This year I have had many huge running battles with slugs. This has, at times, resulted in me patrolling my garden at night looking for them. Most nights I can find 50+ slugs without even trying.
Unfortunately, I lost the war. The slugs have destroyed all my plants, sometimes devouring the complete plant, storks and all.
I even resorted to slug pellets but they ended up killing the plants instead of the slugs.
This years harvest is going to be a complete washout. I may still have some potatoes in the ground but the leaf parts of the plant have been eaten and now they are dead. My green bean plant no longer exists, completely eaten. My tomato plants were so badly eaten, they are only just recovering but I am not expecting then to produce any fruit.
What can I do to win the war? How do you guys protect yourself from slugs?
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DoubleDogFarm
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rainbowgardener
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check out cynthia's snail hunting thread (snails are just slugs with shells):
https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=261948&highlight=#261948
I think she's over 1500 now!
So one option is just be very persistent.
What works for me is diatomaceous earth dusted liberally over the plant and ground around the plants, supplemented with broken up eggshells on the ground around the plants.
Some people swear by beer traps, but it hasn't worked for me. Sluggo is a commercial product, iron phosphate. It is advertised as organic, but that is apparently controversial and some organic gardeners won't use it.
https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=261948&highlight=#261948
I think she's over 1500 now!
So one option is just be very persistent.
What works for me is diatomaceous earth dusted liberally over the plant and ground around the plants, supplemented with broken up eggshells on the ground around the plants.
Some people swear by beer traps, but it hasn't worked for me. Sluggo is a commercial product, iron phosphate. It is advertised as organic, but that is apparently controversial and some organic gardeners won't use it.
I bought Sluggo at a Nursery, gardening supply that doesn't fertilize their plants because they are that organic.
Sluggo is so effective that I have only had to put it out once this year. They really like the iron and will leave your plant to eat it.
If you have lost your entire harvest to slugs, you may want to look further into finding products/practices that aren't too offensive to your effort to grow organic.
Those ducks look like a good bet!
Sluggo is so effective that I have only had to put it out once this year. They really like the iron and will leave your plant to eat it.
If you have lost your entire harvest to slugs, you may want to look further into finding products/practices that aren't too offensive to your effort to grow organic.
Those ducks look like a good bet!
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DoubleDogFarm
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DownriverGardener
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