Slugs

[mmcavall]

With the rainy season, everything is humid here, and today I found a slug eating my Ferocactus wislizenii seedlings!!!!

When I used to grow orchids, I used to put coffee grounds in the pots, so the slugs didn't came (not sure about the real efectiveness of that).

Does anyone knows another recipe to repel slugs?

thanks!

[Steve Johnson]

I used to grow Habanero peppers in 5-gallon pots, and slugs were a problem in the cooler spring months. An effective remedy -- copper foil if you can find it at a garden center, although aluminum foil is more easily available. Slugs and snails hate metal, so if you wrap foil all around the side of the pot, they won't get past the barrier. I don't know how many of your plants would be vulnerable to slugs, but if aluminum foil is your only option, try this on your Fero pot and see if it works. If it does, you'll know what to do with any other plants that may be attacked by slugs.

[mmcavall]

Thank you very much, Steve.
Maybe a solution would be put an aluminium foil under the pots. I'll try in the seedlings tray. Thank you very much.

[greenknight]

I live in real slug country, and have vast experience in slug control. I would not put my faith in metal, it's a weak repellent at best - slugs will cross it if there's something they want to get to. Maybe those Southern California slugs, which must live a very precarious existence, are more easily deterred - I know it wouldn't work here.

Crushed eggshells are an effective deterrent - sharp edges and tend to stick to the slugs, so they avoid them. You need to put down fresh ones periodically. Perhaps you could lay down foil and sprinkle crushed eggshells on it - it might have an extra impact, and it would make it easy to clean up the old eggshells.Diatomaceous earth is also supposed to be effective, though I haven't tried it.

I use iron phosphate slug bait, it's rain-resistant and causes the slugs to stop feeding immediately - that's how it works, it shuts down the digestive tracts of slugs and snails so they starve to death. It's non-toxic to other animals, and it breaks down into fertilizer. I don't recommend the old-fashioned metaldehyde bait - it's very toxic, and it causes slugs to secrete large amounts of slime which can smother seedlings.

[mmcavall]

thanks, Spence, I'll try the eggshells over the aluminium foil!

[mmcavall]

Last night I opened two pots with Pseudolithos seedlings. To avoid slugs, I put the pots inside a plastic tray (with tall walls, maybe there is another name in English for that), and inside the tray I put aluminium foils, the pots over the aluminium.
Lots of delicious plants surrounding this fortresss but a very determined slug entered the tray, crossed the aluminium barrier, entered the first pot, ate the Pseudolithos, went out of the pot, crossed again the aluminium barrier, entered the second pot, and ate the last plants!

[jfabiao]

Ouch.

Small containers, like jar lids, filled (and periodically refilled) with beer are supposed to attract and drown the slugs. I'm not sure of the effectiveness, as I haven't tried it.

[Grimm]

Something you could try with seedling pots is to put them in a tray, as you have done, but raise them slightly and fill the tray with saline (salt water) Just make sure the pots are clear of the saline, obviously

[mmcavall]

Ouch.

Small containers, like jar lids, filled (and periodically refilled) with beer are supposed to attract and drown the slugs. I'm not sure of the effectiveness, as I haven't tried it.

No way, I'll not give my beer to those bastards

Something you could try with seedling pots is to put them in a tray, as you have done, but raise them slightly and fill the tray with saline (salt water) Just make sure the pots are clear of the saline, obviously

Yes that's a good idea, and I dont thik the salt is really needed. Aiko proposed the same in another thread: http://www.cactiguide.com/forum/viewtop ... 25#p329341

[greenknight]

Sad news, very sorry to hear that.

The water barrier idea is a good one - land slugs can't swim, or crawl underwater.

[rsales3]

Good article on what Over-the-counter products work. "The newest active ingredient, ferric sodium EDTA, works in a similar man­ner to iron phosphate but is somewhat faster—three days instead of seven." http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdet ... tnum=13838.
I've used Cory's Snail and Slug bait for years with good results. Don't know if these products are available in your area but you might check on the active ingredients on the products you can get.

Cheers.

[mmcavall]

Thanks rsales, I'll search for that! (but the slugs disappeared...)

[ElieEstephane]

For future reference:
I live in slug country most of the year and the only effective solution for me is wood ash. It works miracles. I make a barrier around my planting area by dispering the ash closelt and slugs simply stop coming in (no idea why). However whenever it rains you have to put some back.

[mmcavall]

For future reference:
I live in slug country most of the year and the only effective solution for me is wood ash. It works miracles. I make a barrier around my planting area by dispering the ash closelt and slugs simply stop coming in (no idea why). However whenever it rains you have to put some back.

thanks, good to know that!

[greenknight]

Yes, wood ashes contain potassium hydroxide (lye), a caustic substance which is extremely irritating - repels slugs, and insects, too. Lye is highly water-soluble, it quickly leaches out if it gets rained on.

Since it's strongly alkaline, you shouldn't use it on the soil your plants are growing in, unless they like alkaline soil. I use it on peas and onions - you can grow wonderful onions with heavy applications of wood ashes.