This...is...war...

[Splatter]

Well guys...I'm sad I managed to grow some beautiful marigolds in my greenhouse for 4 - 6 weeks untill most were about ready to flower, I'd planned to put them outside in the front garden as it was looking barren (It tends to fill with bluebells in the spring and after we rip them all out the garden just looks...Terrible, all the remaining plants are either dead, or straggly )

Anyway, so I put my marigolds out in the front garden a week ago, I went back to check on them yesterday and I found that out of the 20 or so I'd put out there, all but 3 had been absolutely decimated by slugs (seriously, only the stalks were left...And these were huge plants). In a sort of terrified mind set, I salted the ground around the plants. After the salt sort of set around the plants I added some fertiliser and watered them in a hope of improving their look.

...Well it killed the slugs alright xD Unfortunately half the plants died with them. Does anyone have a good idea on how to kill slugs, without salting the ground? You will be my hero forever and always

Thanks!

 

[geo7x]

Slug pellets?

Or you could try using straw, eggshells, sawdust etc around the plants as slugs/snails don't like this, but it's a pit of a PITA and can be unsightly.

 

[angelmouse]

i just use slug pellets and haven't had plants eaten so works well, you can get pet friendly ones. My brother won't use pellets as he's more of a greeny and tryed all sorts of slug traps and the beer method but he put plants in and they were nearly gone the next day. fine gravel around plants works as they hate the stones sticking to them.
regards Angel

 

[geo7x]

Apparently you can use coffee grounds as well as they don't like it sticking to them and the caffeine is a deterent apparently. Sounds rather expensive though.

I think slug pellets are the best option, it's all very well wanting to use more humane ways but tbh I would rather have plants with leaves left entact

 

[Arfie]

Make a part of the garden suitable for hedgehogs or toads as both will happily eat the slugs for you And it's part of the garden you don't have to do anything with

Arfie

 

[Splatter]

I think slug pellets are the best option, it's all very well wanting to use more humane ways but tbh I would rather have plants with leaves left entact

Well to be brutally honest I've got no problem killing slugs I don't see much compelling evidence to suggest they have enough moral value for me to care much However, It would be nice to not use slug pellets I'll try the methods you suggested and if worse comes to worse then I shall have to break out the pellets

Arfie - unfortunately as it's a raised bed I don't think I'll be able to get hedgehogs And my pond's the other side of the house, so no toads either And if that's not enough, having 3 cats who greatly enjoy killing things would probably seal the deal xD

Thanks for the help though guys!

 

[kribensis12]

Coffee Grounds work great. My unlce told me that a while ago he had a MASSIVE slug problem, and he started throwing his coffee grinds on the plats as a "fertilizer", but since useing coffee grinds, he hasnt seen a slug since. I would use coffee grinds for my yard, but i dont ahve any slugs, and my mom dosetn like the smell when i make coffee int he morning, let alone having it smell like it in the yard.

 

[snoopyfrench87]

sink a plastic beaker into the ground and pour in a pint of cheap beer, the slugs love beer and will head towards that rather then your plants, fall in and drink till they drown, its humane and you can fill up a beaker full nightly, put them on either side of that plants border and they will stop for a drink on the way and not make it works for me x

 

[geo7x]

...fall in and drink till they drown, its humane and you can fill up a beaker full nightly...

Since when is drowning humane?

 

[Splatter]

...fall in and drink till they drown, its humane and you can fill up a beaker full nightly...

Since when is drowning humane?

Since they started eating my plants

Thanks kribensis, I'll try that! I'm not exactly a coffee drinker though, so I guess I'll have to learn eh?

 

[snoopyfrench87]

...fall in and drink till they drown, its humane and you can fill up a beaker full nightly...

Since when is drowning humane?

because they die whilst inhebriated in their favourite beverage!

seems like a nice way to got to me

 

[Carp4U]

yeah slugs are a problem, beer traps could work, as eggshells and slug pellets don't seem to stop the little slimeballs getting on my beetroot, lettuce and the rest of the stuff i grow. Try encouraging hedgehogs to your garden- but don't use slug pellets while doing so, or you'll poison the hedgehogs too!

 

[newfin]

Some Starbucks cofee shops forward bags of their used coffee grounds for free. However I have tried them around lettuces, chicory and other vulnerable plants without success. I witnessed a slug merrily crawling over the grounds to munch at my tender lettuces - he didn't last long once I spotted him! That said, I found fresh grounds spread around a hosta last Spring worked well so maybe it works with un-used grounds only - bit pricey in that case.

I also use organic slug pellets which do work and claim to be pet friendly. (However these are very much a last resort). I have two 10-month cats and a visiting hedgehog and none seem to mind. There are too many slugs for the hedgehog alone!!

I have also tried orange peel - cut orange in half and squeeze juice out, then put upturned 'domes' onto ground. This seems to catch little slugs which can be under the ground very effectively.

The other method is to wander round the garden after rain - you'll find plenty of the blighters then and can dispose of as you wish.

Hope these help a bit.

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Bran can also work- slugs love eating bran so much they literally eat themselves to death on it and will choose it over plants any day .

 

[malakye]

Go with beer traps they never usually fail.