Egg Shells 12. Ammonia. In just a few days, the slugs will be too dehydrated to live. If youre looking for a useful slug killer tip, grind up your coffee beans or head to the local market and pick up coffee grounds. Ammonia occurs naturally as plant material decays. As a small thank you, wed like to offer you a $30 gift card (valid at GoNift.com). If you want to debate someone, stick to the topic instead of changing it to fit your argument. Avoid "pellet" form metaldehyde, which can be mistaken for pet treats. Though the iron phosphate will disrupt the slugs digestive systems and eventually kill them, it will also benefit the plants and flowers by providing a nutritious source of iron. Take it outside or in a well-ventilated area. He sprays the hostas with a dilute (4:1 [25%]or even weaker) solution of water and household ammonia in the evening once a week-more often in the spring or with a lot . Having mixed your solution, spray around affected areas. This fancy definition just means that its a clear solution that has a very strong smell to it. I put it down once where we have had slugs and snails and the problem just went away in a matter of days. If you have any doubt, test. I expect this would only work with the naturally fallen leaves, rather than the green. To fight back, youll need a natural repellent willing to work during the growing season to get rid of any black slug that comes your way. Since weve had ducks, slugs are not a problem.They also eat mosquito larvae on standing pools of water. To learn how to make slug traps, keep reading! Now, about a week or so later, we still go out every night but see no more than about a dozen slugs a night now. Slugs are attracted to beer. Thanks for the support Phil. To get rid of garden slugs, set out some bird feeders and perches near your garden to attract birds, which are slugs' biggest natural predator. Also your article. Grind crushed eggshells into a fine powder and sprinkle around the affected areas. These two methods will kill most slugs and their eggs in your garden. If these breeds are in your immediate area, allow them to stalk the slugs in your garden soil. Let me know down below, If theyre the right species Phil, you could eat them. The powder will seep into the snails bodies and shred them from the inside out. I had a talk with him about it trying to explain about ecosystems, etc., but all he could do was irately blame the chemical company for what he called over spraying! Some people, unfortunately, want to keep their blinders on! Ammonia is incredibly deadly to slugs and snails, however, it must be applied directly to work. Because slugs normally feed at night, limit treatments to an overcast evening that follows a late, afternoon rain shower. Grind up. Thanks! Sprinkle the pellets in the soil where the snails roam. Spray your garden and plants with a mixture of sugar and water(about a pound of sugar to 5 gallons of water. Others spray plants so slugs stop eating them. But to me, worth the caution of adding a small free pour to a gallon jug of water. Nematodes are typically watered into the soil using a plastic cup or similar container, like a plastic box. Luckily, there are a few ways you can apply ammonia to and around your hostas to get at the slugs without damaging your plant. I mentioned that slug larvae start showing up in the early spring and summer months, so I go out and drench my soil right after the frost leaves. Ive done most of the things youve recommended and all helpedto a degree. The other property that is important for this discussion is the stability of the product. Luckily, ground beetles can live almost everywhere that slugs can also live. We think they came in from some of the bags of oak leaves we picked up along the street which we used as mulch and compost. Just be sure to thoroughly water your plants the next morning to get rid of any salty residues. Yes, sugar is a good one John. Water can dissolve salt and wash it off of "safe" surfaces and into the soil, harming soil quality. Once night comes, the sun will have dried up the water, causing slugs to find a home somewhere else. ", Unlock premium answers by supporting wikiHow, http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/insect/05515.html, http://www.cf.ac.uk/biosi/staffinfo/wocs2.html, http://www.weekendgardener.net/how-to/snails-slugs.htm, http://practicalpermaculture.com/2011/07/eleven-ways-to-get-rid-of-slugs-and-snails/, https://books.google.com/books?id=aaDxAgAAQBAJ&dq=luring+slugs+with+pet+food&source=gbs_navlinks_s, http://www.extension.uidaho.edu/mg/resources/handbook/MGH12.pdf, http://www.ext.nodak.edu/extnews/hortiscope/pests/slug.htm, http://www.no-dig-vegetablegarden.com/slug-and-snail-control.html, http://www.merckmanuals.com/vet/toxicology/metaldehyde_poisoning/overview_of_metaldehyde_poisoning.html, (Get Rid of Garden Slugs). We had a home brew batch not turn out and that worked great. You should notice a decrease in the number of slugs around, especially if you choose to drench the soil. Use Ammonia to Kill Slugs Household ammonia not only kills slugs but, at the dilution ratio discussed below, actually provides a source of nitrogen that plants absorb through their leaves. Try a google search for: slugs 9v battery. Stop Slugs on Hostas: Heres How to End the Menace! wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. Sign up for wikiHow's weekly email newsletter. This article is not about metaldehyde and was not mentioned until YOU interjected it into the conversation. Sprinkle the grounds on top of the soil youre protecting and watch the slugs run away. If we take a literal interpretation, you should use household ammonia right out of the bottle since its already a 5-10% solution of ammonia. Use dollar store sprayer to spray the ground or poke holes in the cap and sprinkle the complete perimeter of your garden. If so, lets dive in! Would using limestone as mulch detere slugs. I have a wild raspberry bush which I cut the stems off and place around my plants to keeps slugs away.They do not like the thorns on them.Also the stems off rose bushes works just as well.I hope this helps. The reason for this is because seaweed is salty, and slugs do not like salt. Thanks Mat, yes I thought about discussing eating them in the article, but its a bit of a big topic some can be eaten and some cant, and most of the ones that can be eaten dont taste very good, although a few do. Eggshells Control Slugs Do They Really Work? This is a wonderful article an great responses too. Hi Sarah, sadly, the ammonia spray is extremely painful for slugs and snails and not great for plant foliage, so that's not a great solution. Commercial names include Sluggo, Slug Magic, and Escar-Go. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/9\/98\/Get-Rid-of-Garden-Slugs-Step-1-Version-4.jpg\/v4-460px-Get-Rid-of-Garden-Slugs-Step-1-Version-4.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/9\/98\/Get-Rid-of-Garden-Slugs-Step-1-Version-4.jpg\/aid2449-v4-728px-Get-Rid-of-Garden-Slugs-Step-1-Version-4.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"