Mulch and Slugs

As great as mulch is as always there is a down side. Mulch is the perfect place for a slug to take up residence since they love damp earth and are mainly night creatures. If you have a slug problem you will have to keep your eye on the mulch.

There are many ways gardeners deal with slugs such as the popular “beer bath”. A shallow dish of beer placed in the garden attracts the slugs and they drown. The down side seems to be beer needs to be replaced daily, after the first night the slugs do not seem to be attracted. If you have had ongoing success with this method let me know.

Other methods, like, a spray bottle half and half water and vinegar sprayed on the slugs will kill them as will a sprinkle of salt. If you don’t mind stalking the slugs those will work. Placing a piece of hard plastic in the garden will create a trap as they will gather there, then you lift the plastic and dispose of the slugs. I have heard of using a shingle for this but I have issues with using shingles due to all the tar and chemicals they are made of.

Diatomaceous earth is sharp and will deter or kill and slug that crawls over it, a circle half-inch deep around any plant is enough. Unfortunately it will also kill any other soft body creature, such as worms. I will not do anything to deter, dislodge or kill worms so I do not use diatomaceous earth or “sharp sand”. Wood ash, lime or cinders is a good replacement.

This is why I like hay, when I lay it down it is in a “slice or leaf” and I can lift it and check under and remove any pest I find. One gardener I know has a recipe he swears by. Early in the season he gathers all the slugs he can find, and then he blends them up into a liquid and sprays the lower stem of the plant and the ground around. He swears he never has a slug infestation though his neighbours do. Personally, that stuff is not going into my blender!!

Any pest control techniques work for you? Share them here.