Photo by Andrew Larsen
I Hate Slugs!
Why do I hate Slugs? They are vile, ugly, slimy, gross, disgusting, and did I say vile? I wrote this slug article last August and put it away since it did not seem as pertinent at the end of summer. Guess what? Baby slugs have returned this June. AND you know what that means? Giant zombie slugs by summer’s end! They were at least 4 inches last summer. I swear.
Slugs. Even the name is not pretty, and nor is the creature. Slugs like moist environments. Being a younger gardener, I have never heard of them. The master gardeners warned me that all that straw I was using as mulch would attract them. Being defiant I wanted to keep my straw. Every organic book I read talked about using 6 to 8 inches of straw as mulch. I decided they were not “organic” enough. They obviously did not read Mother Earth news’ article about Ruth Stout, the mulch queen, who used straw. I just blew off their comments.
Last August, one night, my husband was down in the garden and saw a brown spotted slimy thing on the wall. Of course, he did not remove it. When I went down, it was gone. I figured that it left or was eaten by something. Nothing to worry about, I thought.
Photo by Melanie Burger
Well, the proverbial shoe dropped, and my luck ran out. One late night, I was checking something in the garden. I reached my hand into the strawberry patch and I touched something so disgusting, I just shutter when I think of it. I hate to wear gardening gloves since I can’t feel as easy with them on. Not even thinking, I instinct grabbed “it” with my bare hands and threw it on the ground. I let out a shriek that I can’t believe no one heard me. There it was on the ground. The MOST disgusting creature I have ever seen. Long, spotted, slimy, and no redeeming features PLUS I had slime all over my hands. (Take a look at the picture above, and tell me if I am being a Drama Queen.)
Since I am a kind soul, I put on my gloves and scooped it up and took it far away from my garden, I just did not have the heart to kill it. I took me about fifteen minute to get the slime off my hands. Just to get the picture, anything your kids have done that you have cleaned up, just did not compare to this slime.
The next day I did some research about slugs to find out that they come out when it has rained, when they mate, how they mate (you really do not want to read about this because it is just plain disgusting), and a single slug can produce 300 eggs. I was doomed. My garden is surrounded by boulders, with cracks and crevices for the slugs to hide in.
That night my husband and I were armed with flash lights and started combing the garden. All we were missing was camouflage gear and paint. Why? Slugs come out at night. I thought I would find just a few. Oh no, we found at least 20 of them with probably an army hiding in the rocks near my garden.
Everywhere we turned there was a slug. The first few we gingerly carried into the woods, hoping the slugs would be someone’s meal just as nature intended. After the second trip to the woods, we decided this was silly.
I remember reading that you can kill them by drowning them in soapy water. My husband fetched a pail and dumped our organic dishwashing soap into the bucket. All of my “nature intended these creatures to live” sensibilities went out the window when it was me against them and they were sucking the juices out of my strawberries.
We started picking up these creatures and dumping them into the pail. They would stay there for awhile and then TRY TO CRAWL OUT. I was even more GROSSED Out when I had to knock them back into the water. Was it our organic soap? Was it too mild? So much for lack of chemicals.
We dumped more soap into the pail and continue the hunt for slimed ones with our flashlights. Every time I saw one, I would shriek at the top of my voice, “One at ten o’clock! I found one at ten o’clock!” My husband would calmly tell me to pick it up and put it in the pail. This continued for at least five sightings where I got more and more disgusted. Finally he turned to me exasperated, and said, “the whole neighborhood can hear you screaming. Just pick it up and put it in the pal!”
I was psychotic by that time. They were still coming out of the pail. We kept dumping more and more organic soap into the pail. We contemplated bleach thinking that would really kill them. (If I am thinking bleach, you know how crazed I was.)
This adventure ranks up there with the scene in the movie, Willard, when all the rats would come out of nowhere and attack. I became obsessed with these slugs. They were on the brick walls, under bushes, and in plain sight. After three hours and 25 slugs, he said it was late, and time to go to bed. I could not stop until there were no visible slugs around. Around 12:30 that night I finished.
I winched when I ate French fries the next day remembering the awful last night. I went out again without my hunter partner and picked up 6 more slugs.
The next day I did some research on how to kill and/or deter these slugs? I felt like I had an angel on one shoulder, saying “don’t kill them. Nature created these creatures as part of its cycle.” And a devil on the other shoulder saying, “they are disgusting, what are waiting for. They are vile.”
There is Sluggo, Escar-Go!, and beer traps that kills the slugs. I could buy them but isn’t there some type of companion plant that deters them? I questioned everyone looking for the perfect slug remedy.
While talking with Dr. Hepperly of the Rodale Institute about the benefits of coffee ground article, our conversation turned to slugs. (I told you I was obsessed. No perhaps, deranged by that point.) He was “googling” and found that rosemary was a companion plant that discourages slugs. The thought of planting rosemary all around my large garden was not encouraging. He also suggested ducks. Can you rent a duck? This would be the most natural way to get rid of them. Do ducks go out at night? What a cheap date that would be?
Some people suggested use coffee around the plants since they don’t like it. I found a research study that spoke about how 2% caffeine solution acting as a repellent and toxicant with slugs and snails. It further noted, “Caffeine solutions as low as 0.01% applied to cabbage significantly reduced slug feeding.”
Eileen from the Rodale Institute told me to use sand around the rocks where they hide since they don’t like to cross over gritty surfaces.
I even ran across a “Slug and Snail” website. (Sometimes, a girl has to do what a girl needs to do.) Matthew, the author developed this site based upon his notes at a seminar entitled “101 ways to rid your garden of slugs and snails” presented by Kingston Maurward College. (Hmm, a 101 ways…)
This June, I found tiny brown and off-white slugs on my broccoli. In the meantime, I put coffee grounds around the plants and will be handing the Sluggo to hubby to put around the rocks. Let him do the dirty work.
So, how do you deal with slugs?
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well you did your job very
well with this post – i feel slimy all over just thinking about them
I personally have never had to deal with slugs, nor have I even seen one before – until now, thanks my dear
however my neighbor across the street and a community gardener
( several neighbors share the space ) swears by the beer theory — she was quoted in the paper
would you like me to ask her ?
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The best solution that I’ve found is coffee. I add a cup of coffee to a big watering can (2+ gallons) and water all of my hostas with it. Plus the nitrogen in the coffee is a good fertilizer too. No more slugs and big healthy hostas, win, win for me.
And if your soapy water solution isn’t working, then put that bleach away and just add some salt.
Hey I love your blog. I just noticed an old MyBlogLog comment that you left me and clicked through. I wish I came here sooner.
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Slugs really looks so bad and I’m a bit scared of it. lol
Hopefully slugs will disappear and you’ll find an effective solution for that.
Ugh slugs are so gross looking! I think I’d pass out if one ever got 5 feet of me!
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I have lots of hungry creatures around my yard that cripple my gardening efforts, but slugs are the all time worst. This year it seems has been worse than any other – they are even in my house! And even though, I have decided to only try container gardening this year, they are still a nuisance. Yesterday morning I went outside only to find out the evil slugs had decimated my tomato plants.
I hate killing other creatures and try to humanely return any small insects and spiders to the wild, but I have on occassion resorted to flushing slugs down the toilet when I find them inside.
As for slug deterrents, I don’t have any good recommendations, though I do know from first hand experience that wood turtles like to eat slugs. Still, 300 slug eggs does sound like an awful lot. That would have to be one hungry turtle!
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water, lemon ammonia, and Murphy’s oil soap…mix in a sprayer…spray slugs…they ooze to death and dissolve into the ground…non toxic to plants and animals…also for wasps and nests, spiders and other nasty bugs…
Ane, what can you use besides ammonia? Ammonia bothers me. Plus, I don’t want to spray ammonia near my plants. Anna
This year I planted 4 tomato plants and the slugs have eaten more than I have. I have seen tiny white ones, the traditional black/grey and a few of the worms. My mother suggested dumping soapy water on the plants, which I did, but two nites later when picking I grabbed a huge juicy beautiful red tomato with a huge juicy slug on the bottom. I screamed, freaked out and dropped it. I instantly took it somewhere and with 3 of my boys we squealed with delight as we sprinkled salt on the bugger (and it started to look like a booger) as any little boy would notice. I found a spray bottle and was going to add a soapy solution to it and hit certain spots and I noticed when I opened the bottle that it had vinegar in it. This was at 9:30 pm. I giggled, grabbed my flash light and went looking for 1 lone slug. I found 1 on a tomato plant and with 1 squirt it dropped into the dirt. Now I had to find 1 that I could watch. I did and after a squirt he started to curl up and make that boogery stuff and I was just standing there giggling. Now as far as what the vinegar is going to do to my plants… will keep you posted!
I can’t stand slugs. Salt kills them. I know that commercial grade vinegar kills weeds. I don’t know what household vinegar will do to your plants. Let us know. Anna
Definitely try salt. I just dump it on them and they shrivel up and die. It’s gross but it’s the only thing I know that kills them instantly.
Don’t bother trying to plant rosemary to repel the slugs and snails. My yard surrounding my garden is full of creeping rosemary. The slugs and snails don’t eat the rosemary, but they use it as a shelter. I pulled up some of the rosemary closest to my vegetable garden earlier this year when every seedling that I planted became slug/snail food. At the heavy base root of the rosemary plants that I pulled out, I found huge colonies of snails at all stages of life and eggs. AUGH! My experience was similar to yours and I was similarly crazed. The ONLY thing that worked was Sluggo Plus….it’s organic and won’t hurt the environment or wildlife, but it does kill the slugs and snails and it helped to reduce the earwig population that was also devastating my vegetable seedlings. The only downside is that Sluggo Plus is expensive and you have to reapply it every 3 weeks or month when you have a huge infestation like mine because those snail and slug eggs just keep on hatching!
Good luck to you.
Did you know if you ad salt, pepper and a little sage, slugs make an excelent breakfast sausage?
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Duke, I am sorry. That thought is so disgusting that I can’t think about it. Anna
Well there is a few ways to deal with slugs. Go to the store and get some SLug killer and put it around the garden. Now the slugs in the garden just add a little salt Small amount of salt will not harm the plants. Just try not to have it directly on the leaves. Copper is supposed to be good as it will give them a mild shock when they try to crawl over it. Supposedly putting bear in a can will attract the slug and drawn. Grit or sharp sand is a deterrent. Website link has good tips.
What about some native toads? I was looking into getting a toad for my garden to eat mosquitoes and bugs, but while I was poking around I saw toads like to eat slugs too. I thought, Great! I have them too.
Kelly, how big are the toads? My toads are small. I put a slug down beside it and it looked at me like I was crazy. The slug was 4x the size of the toad. Ducks actually eat them but I don’t have any of them.
I read awhile ago they don’t like pine needles. Anna
I just put out a dish of beer & a bottle with some corn meal. I heard that they’ll die if they eat cornmeal…Hope at least one of those works….
Kate, I like the corn meal idea because I heard that worms like the beer too. Have you had that problem too? Anna
When I read your blog, I thought I had found my twin! Early this morning I was picking baby slugs off my 90 year old fig tree thinking, “they deserve to live too!” Well, after reading your blog, I think I have changed my mind. By the way, the pine needles theory doesn’t do a thing to deter them. My figs are surrounded by pine needles and still inundated with slugs. I guess I will have to try the cornmeal and the beer… now to keep the dogs from getting drunk Looks like I will be needing to get more sand for my granddaughter’s sandbox. She is now contributing (without her knowledge … yet) to the hunt for the fast-moving (yes, I did say fast moving) greedy, hungry, slimy slugs! I agree – UGH! I think I’ll go take a shower…
Cynthia, you just saved me alot of time since I was going to collect pine needles. I hate slugs. Anna
Hi Anna, I tried the beer routine, and guess what… the slugs could care less! They go right around the shallow dish with the beer and continue to feast off of my tree. Every day – at least 4 times a day into the evenings- I check my fig tree and manually pull those slimy critters off. Oh well. Back to the drawing board. At least I know salt works. Ugh! P.S. I also found out they like marigolds. Thought that flower was intended to repel pests instead of attract them. (Sigh)
Cynthia, does Sluggo work? Anna
Today I heard a new tip: dry dog food. Get any dry dog food, mix with a bit of water to form a ball and put in the garden. After the slugs gorge on the dog food, they get so big they can’t move. That’s the time to pick them up and kill them, yes….kill them!
I have been using a spray bottle with water and salt to kill them. But then I’m left with the slimy mess. Found 23 in less than 5 minutes. Even had one crawling up the screen door last night.
(I’m hoping the dog food doesn’t attract other animals).
Earlier tonight I put some beer in an empty can. I dread what that can’s going to look like in the morning.
even I don’t like those creature! but i do not hate!!
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Iron phosphate baits are a people- and pet-safe option to the usual slug pesticide, metaldehyde. The baits come in the form of pellets that can be spread on the soil in the garden. When slugs swallow iron phosphate, it interferes with their metabolism, so they stop eating and starve to death surrounded by a few days.
Tamil, iron phosphate is in Sluggo, right? Have you found alot of luck with this product? Anna
Leave grapefruit, orange and lemon rinds out overnight close to the plants that are prone to slugs. In the morning, you will observe dead slugs lying around the plant. Make sure that you collect all the mess, which includes your fruit rinds, to properly dispose of them
Hi, We got slugs for the first time last year, we are wondering if they came from a mulch delivery as we never had them in the prior 8 years. Anyways, they are much worse this year, we found that Rose Pride (an insecticide) kills them immediately, but thats been taken off the market. We now use a mixture of amonia and water (about 6 to 1), this kills them instantly also. In one wet morning I have killed as many as 500. It’s really bad. Sometimes if its a sunny morning, I can stand in the driveway and see glistening slug trails all over the driveway with dried up crispy black dead slugs at the end of each trail, guess those are the guys that did not make it back to safety before the sun got to them. I’m just scared that they are winning as in total we must have killed at least 3000 over these wet weeks. Ewww, now I’m sick to my stomach again just thinking about it.
Cheryl, reading your comment of thousands of slugs gives me nightmares. The invasions of the slugs…Where do you live that you get so many slugs? Anna
I’m itchy all over after reading all this and thinking about how I handpicked over 20 slugs out of my vegetable garden last night…yuck! It took me 5 min. to wash my hands and be free of the slime. I’ve put rosemary clippings all around my plants; basil, egg shells, coffee grounds… and they are still there! I’m going to go spray them with the coffee solution right now. They have attacked my peppers (bell, pablano, jalapeno, Anaheim…and now they are going for the squash, zucchini and tomatoes. I HATE SLUGS… If the coffee doesn’t work, I’m getting a duck!!!
Haha, I hate annoying slugs, especially in the garden! Down here, in Southern Louisiana, we have huge slugs and when they are around they come in packs of 30 or more, very annoying. Where are you located at? I do believe that garden slug annoyances are something that only occurs in certain locations around the world. I am going to do a bit of research and see if I can’t figure out a solution to your problem! I will be in touch, good post, very out of the ordinary lol. -Will @ The Compost Bin Tumbler Gardening Blog.
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Compost Bin Tumbler, I am in New Jersey but my garden is around alot of rocks. I actually saw today slime on the brick wall around the garden. Yeech. The slugs like to hide in the rocks.
While I have you. How do I make sure my tomato seeds from making sauce die in my compost? This year I used my compost and had tomato seedlings growing everywhere. Anna
I have just had SLUGS devour my ornamental cabbage plants.went to the garden centre today and purchased Slug pellets,A beer trap,disposed of 2 slugs with salt,it is now 20.42 hrs and i am going down my garden with the Vinigar spray,god help the slimey pests.
Dave the Slug EXTERMINATER is on the way ….how dare they eat my cabbages ……………………….
Funny story, I live in a row of about 9 Condos. We each have a patio area enclosed with brick that is about seven feet tall. Well, tonight as I was just checking on my basil outside, and I saw this BIG HUGE SLIMY UGLY GRAY DISGUSTING AWFUL CREEPY CRAWLY SLUG!!!!!!!!!!!!! I screamed and I am pretty sure everyone in our row woke up. OOPS. I have tried egg shells, coffee grounds, adding lime to the soil, soap spray, decreasing the amount I water, and the stupid things are still there. How do slugs contribute to the ecosystem? There must be some way they keep it balanced! Is it to feed ducks?
I just do not like slugs. YUCK.
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Amazing how much passion these nasty creatures stir up in us gardeners.
I just spent a good hour with a flashlight and chopsticks and a container of soapy water. Find slug, drop in soapy water, on to the next. I must have picked up a good 50 of them. My little chrysanthemum plants easily had about 20 slugs each, and are covered in slime AND eaten away. I don’t think they’re going to survive. I’ll go out again every night until the slugs are gone.
Soapy water and chopsticks and flashlight. That’s the ticket.
Spread natural or agricultural-grade diatomaceous earth over the soil in flower beds or around individual plants. The tiny, sharp-edged granules cut the soft-bodied slugs and cause them to dehydrate. Reapply after each rainfall.
Minimize the moist and cool spots in your garden, such as woodpiles and empty flowerpots, which slugs and snails need to survive sunny days.
Jewellery, you seem to be a slug expert! Thanks for the suggestion. Anna
I’ve not seen anyone mention using wood ashes around their plants nor the importance of watering only in the morning to keep slugs at bay. Also, letting your garden rest every 7 years per God’s instructions starves out a lot of pests. Using only organic compost and encouraging lots of worms helps also — the worms eat slug eggs.
Not planting plants too close (so they have good air circulation to help keep things relatively dry around them most of the time helps also). Laying roofing shingles around edge of garden and tromping on them each morning is helpful also (the dead ones under there are bait for new ones to come — not only a good morning leg exercise — but you don’t even need to lift them up very often once you find you are killing most of them).
Sandra, great ideas. Love the roof tiles. Anna
Your slug problems sound like my garden’s japanese beetle problem. I’m all for allowing nature to be nature but when it takes out almost every bush in my garden, it’s time for those little bugs to die.
What worked for me was to plant plants that aren’t attractive to the bug in question to encourage them to eat elsewhere. For example, if you have hostas, consider freecycling them. And beer traps. I swear by beer traps. Make sure you use really crappy beer in the shallow pan. Slugs are a cheap date and only like cheap beer – so much so that they drown in it.
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I always thought pouring salt on them killed slugs because they need moisture to survive. A rather barbaric action to be sure but beats torn up strawberries.
Solar Global, when you are staring at 20 plus of them, your mind wonders to barbaric action. Look at me with drowning them…Anna
Ewwww. I laughed when I saw that someone recommended corn meal…that will clean out their insides and fatten them up….for escargo! Extra protein in your diet anyone? I’m serious….the old timers from my Dad’s village used to “raise” them when times were tough for a “free” protein source, and they raised them on cornmeal!
Sluggo Plus …..or order Escar-Go from
Gardens Alive http://www.gardensalive.com
I don’t have any affiliation with these products. Through trial and error, I have found these to be the two that work and are approved for Organic Gardening uses. They won’t harm wildlife or the environment. As a cancer survivor, I am really careful NOT to put poison on my garden.
A couple of weeks ago I just had to reorder and apply it because we have had a lot of rain… and my cabbage and greens were becoming productive little slug and snail hatcheries. I harvested yesterday and no more little baby slimmy things in the wash water. Lots of aphids though….but I am usually just inclined to wash those off or make homemade “soap” with a little Dr. Bronners, boiled strained orange peel, and water. That seems to work, but you have to be careful not to overapply or apply in hot weather or some plants burn.
Best wishes!
Yosifah, thank for the Escar-Go product review. I have this product too.
Why the boiled orange peel for aphids? Anna
Orange peel contains d-Limonene which is a natural pesticide, bug repellent, degreaser, cleaner, and air freshener!
I boil a cut up orange peel and let it sit overnight. Then I crush the orange peel and strain off the liquid. Dilute it with water and add liquid natural soap — just be careful not to overuse and burn the plant. Experiment with it until you get the right measures.
Also from the kitchen straight to the garden — used coffee grounds and tea — just dump around plants. After you eat a banana, cut up the peel and throw it around plants as natural fertilizer.
I keep a plastic pitcher in my sink that I dump any extra tea or coffee or clean rinse water in. Then the cut up banana peels and any little pieces of vegetables get dump in it. Every day I dump it onto some plants or in the garden. After I peel carrots, I cut up the skins and those get dumped into the garden, the compost bin, or into the worm bin. I never throw away any vegetable or fruit scraps. Even the eggs shells go into the garden – hand crushed first!
If fruit flies become a problem, just turnover the dirt and bury the scraps. I have a compost bin, but I also use the lazy gardening techniques that I mentioned above.
I mostly make my own homemade fertilizer this way.
Yes, the slugs and snails love the debris — that’s why I use the Sluggo or Escar-go.
Happy organic gardening!
Yosifah,
Thanks for all those suggestions! Anna