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How to Get Rid of Garden Slugs

Four Methods:Setting Traps and HuntingDeterring SlugsUsing Natural PredatorsUsing Chemical
Controls
Slugs are the bane of many gardeners existence; the sneaky little gastropods slither in at night,
eating the leaves and fruit from many plants. Rather than letting them take over your beloved
garden, take action to eliminate the slugs that are ruining your plants. With a variety of techniques
including lures and traps as well as using natural predators to rid you of slugs, you'll be slug-free in
no time. Note that all of these methods work just as well for snails.

Method 1 of 4: Setting Traps and Hunting

1.
1
Use beer or milk traps for important plants. Slugs will only notice these traps from a few
feet (about a meter) away, so this is best used for small gardens or important areas.[1] Set
these up as follows:
Bury a tall cup with steep sides into the soil. Leave the rim inch (1.25 cm) above
the soil, to prevent the trap killing beetles that hunt slugs.[2]
Fill the cup halfway with beer or milk.
Replace every few days. If the slugs are climbing out, replace with a mix of honey,
yeast, and a little water, boiled until gluey.[3][4]
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2.
2
Kill slugs with a cornmeal trap. Cornmeal is cheaper, but may not attract as many slugs.
Put a tablespoon or two of cornmeal in a jar and lay it on its side. Keep the cornmeal dry,
and it will kill slugs by expanding inside them.[5]

3.
3
Lure slugs with humane traps. Slugs will gather in shady, moist areas, such as underneath
wooden planks, flower pots, or cardboard boxes. Set these up and check them daily for
living snails to gather and discard a long distance from your house. For best results, attract
them with one of the following slug foods:[6][7]
Cabbage leaves
Citrus fruit rinds, moistened with water
Dry pet food

4.
4
Protect traps from rain and pets. Water will ruin cornmeal and liquid traps. Set up an
overhead cover to keep rain out. If you have pets that may eat the bait themselves, use a
sturdy cover such as an upside-down flowerpot with a small entrance.

5.
5
Go hunting for snails at night. While not the most fun task, hunting individual slugs may
be necessary to deal with large infestations. Use a flashlight and disposable gloves,
skewering the snails with a stick or dropping them in a bucket of soapy water.[8] If you have
one, a headlamp will leave both your hands free, making hunting easier.
Check the undersides of leaves.
Follow any slime trails you notice.

Method 2 of 4: Deterring Slugs

1.
1
Keep your garden dry. You won't see the result immediately, but keeping a dryer garden is
the best method for long-term slug control. Here are some tactics for making your garden
less friendly to the damp-loving pests:[9]
Water plants in the early to mid morning, so the soil dries before nightfall.
Install drip irrigation to minimize water use.
Keep the yard free of debris, and mow the lawn regularly.
Avoid organic mulches, such as straw or grass clippings.
Space plants far enough apart to allow air flow between them.

2.
2

Create mulch or tea from certain plants. The following plant preparations all deter slugs
to some extent, if you can find them in your local gardening store:[10]
Oak leaf mulch or tobacco stem meal, spread as a barrier around plants
Wormwood tea, made from steeping artemisia cuttings in warm water for 24 hours.
Strain and combine with soapy water, then spray onto soil or slugs.[11]

3.
3
Make a copper strip barrier. Purchase strips of copper foil wide enough that the slugs
cant bridge it with their bodies. Use them to form a barricade around your plants or planting
beds.
Young children may cut themselves on the strips.[12]

4.
4

Sprinkle salt on non-soil surfaces. Spread salt on the surface where the slugs are crawling
around to kill them by drawing out moisture. Be aware that salt can easily kill plants and
ruin soil. Use this around the base of potted plants on a porch, or place a barrier on the soil
prior to spreading the salt in order to protect the integrity of the soil.
Avoid using salt in situations where it can come into the contact with water (like
when rainy weather is likely or a sprinkler is running). Water can dissolve salt and
wash it off of "safe" surfaces and into the soil, harming soil quality.

5.
5
Build folk remedy barriers. Frustrated gardeners have thrown just about any substance in
their garden to try to keep slugs away. The following are the best of these homemade
solutions, but are unlikely to deter 100% of slugs:
Coffee grounds may have mild effects on the health of your garden.
Sharp, coarse sand scrapes against slugs, but may not deter them completely.
Seaweed is not as effective as plain salt, but perhaps a little safer for your soil.
Calcified seaweed meal is better, if you can find it.[13]

6.
6
Grow plants that deter slugs. Certain plants keep slugs away because of their taste, texture,
or toxins. Plant these in a barrier around the entirety of your garden, or keep one near each
other plant. These are not 100% immune, but they will deter many slugs for no effort besides
the initial planting. Try the following species:[14][15]
Herbs: ginger, garlic, chives, mint, and chicory.
Vegetables: bitter greens are generally less appealing to slugs than sweet greens. Try
planting kale, spring cabbage, or sprouting broccoli.
Hosta varieties with blue leaves are more resistant.
Flowers for full shade: Astilbe, Dicentra, Digitalis (foxglove), Lobelia, Viola (some
pansies and violets). Also Ranunculus (buttercups) and Vinca, but these spread
rapidly.
Flowers for partial shade: Phlox, Campanula, Hemerocallis. Also Mentha, but this
spreads rapidly.

7.
7
Consider using more powerful (but more hazardous) barriers. There are several
materials that can kill slugs on contact. These can be used to make effective barriers to
prevent slug movement, but they must be used carefully and kept dry.[16] Improper use can
hurt your garden (and even the people or animals who use it). Be sure to apply these
materials to non-soil surfaces except where noted:
Safety warnings: Do not inhale any of these substances or handle with bare hands.
These may not be suitable in gardens where children or pets play.
Diatomaceous earth: May harm beneficial insects.[17]
Wood ash: Raises soil pH, which can affect plants.
Hydrated lime: Raises soil pH greatly. Can make soil uninhabitable for many plants.
1% Caffeine spray: Applied directly to the plants you want to protect; kills slugs
when they feed. Can negatively affect many plants in unpredictable ways.[18]

Method 3 of 4: Using Natural Predators

1.

1
Introduce ground beetles. Ground beetles are a natural predator of slugs. You can purchase
ground beetle larvae from a gardening store and distribute them through your garden in early
spring. The larvae will feed, enter their pupae, and emerge as adult beetles in the summer.
[19]. [20]
Alternatively, you can encourage wild beetles to stay near your plants by providing
dry refuges under stones, grass, or straw. This allows the beetles to hide from
predators, making your garden an attractive home. Luckily, ground beetles can live
almost everywhere that slugs can also live.[21]
2.

2
Use birds to your advantage. The biggest natural predators for slugs are birds; ducks,
chickens, robins, jays, and other common species all enjoy a slug meal. If youre not too
squeamish, you can pick out slugs and toss them to the wild birds in the morning; they will
become conditioned to look for slugs in your area over time, and you wont have to feed
them for long. You can also let your chickens or ducks, if you have domesticated ones, eat
the slugs from your garden on a daily basis.
Keep a close eye on your chickens, as they may eat plants as well.
Encourage birds to nest in your garden by providing hedges or dense shrubbery, bird
feeders, and a bird bath.[22]
3.

3
Bring in some toads. Toads love slugs, and will eat them and other pests from your plants if
you give them a home in your garden. If youre trying to attract wild toads, turn a pot or
other container upside down against a rock to create a dark hiding place for the toads.
Otherwise, you can look into purchasing wild toads to live in your garden and eat the slugs
on a daily basis for you. You can also look into adding a small decorative pond for the toads
and frogs to reside in.[23]
Do not keep fish in the pond, as these may eat the tadpoles.
4.

4
Commit to nematodes if necessary. Nematodes are microscopic parasitic worms that live
in soil. You can purchase nematode species specifically for killing slugs at your local
gardening store. This can be extremely effective, but this is a double-edged sword. Once all
the slugs are killed, their predators (and the nematodes) will leave the area or die out. If you
do not reapply the nematodes every few weeks, a massive wave of slugs may invade and
take over due to the lack of threats.[24]
The nematodes should come with directions. Typically, they are spread over the soil,
then watered in.

Method 4 of 4: Using Chemical Controls

1.

1
Spray slugs with ammonia. You can create a slug killing spray by making a solution of
ammonia and water. Mix 1 part plain household ammonia with 6 parts water. Pour this into a
spray bottle, and spritz it onto the slugs whenever you see them. Just be careful not to use it
directly on the plants, as over time it might burn the leaves.
2.

2
Use iron phosphate pellets. These small slug-killing pellets can be found in garden centers,
for spreading around your yard. The slugs are attracted to them, but once consumed will
cause their deaths within a week. This treatment is safe for most pets and edible plants, but it
may still be a good idea to minimize use.[25]
Commercial names include Sluggo, Slug Magic, and Escar-Go.
3. 3
Try metaldehyde. Metaldehyde is a common anti-slug treatment, but it has its limitations.
[26] Notably, metaldehyde can be very poisonous to pets (especially dogs).[27] Proper
handling and placement of this bait is essential to avoid a dangerous situation for family
pets.
Avoid "pellet" form metaldehyde, which can be mistaken for pet treats. Use
"granule" form instead.
Store the metaldehyde somewhere dogs cannot get to it.
Do not apply the treatment near edible plants.
Spread the metaldehyde thinly, never in piles, which pets can mistake for food.
Metaldehyde works best on warm, dry days, but cannot be used in sunlight. Apply
underneath leaves in the evening before a warm weather forecast.
Look for low-dose metaldehyde products with less environmental impact.[28]