Tootsie Tip #8 Slugs Be Gone!

It is getting to the time of year here in Canada where it is warming up enough for the slugs to start to do their damage to my garden. Slugs are awful creatures that eat the leaves of almost every plant and the grass in my garden. I wage war on a regular basis with this pest.

sluggdn

In the past, I would put on my rubber boots (pants tucked in), a warm jacket (it gets cool outside in the dark) and a set of gloves (just in case one touched me) and head outside.

I would have gathered the following items in advance:

ice cream pail 1/3 filled with water that has about 1 cup of salt in it, an old pair of kitchen tongs, and a flash light. I would head out to my garden at dusk and start the hunt. yes my neighbors think I am a nut case.

I would wander around the garden and shine my light on the leaves of my plants. The slugs in this yard are unreal! Each time I found one, I would pick it off and put it in the pail of salt water and move on to the next. I would some evenings find a full pail of slugs! It is disgusting! If I had not gone slug hunting, I surely would not have had anything to post for you guys...as they would have eaten all of my plants!!!

Because the slugs were taking over in such large numbers, and ruining my pretty gardens, I decided it was time to do some research. I read a few books, looked at some articles online, and discovered some recipes that I found interesting. They are supposed to help get rid of the slug population, in a safe and ‘green’ way.

In the past I have been reluctant to try the slug baits and poisons that are offered on the garden center shelves. With three kids and one very spoiled dog that are far more important to me than my beloved flowers, I did not want to risk their health in any way. The overturned bowls and citrus rinds that I had tried in the past, gross me out. So they are not an option.

I have also tried the pie plate filled with Beer. I watched the slugs slither into the beer, and stay a while and then slither back out! All I had accomplished with this was a bunch of drunk slugs! They went to the bar and out for a bite to eat! What am I doing wrong?????

So today I am sharing the new ideas that I found. I hope these work for us! If you try it, please let me know how it works!

KG100-20

Slug-Out-Slugs Spray

(good for lawns too!)

you will need:

ingredient list.you will need:

1 1/2 cups of ammonia (household will do)

1 tbsp of Murphy's Oil Soap

1 1/2 cups of water.

Mix all ingredients in a hand-held sprayer, and shake well. Over spray any areas where you see the tell tale signs that slugs have been hard at work. Using this spray is supposed to close the "buffet" for the slugs.

Here is another one:

Quassia Slug Spray

ingredients:

4oz of quassia chips (bark of the Quassia tree....available at health food stores)

1 gallon of water

Crush , grind, or chop the chips, and add them to the water in a bucket. Steep this brew for 24 hours. Strain through a cheesecloth and spray liquid on plants. Apparently this spray is also good to control aphids. It will not hurt the good bugs such as lady bugs and honeybees.

How about this one!

Slug Cookies!

ingredients

1 part dried quack grass blades, finely chopped

1 part wheat bran

1 can of beer

Mix quack grass and bran in a bowl and slowly add the beer, stirring until the mixture has a cookie dough consistency. chop the dough into small bits (about 1/8 or 1/4 inch thick.) Let the cookies dry overnight and sprinkle them on the ground amongst your plants.

Slugs will think this is a treat, but after a couple of bites they are sure to have a killer hangover!

And last but not least.....

Slugweiser

Ingredients

1lb brown sugar

1/2 package (1 1/2 tsp) of active dry yeast

warm water.

mix sugar and yeast in a 1 gallon jug. fill it with warm water, and allow to sit for two days, uncovered. Pour it into your slug traps and watch the slugs head to the bar!

Maybe this is why my beer in the pie plate didn't' work!

Beer is the classic bait for slug and snail traps. What is it that attracts the pests? It is not the alcohol in the beer, but the yeast. Now you will not waste a perfectly good beer on garden pests!

Personally....I think I am going to try the first one. It sounds a lot less involved and is not as gross as the others! Which ever one you choose....please let me know how it works!

KG94-9

~~~~SLUG EGGS… SOMETIMES MISTAKEN FOR SLOW RELEASE FERTILIZER~~~~

On that disgusting note…I will sign off!

Until next time…Happy Gardening!

*)*)*) to my special three…People say you never know what you have got till it is gone. Truth is, you knew what you had, you just never thought you would lose it.

See you all On Thursday evening when the Friday Flaunt gets started!!!

(¯`v´¯)
`*.¸.*´Glenda/Tootsie
¸.•´¸.•*¨) ¸.•*¨)
(¸.•´ (¸.•´ .•´ ¸¸.•¨¯`•.

www.tootsietime.com


revised post
original posting 6/27/08

Comments

Tootsie said…
grossed out yet? let me tell you! they are disgusting!
artis1111 said…
The are UGLY! I don't have that many slugs. All your slugs have told their relatives down here to come to tootsie;s for a good time. Heeeee I'll send the other cousins up for a visit. Heee Kathy
Bridget said…
Yeah, A little grossed out for sure. Let us know how the magic formula works out. Do you spray it on the plants or just around them? I don't know if it is the slugs or the snails that are getting my plants but something is having a nice buffet.
I havent seen slugs in my garden so far......, maybe not so common here.

LOL!! picturing you at night in the garden slug hunting!!
Anonymous said…
Tootsie! Bad girl, bad bad!! Oh, my skin is itching and the hairs all over my body are standing up - yucky little slugs! But hallelujah! You know how to get the little boogers!! Keep being the greenest one, my friend.
Shelia :)pp
Penny said…
I used to eat escargo, but I just can't do it anymore. LOL
Justine said…
Even I'll admit that slugs are pretty gross. All they really are is a snail without a shell. Did I ever tell you that a few years ago I raised aquatic snails and sold them from my home? I was in LOVE with those little slimeballs. Slugs? Not so much!

Happy hunting!

Justine :o )
Anonymous said…
Yesterday when I took some marigold pots out of the box I'd been keeping them in the back yard, two slugs crawled out! Your info is timely! Oops--time to fertilize now. Fieldstone/Pam
Slugs are nasty aren't they! I love Matthew's smile too, he's so good guy, bad boy;) French
Buffie said…
Ok I have to tell you, you totally grossed me out when I was looking at those slug photos! I have this quirky little phobia that's silly as hell but I'm scared of worms..of any kind!!! TO me a slug, a worm it makes no difference. I literally used to run from them, like they were gonna chase me!LOL!!! I had to get over my fears to be able to garden but I still am totally grossed out by them! Thanks for the info on how to rid my garden of the dreaded slug! Buffie : )
Omg!!! I used to have these at my old house, but thanks to a damp basement, we had them INSIDE! Ewwww, you have not truly been really grossed out until you have stepped on one of these critters in the dark barefoot with slug guts in between your toes. ACCK!!!

We used to grab them with tissue paper (I know *shudder*) and flush them down the toilet until I had a dream one night that one of the flushed slugs grew down there, then swam back up and bit me in the butt. After that we just threw them outside, lol.

Kady
mrsben said…
Tootsie your talents amaze me. Never did I conceive that you are a 'Slug Slayer'...smiles. I know little about gardening but I do know the little booogers you're talking about. I shall keep an watchful eye in my new gardens for them, speaking of which have you ever seen anyone srubbing down and giving a bath to thirteen boulders? Now that probably appeared 'crazy' to some! Of course an hour or so later when the task had just about been completed my DH offered his Pressure-Washer. LOL!!!! Yep, gardening/landscaping is certainly an adventure. Hope you have A HAPPY CANADA DAY!!! Hugs -Brenda-
Anonymous said…
Hi Tootsie,

Thanks for tracking me down. Since I'm so new to blogging, I'm not sure why you can't view my blog. I've only received two comments, but as I said, I'm very new at this and still finding my way around. I had my girlfiend view it by entering www.dsdaydreams.blogspot.com if that's any help to you.
Good Luck...
'D'
Julie said…
This is so gross...I dont think I could get them off the bushes! Those eggs sure do look like slow release fertilizer! WOW.
Anonymous said…
oh Tootsie...why in God's green earth would you go on & on about those gross & digusting creatures?? DOUBLE YUCKY!!! The visual of you 'slug hunting' is a scream! And I thought I was morbid when I pour salt on one by my front door & as they shrivel up I can only think of my most UNLIKED movie of all time "The Wizard of Oz" & she's signing I'm melting....lol...Annie
Rue said…
Hi Toosie :)

Poopy to farty to slugs.... Honey! You need to post some flowers!! LOL

Hugs,
rue
Anonymous said…
Hi, Just hopped over from Braincorals blog to experience some Canadian blogging.

Now I think I need to spend a lot more time here picking up tips and hints about the garden.

Slugs are part of daily life here in the UK. I have just noticed them eating my marigolds as well as other plants.

Please don't assume that because I know the name of a plant that I am a green fingered person. Most of my garden I don't have a clue about. I just chuck 'em in and if they live, great, if they die I dig 'em out and chuck something different in there. After 9 years I am getting a reasonably well stocked garden.

Off to have a look at what else I can use you for - LOL!
Unknown said…
Ewwwwwwwww! I take it that the first recipe worked well.
Becca's Dirt said…
Yea I'm grossed out. I'm squeemish about the bugs - all of them. Thanks for the tips.
They are disgusting little creatures. A few summers ago we had them on the back patio. Bailey would make a game of throwing salt on them and watching them weither up and die.. can't imagine having a bucket full. ICK! Good luck in getting rid of your pesty little creatures. hugs ~lynne~
Gatsbys Gardens said…
I just put down my pet friendly slug bait and I never see them.

Eileen
Mumzie said…
Oh Tootsie, I've had the worst snail and slug season this year ever. Thousands of snails and little slugs...nothing like your giants though. I tried beer in pie pans...they drank all the beer and came back the next night for more! Sorry I haven't posted, but my computer crashed, so I'm just getting back on board. I did take pictures of those little pests and the empty beer pie pan though. Perhaps, I'll post. Mumzie
deb said…
Ewww, hate slugs and snails...they will eat anything! And I mean anything! Dogfood, d-con mice bait, you name it.

My Dad used your first technique for his veggie garden,,,,with the exception of the salt water....he use gasoline. He'd pick snails, slugs, tomato worm, whatever happened to come him was in the garden. I thought it was gross when I was little. But being a gardener now I can understand...but still gross!

My kids love to go out at night a find them to pour salt over them. I can always tell when they do it...I gop out in the motning and see little piles of goo all over.

Anxious to hear if your "bait" works

Have a great weekend!
*hugs*deb
I'll try these. I have a Ligularia plant that is moth eaten this year. Thanks
Andrea said…
yes they really look disgusting, yaicks. I am glad i don't see those things here, our slugs are flattened and don't look as yucky!
LOL on your neighbours thinking you're nuts. I have a mental picture! Great advice. Slugs are the worst!
Gayle said…
Have been enjoying your blog for a while now, love Fridays and all the gorgeous flowers, decided to follow so I won't miss any.
RE: slugs.....off with their heads!.....I'm not gonna cook for them!!!
Hi lovely lady.
I havent seen Slugs in my garden this summer to Hot !!! If we do have some the Sun is cooking them.!! I do see them some time on the patio in the morning !!! I just Stamp on them and the birds Eat them up!!! I hope you are having a Great Day. I love your post !!!!
XXOO Diane
I have been laughing this whol post. I too have the little beggers on my plants the leaves on Hosta are lacy now. I like the night trip, but better not try it alone, I could trip or fall.I have no Dog now so may go for the spray. Thanks for the tips. You are
not alone with slugs.

yvonne
Bonita Jane said…
I'm finally catching up with my computer reading. I've been out of sorts with an allergic reaction to an insect bite - probably a white socks.

So, my first reading of the day is your slug writing! Hilarious! I don't have a slug problem where I live, but in my childhood growing up in California we had an ivy covered hill that led up to our slated patio garden. One of our gardening chores as kids was to take the pink aluminum hot dog tongs and pick up slugs and throw them down the hill, across the street and into the creek. My mom hoped they'd float away down the river. I think we were just handing the same slugs over and over. Now, here's the gross/funny thing. FIFTY years later my mom still has those aluminum tongs. In her kitchen drawer!!!!

Thanks for sharing!