Slugs munching my garden!

[Charmaine]

Hi there
Are there any green fingered vegans who can advise on a solution to slugs munching their garden flowers?! I have moved to a new home and there appears to be a slug problem! I planted lots of small sunflowers and every one has been eaten! Obviously I don't wish to kill them but equally I'd like a nice garden...?
I have birds in the garden and I've tried jagged plastic containers around them to deter slugs but they still got in there
Thank you!

 

[winter.frost]

You could try planting lots of sage around your flowers, as molluscs do not like sage.
You could try the barrier method, which is surrounding your plants with a good layer of sand, broken egg shell, coconut husks, soot (anything like that you can think of). These are either too dry or too scratchy for slugs to be happy to cross (it acts like a deterrent).
You could also put a good netting around your plants, which you will have to dig at least four inches into the soil.

Or you can try collecting them. Slugs do not like the main heat of the day, when they find shelter, but in the early morning or evening you should be able to see loads of them, or after it has just rained. Collect them in a jar and release them as far away from your home as possible (preferably not on someone else's garden) somewhere they can get on with their merry lives without bother. Slugs can travel up to 4 mph!
Using this method, in the beginning you will find slugs of all sizes. If you keep doing this, as often as you can (I recommend 2-3 times a day), you will notice that you no longer find big slugs, just smaller ones. This is how you will know you are doing well. Make sure the jar has oxygen holes and don't leave it exposed to the sunlight - otherwise they will cook and become goo and you will be sad.

Personally I think these methods are fine for most vegans, or maybe vegetarians. Much better than killing, using salt, or pellets that birds can accidentally swallow. You're just relocating them, either with sage, or barriers, or by collecting.

 

[Charmaine]

That's really helpful, thank you winter frost! I'll think I'll try the sage and gritty material round the bottom of my plants..I'll test it out with one before planting the rest outside.

I think collecting them up sounds like a good plan too...plenty of woodland nearby for them to enjoy!

Hopefully I'll report back with a picture of my large sunflowers soon!

 

[Sally]

I think all the slugs in the street have come to live in our garden. I will try the sage too. Although I don't really mind slugs, my friends and I used to line them up and race them when I was a child, trouble was they wouldn't all go in the same direction.

 

[Indee]

Good afternoon , I am an avid veggie gardener and the only success I have had with keeping the buggers of my plants is to get the grass very short and all my veggie patches now have a wall made around the outside from repurposed trampoline netting .
During tough times I was cutting up oranges and leaving them near my plants. They love them and then after dark you can collect them and move them .
Good luck

 

[SD Joe]

Orange peels and also you can use sand paper since they do not like to go over scratchy surfaces. Also sawdust is a good well to keep them out. I live in San Diego we we have more snails than people i think lol.

 

[The Lilly Pond]

Hi Charmaine,

I came a cross a really cool article about a vineyard that uses ducks to battle the slugs:

https://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/stories/this-vineyard-puts-800-happy-ducks-work-every-day

You might want to consider saving a nice little duck from slaughter and let it roam your garden eating the slugs. That way you will be saving a life and your garden

 

[Rory17]

Hi there
Are there any green fingered vegans who can advise on a solution to slugs munching their garden flowers?! I have moved to a new home and there appears to be a slug problem! I planted lots of small sunflowers and every one has been eaten! Obviously I don't wish to kill them but equally I'd like a nice garden...?
I have birds in the garden and I've tried jagged plastic containers around them to deter slugs but they still got in there
Thank you!

http://eartheasy.com/grow_nat_slug_cntrl.htm
Please only pick out the humane, non-lethal options. Thank you.