IN THIS GUIDE
slug in truth can be the bane of a nurseryman ’s creation .
These infuriating creatures can wreak mayhem on your garden , ruining everything in their path and leaving behind their tell - tale trail of revolting muck .
There are few things more upsetting to a gardener than finding their yield , vegetable and other prized plant have been jaw beyond realization .
It feels like the slug are making a contract of war ; and if that ’s the face , we say wreak it on .
Yes , you could choose for shop - bought slug baits and slayer , but these can be packed full of very nasty chemicals which can stimulate hurt to pets and humans alike .
Slugs are thugs
For this reason , many gardeners are now opting for a more lifelike approach to reclaim their garden from these wolf slugs .
Know Your Enemy
It is worth mentioning that most mintage of slugs are actually decomposers , and feed solely on animal wastefulness and decaying plants.1Naeve , L. ( n.d.).Slug it Out with Slugs in Your Garden . Iowa State University . recover March 23 , 2023 , fromhttps://www.extension.iastate.edu/news/2006/jun/070201.htm
unluckily though , there are a few other mintage that bankrupt the reputation of all slug .
These kinds of slugs are the ones that screw to dine on living plants , and they ’re the real enemy .
Slugs are thugs
Slugs are racing shell - less , terrestrial , gastropod molluscs.2Terrestrial Snails and Slugs . ( n.d . ) . The Living World of Molluscs . recall March 23 , 2023 , fromhttps://www.molluscs.at/gastropoda/terrestrial.html?/gastropoda/terrestrial/slugs.html
They are hermaphrodites , mean they have both manly and female procreative jail cell ; however , they do need a mate to reproduce.3Langley , L. ( 2015 , June 22).Inside the Strange World of Slug Sex and Slime . animate being . Retrieved March 23 , 2023 , fromhttps://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/inside-the-strange-world-of-slug-sex-and-slime
Slugs take about one year to reach adulthood and usually live for around two years , but during that clock time they can do an impressive amount of terms to your garden.4Slug Facts . ( n.d . ) . The RSPB . Retrieved August 22 , 2023 , fromhttps://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/other-garden-wildlife/insects-and-other-invertebrates/worms-slugs-spiders/slug/
With their tiny , grater - corresponding tooth , slugs make short shrift of shredding leaves all and totally extinguish seedling .
Why Are Slugs Hard To Control?
Slugs incline to manoeuver at night , drop the daylight hidden forth under rock and in dampish petty secret spaces .
Come sunrise gardeners will see the hurt but , with no biff in sight , it can be hard to enjoin which creature is to blame .
For this reason , many gardeners will mistrust the perpetrator is some sort of insect and will treat their plants with a general insecticide which will woefully not touch on the slugs ( and likelyharm wanted pollinator like bee ) .
“ Raised bed and container works harbour pests like bullet ” portion Horticulturist Val Bourne .
“ clout get down between the woodwind instrument and the soil , whilst the normal things that exhaust them , like hedgehogs , frogs and toads , ca n’t get into the bring up bed , bring home the bacon more of a job . ”
If you have manage to catch the slugs in the act and know that they are the real criminals , then you still have to work out what to do about them .
pick them out of your garden by hand is both churn up and comparatively ineffectual .
What Does Slug Damage Look Like?
make love how to identify type slug scathe is the first stone’s throw to fully confirming the mien of these malevolent molluscs .
Here are some fool - proof way of identifying these garden slug thugs :
How To Get Rid Of Slugs Naturally
Once you have identified that your garden is suffering from a slug infestation , it ’s time to do something about it .
“ Slugs can be good for eat rotting plant material , doing a cleansing job for you , so permit them where you could , ” partake Val .
As Val says , a belittled amount of flora harm can be put up , but if you are find that these little monsters are getting out of helping hand , then we have put together a list of the best , raw path to prevent and bump off them from your garden .
1) A Pinch Of Salt
This is arguably one of the most well - known natural ways to eliminate slugs .
It ’s good , albeit not awfully humane .
Although salt does basically unthaw the slugs , it takes a long time to do so and they may have a lot .
If you do prefer for this method , take care not to put too much saltiness on the grime around your flora as , while table salt is bad for slugs , it really is n’t great for plants either .
2) Plant Power
One of the first thing you could do to combat these guileful critter is to utilize the index of plant .
There are plenty of plants that slugs not only dislike , but which actively deter them from your garden .
Plants like garlic , rosemaryand lavender ( along with many others ) acquire aroma that slugs simply can not bide .
Planting them tight to plant that slugs do enjoy will help keep them at bay .
Other plants traditionally used in fellow traveler planting are resistless to pests ( take marigold for example ) and it may be worth planting these to keep slug pests by from your principal crops .
“ at long last , my finish is to provide a healthy ecosystem so that all the bugs consume each other and entrust my crops alone , but in realness , that ’s actually quite hard to do ! ” joke Emma Bailey , a Garden Blogger .
“ I love familiar planting for this . For exercise , I rise nasturtium around my pumpkins in an attempt to keep the slugs off !
“ I also care to spring up a few sacrificial crops around my plot of land . This year I planted circle of cabbages all around my raised bed to give the slugs something luscious to use up . It run better than expected and I deal to get a whole run-in of carrots to sprout ! ”
3) Water Strategically
Since slugs are active commonly at nighttime , then we highly recommend irrigate first matter in the forenoon .
This give your garden a opportunity to dry over the form of the day so descend nightfall it is n’t so welcoming to them .
It is also wise not to use promiscuous mulch as these can be very attractive to bullet .
fend off woodchippings and hay or wheat and instead opt for compost , leafage stamp or woolen pellets , which are market for their repelling effect on slugs .
4) Invite Some Hungry Guests
ensure you take away anything that clout can hide under during the day such as old log and brick .
With nowhere to blot out , they will be to the full exposed to hungry predators who will happily help you top the slugs away .
bird , anuran , hedgehogs and newts are all fond to slugs , so do your best to welcome them into your garden .
Bygiving them a good habitat to reside in , your slug trouble will cursorily be resolve .
5) Put Up The Barricades
These mean molluscs have soft little bodies , and so a barricade of sharp , scratchy stuff you will have a really respectable shot at protect your plants .
shell , sand and pine needles are all utilitarian materials to guard off those loathsome visitant .
Slugs also clamber to wax up slippery surfaces .
By spraying WD40 or something similar on plant commode and containers , you may forbid these unwanted Edgar Albert Guest from reaching your plants .
atomic number 29 tape measure also makes a most fantabulous barricade .
The fuzz reacts with punch slime and gives it a little electric shock .
By put down self - adhesive atomic number 29 tape barricades , you fend a much good hazard of defending your valued plants .
6) Bottoms Up With A Beer Trap
Slugs love the odor of beer , so beer traps are usually remarkably successful at luring poke to their death .
but eat up a container in the ground , fill it half full with beer , and the poke will investigate , fall in , and drown .
Take maintenance not to completely submerse the container , or else leave two or three centimetres above ground to forbid helpful , slug - feeding flat coat beetles from also falling to their destruction .
7) Lure Them In
If you do n’t want to pine away precious beer , there are other ways to entice slug in and make dispose of them more efficient .
By using African tea food , a clump of old lettuce leaves or a hollowed melon , you may take up them all to one pip and then toss away of them all told .
It ’s worth taking a torch and having a nighttime garden stroll to catch them when they are most active , allowing you to remove as many as possible in one go .
8) Get Some Chickens
Not only do chickens make tremendous pets that provide you with new eggs every aurora , they also have an insatiable appetite for slug .
If you are golden enough to have the space , we highly recommend take on some outmoded - assault and battery hen .
Not only will you be giving them a 2nd chance at lifetime , they will reinforce you by removing every slug in mass .
