slugs in veggie garden

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merdle Lake Forest, IL May 19, 2010

Help! Went to uncover the veggies and found slugs have eaten my lettuce. How do I get rid of them?

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TeeRiddle Hampton, VA(Zone 7b) May 19, 2010

Hi merdle,

There are several things you can do to get rid of slugs.

One is eliminate any items they can hide under - boards, stones, bricks, etc. from the area. You can also make a beer trap. Take some stale beer and pour it in a very shallow saucer and place it in the garden. Make sure it's low enough for the slugs to be able to climb in, at soil level is good. The slugs will be attracted to the beer and crawl in then drown. You can place several of these in the area.

You can also use copper tubing as a barrier. Just use some 1/2" copper tubing from Lowe's and bend it to form a border around your plants. The slugs will not cross the copper.

You could also sprinkle a line of Epsom salts around the plants. Slugs and salt don't mix, but too much could affect the plants too.

As a last resort you can sprinkle something like Sluggo around the plants affected. I would use this if nothing else works. Check with Garden's Alive, they have an organic slug getter that works well.

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merdle Lake Forest, IL May 19, 2010

Thanks, great info...

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LOVIE2 Boston, MA(Zone 6a) May 19, 2010

I used a barrier of crushed eggshells last year and it worked well. If that doesn't solve the issue, there's an Ecosense organic slug and snail bait that will handle that. I prefer to use the shells and let the garter snakes and skunks take care of the rest.

This message was edited May 19, 2010 3:55 PM

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august2003 Beaverton, OR May 19, 2010

What is it about the crushed eggshells that is effective? How often do you replace with new eggshells.

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Dorkasaurus Albuquerque, NM(Zone 7a) May 19, 2010

the crushed eggshells discourage them by making it uncomfortable or dangerous for them to cross. picture walking barefoot on broken glass... same idea.

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LOVIE2 Boston, MA(Zone 6a) May 22, 2010

Adding to what Dorasaurus said - the egg shells also adds calcium to your soil/plant. I replace them if it rains or I see the birds have eaten them.

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HoneybeeNC Charlotte, NC(Zone 7b) May 22, 2010

I use coffee grounds and Sluggo Plus - both seem to be a good deterrent.

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Gymgirl SE Houston (Hobby), TX(Zone 9a) May 22, 2010

Sluggo PLUS, hands down...

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