Slugs are sneaky and little gastropods; they crawl in at night to eat the fruit and leaves from many plants. Slugs are the plagues of many gardeners; instead of allowing them to snatch your garden, you should immediately take action to eliminate them.

They are a couple of techniques you will be shown in this article on how to completely eradicate slugs; if you follow them, your garden will be free from slugs within a short period of time. Also, you should note that you can use some of the techniques in this article to eradicate snails.

Step 1 of 4

Hunting and Setting up Traps

1. Use a cornmeal trap to kill them.

Cornmeal is cheap to purchase, but it may not be able to entice many slugs. To use the cornmeal, add a tablespoon or two of it to a jar and put it on one side of the garden. The cornmeal will kill them by expanding inside them, but ensure the cornmeal is always dry.

2. Use milk or beer traps.

It is essential that you use the traps in very important areas of your garden; this is because slugs can notice these traps from far away. In setting it, follow these steps.

  • Dig the soil and put a tall cup inside it; ensure the rim of the cup is at least 1.25cm above the ground so as to prevent it from killing beetles that hunt for these slugs
  • Pour the milk or beer into the cup and ensure it is filled halfway
  • Replace the trap every few days.

3. Take the trap far away from rain and pets.

The cornmeal should always be dry, and the content of the liquid traps should not be mixed with something else. When water gets into either of them, they will no longer be effective, so you have to keep them away from water getting in.

4. Lure slugs with food traps.

Use things like cardboard boxes or wooden planks to attract these slugs. But for a more effective result, use dry pet food, cabbage leaves, or moistened water to attract and kill them.

5. Catch them in the night.

Although it might be very tiring to hunt for slugs, it will be necessary for dealing with large infestations. Use a headlamp, which will leave your hands free, and pick up the slugs with a glove in your hands into a bucket of soapy water.

Places to check:

  • Follow the slug trails you see in your garden.
  • Check the sides of the leaves.

Step 2 of 4

Discussing Slugs

1. Make a copper strip barricade.

Get a strip of copper foil, wide enough so that the slugs cannot block it with their bodies. Use it to form a barrier around your plant or planting beds.

2. Ensure your garden is dry.

A sure way of keeping slugs away from your garden is to ensure that it is dry. If you want to water your plants, make sure you do so early in the morning so that they can get dried before nightfall.

3. Make tea or mulch from certain plants.

Using the following plant preparation can, to a certain extent, prevent slugs from coming into your garden.

  • Wormwood tea that is made from steeping Artemisia cutting put in warm water for 24 hours, strain and mix it with soapy water, and then spray it unto the soil.

4. Grow some plants that can scare away slugs.

Growing some certain plants can scare away slugs from your garden; this is because of the toxins, texture, and taste they have. Some of these plants are vegetables, herbs, and hosta varieties with blue leaves.

5. Use powerful and even hazardous barriers.

There are some of these barriers that prevent slug movement; most of them kill slugs on contact. But, you should also be aware that using these materials improperly can hurt your garden. Some of them are:

  • Hydrated lime
  • Wood ash
  • 1% caffeine spray.

Step 3 of 4

Using Natural Predators

1. Use birds.

Birds are the natural predators of slugs, and so using the likes of chickens, ducks and robins will be an advantage. You can pick up these slugs and throw them to these sets of birds in the morning. Over time, these birds will be conditioned to looking for those slugs.

  • Keep a close eye on the birds because most of them eat plants too.

2. Use toads.

Purchasing wild toads to live inside your garden will eradicate these slugs totally because they will eat the slugs on a daily basis.

3. Use beetles.

Encourage wild and ground beetles to stay near plants by providing dry places under grasses and straws. Beetles are also natural predators of slugs.

4. Use Nematodes.

You can get Nematodes to kill these slugs from your local garden store. Nematodes can be extremely effective for eradicating slugs, but once they kill the slugs completely, they themselves (the Nematodes) will die out.

Step 4 of 4

Using Chemicals

1. Use metaldehyde.

Metaldehyde is a common anti- slug chemical. But as it has the ability to eradicate slugs, it can equally be dangerous to pets. So in order to properly use it, avoid applying it near edible plants or family pets.

2. Use Ammonia.

You can spray slugs with Ammonia. To make it, follow the steps below:

  • Get a spray bottle
  • Get a plain household Ammonia
  • Mix the Ammonia with six parts water
  • Pour the product into the bottle and spray slugs anytime you see them.

3. Use iron phosphate pellets.

Pellets can be found around garden centers; they are small and kill slugs on sight. Using pellets is the safest way of killing slugs in your garden; this is mainly because it is safe for edible plants and pets.

These pellets have some commercial names they are known with; some of them are:

  • Sluggo
  • Escargo
  • Slug magic.

Conclusion

In this article, I’ve highlighted ways to eradicate garden slugs; these include: Using natural predators, using chemicals, hunting and setting up traps, and discussing traps.

Thank you so much for your time reading this article if you have any questions about it please kindly leave your comment below and I’ll be happy to write back to you.