slugs

[janzman]

I have a problem with slugs.All they seem to do is eat my plants particularly my hostas. Do slugs have any positive reason for existance and how do I get rid of them

[sn�gs]

''Do slugs have any positive reason for existance''

Their existence makes Snails feel better about themselves...

Try salt...

[dr b]

several things to try:

1) put out shallow saucers of beer. The slugs can't resist it but it may be too painful for some to waste beer this way.

2) Lay out a board or shingle; the slugs will hide under it. Lift up the board and crush them.

3) Copper strips or tape sold specifically for slug control can be purchased from garden suppliers

4) Use diatomaceous earth, sold at garden centers. This is very abrasive and will shred the slugs if they crawl across it. Have to keep putting it down as it is useless if wet.

If none of these work (unlikely - the beer did it for us), you can always go with chemicals. Or, ditch the hosta and plant something slugs do not like.

[kira000]

Buy nemaslug. It is an organic biological treatment, which you water on your garden. It contains microscopic creatures, which live in the soil for upto 3 months. The creatures get inside the slugs, bith on the surface and the ones hidden underground, and kill them.
Very effective, and safe for other animals.

[buildersmate]

You just have to be vigilant when growing hostas because slugs love them so much.
I use a combination of most of the above techniques, plus manual pick-up / destroy (on a damp morning).

[carlton23]

Slugs do have a purpose in life besides eating what we admire in the garden, and they also admire, by eating it. They also,like worms, help to break down decaying vegetation. Don`t be tempted to use Slug Pellets, as our friend the hedgehog might eat the slugs and die himself. I get my local barman to pull off a bottle of old beer from the pumps when he cleans them, and I bury a 1/2 pt glass with about 2" above the soil and half fill with beer. The slugs die a happy couldn't` care less DEATH. Amen.

[EllyD]

Coffee grounds are supposed to be good as they are gritty. I found my local Sainsburys coffee shop bag up their old grounds and give them to any customers for free!
Elly.

[ruthann58]

i grow my hostas in pots then stand them in large saucers of water slugs dont seem to be able to swim and cant cross the water and the hostas love the wet

[elcee45]

Try crushed eggshells