Any tips for keeping slugs at bay?

My son wants frogs AND turtles this year...now I get to go on another pollywog hunt! LOL

hey i use epsion salt i just spinckle it around the outside of my beds and some inside of them to but just a little on the inside dont wont to burn ur plants and if u have roses they will like it good for the blooming

Just came upon this thread.
So I wanted to share my story how i deal with slugs and snails, my shady garden being a paradise for them.
In my beginning gardening years they were a huge problem and drove me to the point of despair. It more than often happened that after planting a newly purchased plant, the next morning I only found a skeleton. I had to find a solution!
I have never used or will use a chemical in my garden so slug pellets were out of the question.
The solution came with the introduction of toads, frogs and newts. As I already had a pond, the first thing I've created when starting my garden, I had the right conditions for them to thrive.
By now they have multiplied and the slug problem is under control, they do the job for me and on top of that I enjoy observing them, they are an enrichment of my garden.

Look at this guy, isn't he cute and well fed ?They love my place;

Four of my frogs taking a sun bath cosely sharing the same pot;

and a newt on the hunt;

Bonitin, those critters are so cute! I'm envious--I'd have no place to support them here. We don't have a pond. Though we can see the river from our back yard, we're also not close enough to play host to anything that lives there except the occasional wandering flock of ducks.

Is there no way you could create a pond, Kayly?
Is doesn't need to be big, mine is very small only 2x4 m.
They would even be happy with a smaller one, specially for toads and newts, they only need the water to procreate in spring. Even an old bathtub with some water plants dug in the earth could do the job. The edges can easily be camouflaged by plants growing over them.
And you might find spawn or tadpoles in nearby little brooks or shallow waters, perhaps even in your nearby river if it has some shallow overflows on the sides..

I'd love to put a little pond in. I don't think my budget is going to allow for it this year, but I'm hoping to have a small pond near my front door someday. When I do, you can bet I'll go looking for frogs, newts, and toads! :)

I just LOVE that pic of your frogs taking their sun bath Bonitin..that is too cute! This thread has inspired to see what I can do around here. I really do think these critters are a wonderful way to control slugs/snails. I have a little pond, and we bought some tadpoles last year at a pond shop. I am a newbie to ponding, and I didn’t realize the pond place sold me bullfrog tadpoles that will later eat fish and the many birds that bathe on the waterfall’s “steps.” Sadly, we had to return the tadpoles, as I don’t think our tiny garden is an appropriate place for them. I didn’t want to let them loose locally, so luckily the pond store was willing to take them back. I would love to find local tadpoles that will turn into smaller (and non-bird eating) frogs. Anjl, any ideas on where to find them locally? Here is a pic of one of the bullfrog tadpoles right before we returned them. I had no idea they had gotten this big!

This message was edited Mar 21, 2008 6:17 PM

I usually find a few making a home in my hot tub once the seasonal pond behind my house dries up...I can try to catch one for you! I'm not sure where they typically live in the summer though--in the winter it's mating season and they hang out by the seasonal pond and sing me to sleep every night, but then once the pond dries up I think they must go into summer hibernation or something (except for the few that wander up to the hot tub). There may be other species of native frogs too, those are just the ones I'm familiar with.

How neat, Ecrane! Thank you. I’d absolutely love a hot tub frog! LOL. I have no idea how you’d want to arrange such an adoption, but just let me know. Our pond and garden are small, but there are lots of rocks and good frog hangout spots. Unfortunately, there appear to be a lot of slugs too, so I’m guessing it wouldn’t go hungry ;-).

SunnyG,
My son and I travelled everywhere one year looking for tadpoles. Coyote Hills, Lake Elizabeth, Niles Canyon, Newark Lake, we even looked for them in Twain Harte near our cabin. We looked from Feb until June and couldnt find any! Maybe we looked at the wrong time? I know Petco sells them, but not sure if they are native or not, so I didnt want to buy them from a pet store.

I WILL go hunting again this year, as this thread has inspired me to find then for our pond. If I find some, I'll let you know where. I would love to here frogs sing me to sleep. We gave up on frogs that year, and I went and bought a bunch of crickets and let them loose in the yard so I could have some singing :o)

Thanks Sunny! I have hundreds of pictures of them, they are so funny to watch.
Glad you brought back the bullfrog tadpoles, they seem to be real bullies! I think it should be prohibited to sell them because, when let loose in the wild they also eat other smaller native frogs.

Ecrane, better would be if you could get some spawn or tadpoles for Sunny. The problem is that the frog probably wouldn't want to stay, for a strange reason they always want to return to the place where they are born, unless Sunny has an enclosed garden and to procreate one needs more than one frog ;-).

Spawn and tadpoles are normally found in the warmer shallow waters where the sun warms it up. Toads attach their egg strings on water plants. Frogspawn looks different and looks like a yelly floating on the surface. I must say that toads are more effective than frogs in the battle with slugs and snails.

This is how toadspawn looks like;

Definitely no spawn or tadpoles in my hot tub! Unfortunately there's no easy access to the seasonal pond from my house because my fence isn't really climbable, and to get to it from the other side you have to climb through a couple weed filled ditches to get to it.(sunny and anjl, if you want to come and climb through the ditches to get to the pond and search for tadpoles, dmail me and I'll tell you how to get to it! It is all on property owned either by the water district or Union Pacific though so I'm not sure what they think of trespassers, I see people walking on the ridges between the ditches sometimes but I've never seen anyone doing anything around the pond itself.)

When I was little I used to catch frogs with my friends. If you go at night in the right season, you can get the adults who are looking for mates. The frogs gather towards the shore to mate, so they are easier to find. All you really need is one breeding pair. Just make sure you don't bring back a bullfrog.

Also, don't forget kids normally have a great time catching frogs. If you have easy access to a pond (and kids) plan a family picnic. Bring a big bucket, a couple of nets, and let them loose. At the end of the day, take which frogs you want, and let the rest go. This is a great learning experience for kids. Sometimes they come back with a whole hoard of tadpoles, frogs, turtles, crayfish, and salamanders (and goodness knows what else). I spend whole summers watching kids run amok around the local pond, having the time of their lives.

Okay... I have a dumb question....
how do you tell the males from females in frogs? is there a way? I wouldnt want to bring home a bunch of females and no male...etc...

Last time I went pollywoggin' we came home with a bunch of crayfish :o)

If the eardrum is bigger than the eye, it is a male. If the eardrum is smaller than the eye it is a female. I don't know if this works for every species of frog, though. For me it worked with leopard frogs and bull frogs. Also, in these species, the throat color can be used. Yellow is male, white is female. Its been a while, so you may want to look into it to make sure, especially if you're after a certain species of frog. Logically speaking, if you've got two frogs of the same species, one with a larger eardrum than the eye, one with a smaller one, you've probably got both a male and a female. The other option is to catch a couple while they are mating. (rude, yes, I know) If you go at night, this is more likely. Listen for their calls, they would be in shallow water next to shore.

ROFLMAO! I dont know if I'd want to ~ahem~interupt them :o) ~ lol!

What about polywogs/tadpoles... I'm thinking I could just gather a bunch of them and cross my fingers and home for males and females? I dont know what kinds of frogs we have in the hills and ponds... what species they are, but I know they are native to my area at least :o)

Thank you for the great tips on frogs and toads Bonitin and Chickadee. Bonitin, if I had cute frogs and toads like you, I know I would have hundreds of photos of them too. I would be delighted to have frogs, toads and salamanders in my yard. We moved here last summer, and the yard was pretty much just parched clay covered in landscape bark. It really is amazing all the new critters that have made their way into the garden, now that there are plants and a water source.

Ecrane, thank you so much for the offer of the hot tub frogs and pond directions. I have made a couple of tadpole inquiries today and am hoping something will pan out, but if not I would love to take you up on your generous offer. I actually do have a small and completely enclosed yard (6 foot fence), which is why I guessed that we wouldn’t have any frogs or toads wander in or out of the garden on their own. Does anyone know if this is a safe assumption? Anjl, I’d definitely love it if you would tell me if you have tadpole success. I will also keep looking and working on my tadpole “leads.” If I come across a bunch of tadpoles I’d be happy to try and get a few extra for you too if you’d like…we could even meet at Regan’s Nursery ;-).

Regans ........LOL! sounds expensive! LOL! DH just put me on a gardening budget :o(
But I could use a meeting there as an excuse ... :o) lol! Then sneak my lil packages in the door and hide themunder my potting bench with the coleus that I bought today! Shh! dont tell! :o)

If you do find tadpoles, let me know.....and we will meet up :o)

Ecrane may I ask what is a hot tub?

Chickadee, I really cannot see differences in the ear drums with my frogs, but that's perhaps because of this particular specie...

Oneanji, I think I have 3 males and only one female, but I can't see the difference from the appearance, although I have the impression that the males croak and the female doesn't or just a little but I'm not 100% sure about that. Last year there were tadpoles from my frogs but they didn't mature enough to become little frogs, probably because of the bad and cold summer we had over here.

Thanks Sunny, your fence should be sufficient to keep them in. On the other hand it can happen that a toad or frog uses a plant close to the fence or wall as a ladder to climb over..

Another thing I wanted to tell is that toads will thrive in a garden which is not kept too neatly.
They are night hunters (when slugs and snails are active!)and sleep during the day and so need shady hiding places that protect them from the sun, like under old wood logs or stones..

If you have some hollow cement blocks, they also can serve as good toad homes..
In this one a family of four is living, two adults and two 'teenagers'. I observed that when a particular toad chooses a home it always goes back to the same.

Here's a website that shows hot tubs...I guess you probably have a different name for them in Europe. http://www.sundancespas.com/

a 'romance'...

Thanks for the additional information and those wonderful toad pics. There are numerous nooks and crannies around our waterfall that remain cool and a bit moist. I’m guessing they would be great for toads, although right now they appear to be a perfect slug hangout spot. I really need a couple of toads to have a “romance” in my yard, like in your pic, Bonitin ;-). We went on a tadpole hunt yesterday. My boyfriend saw two, but they weren’t within easy reach.

Sunny, Where did you go hunting? anywhere close to me?

Anjl, we went to Los Gatos Creek. While they are definitely in there I doubt it is worth your while to drive down, as all that hunting only led to two brief sightings. I do know that a friend’s mom’s neighbor’s seasonal pond had frogs as of February, and am waiting back to hear about any possible adoptions there. As you can probably tell from that description, I have a few people to get through to see if I can “adopt” from this pond. I’ll keep you posted…

Thanks, I am planning to check Coyote Hills this weekend.

There is a DG article on slugs today.... http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/736/
in case anyone hasnt seen it yet... :o)

Oh I missed your post Ecrane! Thanks for the link. They have these in Europe too, but have no idea how they call them. No wonder the frogs like it, lol!

Thanks Sunny, I see toads would love your place around the waterfall with the numerous nooks and crannies and the provision cupboard full, lol!
Too bad you missed the two tadpoles, in my little pond they are so crowded, it's so easy to scoop them up.
Your higher climate zone explains that you already have tadpoles, mine are still eggs. It would be easier though if you could find these, they are always attached to water plants in the shallow sunny areas along waters. While frogs are very entertaining and funny, I want you to keep in mind that toads are more effective in solving your problem :-)

I don't know what types of frogs and toads are native to your area, but in my case the tadpoles of toads are entirely black, while the ones of the frogs are more brownish and speckled.
These are from my toads(picture from last year);

and here a pict. of a larger tadpole of my green frog;

I sure must read that article oneanjl, but now its time for me to go to bed. Good night to all!
CROAK....

Bonitin, thanks for the pics of the difference between your frog and toad tadpoles (toadlets?) They made me realize that I should probably look up our native ones so I can tell what I’m catching. I would love to have toads in the garden for the slug problem, but at this point I will take whatever I can get, toad or frog…as long as they aren’t bullfrogs again of course. I actually would love to have both frogs and toads, but we’ll see what happens.

Best of luck at Coyote Hills Anjl, and if you find some will you catch a few extra for me? ;-) I haven’t heard back on any of my pond calls yet. Apparently other people don’t think this is quite as important or urgent as I do…go figure. LOL

lol! I am sure my son will try to catch them ALL! I may have to give him a limit :o) lol!
I'll definitely have him catch some for you too ...

Has anybody tried Escar-Go from Garden's Alive?

Haven't tried it but others at DG have used it with great success. It's another of the products that do no harm to plants, animals or birds.

Thanks for the warning about Bullfrog tadpoles. I got all excited until I asked what kind.

I hate to break to the toad talk. And while we have a large numer (and yes, they like our pond too) I have another suggestion re slugs.

Someone at my gardening clud told me that hair cut up finely will act much like the DE, and obvioulsy will not run into the soil the way DE does as well.

I saved mine all winter from my hairbrush and have scattered small pieces all over my shade beds.

L

After realizing that my slugs were just partying with the beer, I have used two methods that work better. One was shredding up unwanted low-growing junipers (or other evergreens) and spreading the resulting mulch around the infected areas. The slugs tear themselves up on the stickery stuff.
The other is iron phosphate pellets like Escar-Go (Don't you love the name?) from Gardens Alive. I have found the same thing at K-Mart, Walmart and Spring Hill and it is a lot cheaper. Iron phosphate is a natural substance found in the soil. The pellets are safe for the environment and don't have to be renewed after every rain. I sprinkle them around hostas and wherever else I see slug damage, once a month or so.
If I run out of the pellets and need a quick fix, I spread around crushed egg shells. Since I started using these methods, slug damage has been minimal.

Wow!! You sure opened a can of worms. (Ha!) I have pretty good luck with a mixture of used coffee grounds and crushed egg shells. The grounds alone work pretty well most of the time. We don't eat enough eggs to go around my whole yard - coffee is no problem. I also try to plant mostly very thick leaved Hostas. The more puckered or thick the leaves are the more they leave them be. These tips were probably offered somewhere in the above replies, but I didn't have time to read through all of them yet. I did get some good ideas to try from the ones I did read though. Can't wait to give them a whirl!

P.S. The beer works best if YOU drink it ....then you don't care about the slugs.

This message was edited Mar 31, 2008 10:43 PM

I remember my grandmother putting coffee grounds on some of her plants - azaleas and camelias, I think. Won't the coffee ground make the soil more acidic?

I'm overrun with slugs right now. I actually bought some slug bait/poison today. As long as it doesn't harm the butterflies and caterpillars, I think I'm ok with killing the nasty, slimy things.