Combat and get rid of slugs

Nudibranchs themselves are not pretty to look at. Even more ghastly are the tracks left in the garden overnight. They can eat whole plants in a few hours. However, hobby gardeners do not have to accept an infestation or deal with it with chemicals. Because the most effective are natural ways that do not use dangerous substances.

Appearance of the slug

Slugs can be a few millimeters in size but can also reach a length of up to 15cm. They are able to cover long distances in search of food and prefer darkness and humidity. This is also necessary because they dry out quickly in the sun and on dry surfaces and cannot retreat into a protective housing.

They can also be whitish, brownish or bright orange in colour. They each have two feelers for seeing and two for smelling. They move through muscle movements of the so-called foot, i.e. their slimy underside.

As unpleasant as the appearance of slugs may seem, not all are actual threats to garden plants. Only the Spanish slug can cause significant damage. From the outside, however, the approximately 10 cm long slug cannot be distinguished from other species.

The bad image

The sight of slugs in your backyard is not in itself a cause for concern. Because many slugs tend to feast on young weeds and are naturally kept in the fence by wild animals. Therefore, they pose no threat to garden plants.

Fighting is only necessary when the damage typical of snails appears. These are signs of eating, which occur primarily on young, tender shoots. Unlike caterpillars and similarly voracious animals, the environment is not dry but surrounded by slime trails. These shimmer in rain soil colors even when they have dried out.

Anyone who cannot be sure based on the damage picture whether they are actually slugs should first set up a trap to check. To do this, it is enough to place a small mug half filled with beer in the ground near the affected plants. If slugs are found here after a night, the problem has been recognized. If the slugs only appear after a few days, they could also have been attracted from surrounding gardens. Only immediate “catch success” indicates a problem with slugs.

Cleanliness, dryness, brightness

Nudibranchs like to be out and about in the dark and prefer moist areas. The slimy pests immediately feel at home in shady spots and on wet soil.
Instead of making the entire garden snail-proof, it is usually sufficient to protect corners that are rich in water and poor in light.

The following tips are also helpful:

  • Slugs are attracted to the carcasses of their own kind, garbage, compost and other dead animals, but a garden that is regularly cleaned is unappealing.
  • Dry borders made of stone, gravel or sand are daunting hurdles. If such edges are additionally provided with salt, it is guaranteed that no slugs will want to crawl over them.
  • Watering in the evening saves water, but unfortunately also attracts slugs. Additional watering should therefore be done in the morning if there is a snail problem. And also only around the plants, poured over a wide area or even blasted areas only unnecessarily attract slugs.
  • If certain beds are haunted again and again, it helps to illuminate them at night. Solar lights that charge themselves during the day are the ideal choice.

Set boundaries for pests

In addition to the boundaries made of gravel, stones or sand, other obstacles can also be placed in the way of the slugs. The following have proven to be particularly effective:

  • Salathauben
  • garden fleece
  • and snail fences

proven. But only if they are used correctly.

Use the salad topping correctly

Slugs have favorite foods. Above all, they attack delicate, young green. Preferred plants are:

  • Parsely
  • lettuce
  • Studentenblumen
  • dahlias
  • delphinium
  • basil
  • pumpkin
  • Margeriten

Of course, that doesn’t mean the homeless snails won’t feast on other plants as well. In general, however, it is important to protect young plants and shoots in the first place. Once the plants are large and have more tender shoots, the snail damage is limited.
Salad hoods are a cheap way to do this. They are finally placed over the plant and either buried an inch or two or covered with sand along the edge. If the plants grow out of the lettuce hoods, the protection can be removed.

Tip: Alternatively, flower pots made of plastic can be used. With these, however, the bottom must be cut off so that light and water can penetrate.

garden fleece and nets

Garden fleece and close-meshed nets are another way of defending against slugs that does not require any poison at all.

These are spread over fresh beds. In addition, the edges must be dug in or weighed down tightly. If the plants are big enough, the protection can be removed again.

Special snail fences

Snail fences are available in numerous designs. They can be made of metal or plastic, have an angle or nubs.
In any case, certain properties that the snail fence must have are important:

  • The height. Many slugs manage the usual 10 cm almost effortlessly, so it should be 15 to 20 cm.
  • The defense. Neither snails with nor without a shell can overcome far protruding, angled edges. The same applies to upper limits, which are proven with nubs.
  • The corners. The highest snail fence is of little use if it has gaps at the corners. It should therefore close continuously and tightly.
Tip: New types of snail fences that have a salt channel are particularly effective. This prevents the salt from penetrating the soil and poisoning plants. Such snail fences are more expensive to purchase, but the investment is worthwhile due to the reliable effectiveness. And the low renewal effort.

collect pests

If an infestation with slugs is found, the first countermeasure should be to collect them. It’s not the most pleasant occupation, but it will decimate the pests in no time. And completely free of charge.

For this purpose you can put the slugs in a plastic bag or bucket. A bag that is then knotted airtight and disposed of in the household waste requires the least effort.

This measure must also be carried out if a bed is provided with a snail fence. Because slugs that are still in the bed can of course still cause damage.
remove scrim

Slugs give off huge clutches of up to 400 eggs. Even if numerous slugs have been read from the garden, the next and extremely voracious generation is usually not far away.
Here it only helps to dig up regularly and remove the transparent to whitish egg collections from the soil.

Why traps don’t work

In the fight against slugs, hobby gardeners like to get creative. The good Pils is converted into a beer trap, nail polish or solvents into an acetone trap and even wine or sugar water are set up. It doesn’t matter whether this is a large bucket on the garden path or the slug trap is buried in beds and meadows – if there is an infestation, it will definitely catch a few specimens.
And yet, slug traps don’t work.

Because they not only lure the slimy pests in your own garden to their deaths, but everyone in the vicinity. So instead of liberating the garden, it attracts more and more snails.
So this is almost an infinite game. If the traps are not emptied every day when there is a heavy infestation, it is only a matter of time before they are too full to catch new pests.

Welcome natural enemies

Another inexpensive and natural way to combat slugs is by allying with their predators.

  • Birds, especially owls, ducks and geese
  • Hedgehog
  • marten
  • mice
  • insects

Even foxes feast on the shellless snails. If hobby gardeners come across their tracks, the animals should not be chased away. However, feeding them only makes sense to a limited extent, as they may then no longer have an appetite for the pests.

Instead, undisturbed shelter and water should be provided.

The Spanish slug

If slugs keep appearing in the garden despite regular visits from hedgehogs and the like, it is probably the Spanish slug.

This is not eaten by any native animal as its glandular secretions taste bitter and act as a deterrent. So only the limits and safeguards will help here. Or the following way of combating it.

Nematodes against slugs

They are invisible to the naked eye, inexpensive and yet so effective: the nematodes. These are nematodes whose eggs are mixed with water and added to the soil when watering.
They do not harm plants, nor are they dangerous to other animals.

However, slugs attack the nematodes and decompose them from within. As a result, they remove their carcasses themselves. The use of the tiny worms is therefore extremely useful, especially in the case of a strong and persistent infestation.

If they find no more food, they die. Or are at least significantly reduced in number. It is therefore not to be expected in the future with a worm infestation. They also improve soil quality.
Beware of slug pellets, poison and salt

If there are slugs and significant signs of eating in the garden, many hobby gardeners use slug pellets.

But caution is advised here. Even if this is marked as “pet-friendly”, it is poison. And its consumption or accidental ingestion, such as licking paws after contact, can quickly prove fatal.

In addition, slug pellets attract slugs in the first place. Even if there are only five specimens in your own garden, the poison will also attract pests from other gardens.

The same applies to other toxins used against the slimy parasites in the garden.
Salt can also injure animal paws and also causes damage to the soil. Salting slugs found in the bed directly on the spot does not make sense. Just as little as spreading salt around beds and plants, at least if you sprinkle it directly on the ground.

Conclusion
A slug infestation is not an inevitable death sentence for garden plants, nor is it a reason for the widespread application of toxic materials and chemicals. Even traps can safely be dispensed with. Those who stick to simple and natural methods will quickly become masters of the situation. And that very inexpensively.

Kira Bellingham

I'm a homes writer and editor with more than 20 years' experience in publishing. I have worked across many titles, including Ideal Home and, of course, Homes & Gardens. My day job is as Chief Group Sub Editor across the homes and interiors titles in the group. This has given me broad experience in interiors advice on just about every subject. I'm obsessed with interiors and delighted to be part of the Homes & Gardens team.

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