefox 1.5.0.3]

[Stonehead]

I*ve only planted 3 individual plants so far this year: all runner beans at the weekend. Last night the snails attacked them all, destroying one and taking the biggest leaf of a second. One snail still had a stalk in its nasty slimy grip and I took some pleasure in executing them as above with a brick!

little bastards!

[*I noticed this the other day on this site: why are some keys misbehaving? I can*t do an apostrophe (it starts a search) or use some keys like delete and end? Only happened on these two occasions. Firefox 1.5.0.3]

Same happens with me, also Firefox 1.5.0.3. It was okay until I upgraded on Sunday...

Stonehead

[Muddypause]

I noticed this the other day on this site: why are some keys misbehaving? I can*t do an apostrophe (it starts a search) or use some keys like delete and end? Only happened on these two occasions. Firefox 1.5.0.3

Had similar problems a while ago on a previous release, but not lately. IIRC, it seemed to be related to having opened (or not) certain links in the page first - but I never did pin it down exactly. The work around for the apostrophe problem was to hit the Esc key (top left) immediately after hitting the apostrophe. If you are quick enough you can keep on typing without losing any letters to the search box.

Seems 1.5.0.3 is pretty buggy judging by the comments on the Mozilla forum

[The Chili Monster]

Slightly off thread but:

I have carnivorous slugs in my garden ... there is a god