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\n<\/p><\/div>"}. Support wikiHow by Diatomaceous earth tears up the inside of a slug almost immediately, causing them to die; corn bran similarly kills snails. 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 . That is, after it dries it's no longer effective. Try a google search for: slugs 9v battery. If natural remedies aren't working, you may need to try chemical alternatives from your local gardening center. Yes. Nematodes can keep slugs away from your soil for up to six weeks. Several studies show that metaldehyde finishes in drinking water and its impossible to clean the water from it. The simplest way to use ammonia is to prepare a bucket with a concentration of around 1:4 and just pick off the snails, throwing them into the bucket. Go out in the evening and spray any mollusks you see on your plants. The kids ran around with shakers at night looking for as many as possible, so that cut down on them a lot. Sprinkle the pellets in the soil where the snails roam. He increased the ratio of alcohol to water to 50/50 and it worked even better. Reading Maries comment on the tannins in oak leaves makes me wonder it tea would work. Once you spot the slugs chewing away at your plants, sprinkle some salt on them, and theyll die almost immediately. LOL The Beer Dish Trap Bury a tall cup with steep sides into the soil. Wormwood tea, made from steeping artemisia cuttings in warm water for 24 hours. I have a big slug problem, so I use chickens to help combat it. You can also sprinkle some coffee grounds or coarse sand around your garden to deter the slugs. Its also a common fertilizer ingredient that works forhostas in potsand hostas in the garden. Hi Phill, sorry about the off topic but do what would be your advice on heavy metals contaminated soil? To control slugs and set up a trap, place a couple of grapefruit rinds upside down on the ground. Diatomaceous earth, also known as insect dust, kills different types of insects, such as roaches and fleas, and is even an excellent way for how to kill grubs in your lawn. i mean the sugar lol. My husband figured out that it was the yeast in the beer that attracted them into the traps, but it was the alcohol in the beer that killed them once they were in there. After about 2 or 3 nights of spraying (killing several hundred slugs in each of those first nights), the slug population has drastically decreased. I spread some household ammonia on a hosta leaf. Ammonia is incredibly deadly to slugs and snails, however, it must be applied directly to work. Crushed Eggshells. Pour a few ounces into a jar and bury it into the soil to the lip beside the plant or garden the slugs are hanging around. Combine the coffee and water in the bottle. Slugs are tiny, creepy crawly creatures. Ive done most of the things youve recommended and all helpedto a degree. 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! Garlic holds sulfur, which, besides being toxic to some pests, is also an antibacterial and antifungal agent. Useful Tips To Make Your Everyday Life Just A Bit Better. 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. Popular gardening sites suggest that you can spray either the plant or the soil and keep slugs away. We have a severe snail problem. Slugs are attracted to beer. While vinegar is an acid, ammonia is a strong base and will also kill any snails or slugs it contacts. Rain Tree Gardens is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a way for websites to earn advertising revenues by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Over the years Ive designed my landscape using snail and slug resistant woody plants and ornamental grasses that are not seriously affected or at least result in very limited if any damage. However, this is true of many garden chemicals available in stores. If you have some baking soda in the house, grab the box and start sprinkling the powder directly on the slugs, as this will kill the little critters. For example: use diluted ammonia (5 to 10% solution) , which comes from a government site. Of course, it sti-i-i-i-inks! They are free for me. Because slugs normally feed at night, limit treatments to an overcast evening that follows a late, afternoon rain shower. One source suggested that you should Test a plants sensitivity before spraying. By signing up you are agreeing to receive emails according to our privacy policy. They were everywhere in this complex! Put in grinder top with water. Spray the leaves and stems of the hostas with the ammonia solution. If there are young seedlings or snail eggs, youll likely destroy these while youre hoeing, too. After youve started planting, put up a fence around your vegetation; this will keep them from getting at your veggies, but it will also dismiss your slug problem. Is any of this, socially responsible? The percentage of caffeine required in a spray (1 - 2%) is greater than what is found in a cup of coffee (.05 - 07%), so homemade sprays are not as effective. Yes, even slugs. You could also compress the ammonia gas to form a colorless, clear liquid under pressure. Thx again. You can spray this on snails and slugs to kill them directly. Sooo, I put a few drops of dish soap and a sprinkling of salt in a couple inches of water in a bucket and drop the slugs into it (as I said, I have a small garden.) WARNING: Household ammonia is considered hazardous by OSHA. Gardeners who use this method believe that the dead slug bodies help deter other slugs from moving into the area. A safer alternative to spraying slugs on plants is hand picking the slugs and immersing . "I hadn't realized that my straw bales were the perfect environment for slugs. Too bad you did not read the article. 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. They leave on my patio is incredibly deadly to slugs and immersing and use your hands on your,... ), which comes from a government site and dahlias and strawberries and it made his extremely. Hostas in the evening and spray any mollusks you see on your plants for:! 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