Slugs are slimy little pests, just like snails but without a shell. They often appear in your garden and destroy your flowers and plants. They are tiny in size and can exist and wander around in your garden; you can only notice them when you observe with care. They are slow and unpleasant to watch. Slugs eat beautiful flowers, and when they are in large numbers, they can wreck your garden.
Slugs don’t attack your plants in any specific season; they can infest your garden all year round. Removing them can be tricky and expensive if you do not know the proper techniques.
Here we will discuss various methods to remove slugs from your garden but first, we need to know about the kind of damage they can cause:
Damages Caused by Slugs:
a). Destroy Plants
Slugs can destroy plants by feeding on them; they leave holes in the leaves of plants. They mostly do this by feeding at night, leaving no clues for humans about the culprit.
b). Eat Seeds
If you have planted seeds and have watered the soil enough plus provided the needed fertilizer, but still, seeds are not sprouting; that’s because slugs might have eaten the seeds in the soil. Slugs can eat seeds, and this is a major issue faced by many gardeners.
c). Invite other Predators
Slugs destroy your garden by feeding on it, and they also become a reason to invite other predators like snakes and raccoons, because these animals like to eat slugs. Once they enter your garden, they also eat and destroy other plants, so controlling slugs in your garden is of great importance.
d). Increase in Number Quickly
Slugs can lay hundreds of eggs in their lifetime; they are hermaphrodites, so they don’t need two slugs for the fertilization process. Once they infest your garden, it won’t take much time for them to multiply in number.
Use Birds
Using birds is the most natural way to get rid of slugs from a garden. Many birds eat slugs, and they are also not harmful to your lawn or garden. You can install a bird feeder in your garden, which will attract birds to visit your garden and feed on the slugs. You can also have chickens and ducks in your garden, which can eat slugs. There is no need to keep these birds forever; you can rent them from a local farm to wander in your garden for a day or two to eat and finish off the slug’s population.
Use Traps
You can use traps to get rid of them. A slug trap can be as simple as a piece of wood, leave different pieces of wood in the garden where you suspect their presence. These types of traps are a perfect hiding spot for slugs. After feeding on your plants, they will use these places as a hideout. Make sure to keep the wood moist because slugs like a humid environment to hide. Once they take shelter under these traps, you can easily catch them and throw them away.
Slug Pellets
Using slug pellets is one of the modern solutions for slug control. These are small pills that are broadcasted in the soil; slugs eat them and die. These pills are quite effective and are used by many people to control the slugs population. These pellets are also available in organic form, so if you do not want to use harmful chemicals, you can use the organic ones.
Use other Plants
Several plants work as a slug repellant. Plants like seaweed, mints (peppermint, spearmint), hellebores, sage, and rosemary are excellent repellants for slugs. Slugs don’t like the pungent smells of these plants, while the odor of these plants might not feel sharp to a human, but slugs can’t tolerate it, you can place these plants strategically around your garden, and their smell will keep slugs away from entering.
Barriers
Use barriers to prevent slugs from eating your plants. There are many types of barriers available in the market, like copper barriers and other metal barriers. These barriers have a small amount of current in them, and they can be placed around a plant. When the slug comes closer, it will feel an electric shock strong enough to keep them away from destroying your plants.
Using Home Remedies
Many home remedies can be used to control slugs in your garden, some of which are as below:
- Food Traps: Peels of fruits and vegetables can be used as bait for slugs, put them somewhere in your garden, slugs will come to feed on them, and you can collect these slugs from there to throw them away from your garden.
- Garlic and Coffee: Garlic and coffee both have a strong smell, which humans may find nice, but for slugs, it works as a repellent. You can make a homemade spray by adding crushed garlic or coffee in water. You can also throw some cloves in the garden; it works the same.
- Egg Shells: Egg Shells with sharp edges work as a barrier because when slugs try to crawl shells, they will get hurt. Eggshells can be placed in different places to make it difficult for slugs to enter. Egg-shells also work as a fertilizer, so they provide dual benefits.
- Beer Trap: Beer traps are also an effective way to control slugs. Dig holes in the soil then put half-cut cans with a beer in it. Slugs like the smell of beer, they will fall in the trap and die.
Conclusion
Slugs can be a real pain for your garden, but there are so many ways to control and prevent them from destroying your garden. We have discussed some of the most authentic solutions to control them. These solutions have proven to be effective with minimal damage to your plant, providing the best possible results.
