Re: Slugs

**Turan** 2/13/2013, 11:14 am

I found that ducks also love lettuce and lots of other seedlings and they have big flat feet that squish seedlings. So, back when I had ducks, every morning early enough that the slugs were still out, I escorted the ducks into the garden. They would eat slugs for awhile, then when I saw they were getting into trouble I would chase them out. Duck eggs are deliscious too, a bit stronger in all ways than chicken, and we love skinned roasted duck, so eventually we got to eat the 'processed' slugs. bounce

A friend in the PNW did the raised beds with copper tape all along the edges. It worked for her but she warns it took awhile to get all the slugs out that had already moved into the beds.

Now a days I sprinkle sharp sand over fresh seeded areas and generously sprinkle Sluggo especially through the lettuce and strawberries.

NHGardener 2/13/2013, 11:15 am

Eating slugs... now there's a gardener's revenge. Twisted Evil

CapeCoddess 2/13/2013, 11:20 am

Wonder what they taste like...

CC

Nonna.PapaVino 2/13/2013, 12:18 pm

I wouldn't want to try eating slugs. This bit from a New York Times article verifies my belief they should be avoided based on their penchant of eating just about anything, including animal feces:

"An Australian man has been hospitalized for more than a month in serious condition as a result of eating two garden slugs on a dare, according to Australian news media and ProMED , an online service that tracks disease outbreaks.

"The 21-year-old Sydney man apparently contracted a rat lungworm parasite from the slugs, which pick it up from rodent droppings. The parasite, a nematode called Angiostrongylus cantonensis, can cause fatal brain swelling."
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/18/health/18global.html?_r=0

GWN 2/13/2013, 12:40 pm

OK Nonna.... youve got ME convinced..... affraid

I am just gonna quit......I just Knew they were bad for you.

Hey I have used Slugo and it seemed to work well and it seemed quite organic from the package, ....
Along the same lines as CAMPRNs comment about a lying a board out.
I found that laying out black plastic, they often lay eggs underneath and it is worthwhile to learn what Slug eggs look like cuz that way you can kill LOTs of them at a time.

They are white, bright white.....google them

Nonna.PapaVino 2/13/2013, 1:11 pm

"They [slug eggs] are white, bright white.....google them" Just don't gargle them.
On a similar note: never kiss a salamander. Their skin contains a poisonous compound closely related to that found in South American tree toads. Some guy (probably related to the bloke from Sydney) swallowed a Western rough coated salamander on a dare. Within hours he was dead. No wonder they never hurry to get out of my way when I see them near the compost pile! Nonna

**Dadoo** 2/13/2013, 1:42 pm

CapeCoddess wrote:Wonder what they taste like...

CC

I think the French call them Escargots. Go figure.

Hoggar 2/14/2013, 3:34 pm

CC

I think the French call them Escargots. Go figure.

They are called Escargot but the ones meant for human consumption live on a diet of clean fresh corn meal.

I started using the copper tape last year and had a highly reduced level in the number of slugs in the boxes I used the tape on.

For your beer trap try this:
Cut plastic bottle at about 1/3 its length from the top (trim to suit) and invert the top into the bottle. Either staple back together or use clear plumbers silicone to join and make leak proof.

Now either use some stale beer, or mix some yeast and water and pour inside.

Place made up bottle on its side (partly submerged) near your plants in your garden bed. Check on everyday and empty as required. The slugs and snails love yeast, so they crawl inside, drown and die.
Slugs - Page 2 Snailtrap

akhitk 2/16/2013, 10:29 pm

I was talking about the video I saw of a slug crawling across copper tape & my husband said that some tapes you buy are not copper & others are covered with a coating to keep it from oxidizing. He really wants to try it this summer on my garden - wish us luck!

Lemonie 2/17/2013, 3:58 pm

We've had a big problem w/ slugs in our area...especially the front yard where there are areas of poor drainage. The previous home owners appeared to have heard that using lava rock would discourage them, but every warm rainy night I see hundreds of them making their way across the rocks onto the siding. We're going to try various concentrations of epsom salts and the water, sugar, yeast mixture traps.
FYI- I heard that the beer traps work best w/ stale, flat beer....will be curious for anyone to test that theory.

NHGardener 2/17/2013, 5:00 pm

They definitely love the beer and drown in it, but after awhile, p.u., it stinks, and to keep refilling it means pouring good, not cheap beer down the drain. Smile

I can't wait to try ducks this summer. They'll be much more fun.

**dvelten** 2/17/2013, 5:51 pm

Like GWN says, Sluggo just works. It is safe, non-toxic, OMRI-listed and it works. No stinky beer traps, no copper tape, no slug eggs, no slugs, no problem. Now flea beetles, they are truly nasty. Twisted Evil

**camprn** 2/17/2013, 5:58 pm

dvelten wrote:Like GWN says, Sluggo just works. It is safe, non-toxic, OMRI-listed and it works. No stinky beer traps, no copper tape, no slug eggs, no slugs, no problem. Now flea beetles, they are truly nasty.

And cucumber beetles! Blargh!

akhitk 2/17/2013, 9:22 pm

I've not found the Sluggo in Alaska & have been concerned about what it could do to ground water (we have a well - about 175' deep). I'm not worried about pets unless we talk about the human kind. I would be using this product around my veggies & berry patch. Any one else using this on/around edibles???

**dvelten** 2/17/2013, 11:36 pm

I can't find Sluggo around here (Massachusetts) either and had to mail order my supply. It's available from your favorite organic seed supplier. It contains iron phosphate, a common soil ingredient, mixed with a bait. it is non-toxic and will not threaten your well. I use it around my lettuce and escarole, which are the most susceptible to slug damage in my SFG. It works. With Sluggo, I do not have a slug problem, so I can concentrate on combating real evil, like flea beetles. Twisted Evil

**donnainzone5** 2/18/2013, 10:35 am

I've used Sluggo Plus (works on earwigs, pillbugs, cutworms, too) around cats and edibles for years, with no ill effects. In my opinion, it's a great product!

**llama momma** 2/18/2013, 12:14 pm

Here is a page with garden uses for supposedly earth friendly vinegar including getting rid of slugs-- (in addition to the drain clogging/cleaning solution on a different page that I've used, it works like a dream)

http://www.vinegartips.com/Scripts/pageViewSec.asp?id=6

Hoggar 2/19/2013, 11:40 am

Sluggo is safe because of its list of Ingredients.
My guess is if you can find some Iron Phosphate you can fake Sluggo and not pay for the filler.

Here is a PDF link from the Florida Department of Agriculture.
Frequently Asked Questions about Iron Phosphate

Active Ingredient:
Iron Phosphate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1.0%
Inert Ingredients: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99.0%
Total: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .100.0%

I have been looking for copper flashing but haven't had a lot of luck finding an uncoated supply.

akhitk 2/19/2013, 12:01 pm

Great info on the Iron Phosphate but I wonder if the "inert ingredients" make the slugs want to eat it?

**walshevak** 2/21/2013, 9:26 pm

this just popped up on my FACEBOOK. From Old Mosswoman's Secret Garden.
Showed a picture of tomatos sprouting in eggshells filled with seed starting mix.
My thoughts are to plant the egg shell with the tomato, cracking the bottom and pulling the shell up the stem a bit to irritate the slugs. I regularly distribute crunched egg shells under the tomato plants to repel slugs, they hate the abrasive little daggers.

Kay

CapeCoddess 2/22/2013, 4:15 pm

Slugs eat tomato plants? Shocked

I never had that...

CC

**camprn** 7/13/2013, 5:55 am

Integrated pest management is a better idea than poisoning the garden and the larger environment.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/blog/2013/jul/10/slug-pesticides-metaldehyde-drinking-water

**dvelten** 7/13/2013, 8:39 am

Sluggo doesn't contain Metaldehyde, and is perfectly safe to use, is OMRI-listed and does not pollute the environment. The article refers to the use of conventional snail baits like Ortho Bug-Geta, which are poisonous to cats and dogs as well as snails and slugs. Common sense says never, ever use a product made by Ortho, which is now owned by Scotts.

**sanderson** 7/14/2013, 1:51 am

Sluggo and Sluggo Plus, both seem to be safe products to use in the gardens. In non-food areas, I apply only the amount needed in the places that need it.

However, for my new SFG vegetable boxes, I placed Sluggo Plus in small, 1/4" shallow, plastic trays [cut-down yogurt cups and soda cups]. These means that no product is introduced into the MM or on the plants. This is just an option.

Sluggo tray in one of the squares - May 26-13:
Slugs - Page 2 5-26-112

mschaef 7/14/2013, 12:19 pm

I have never tried this but have heard recently about a friend who put ground coffee around her plants to prevent/ stop the slugs. It would be worth a try cause coffee ground are great for the garden!

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