Vegetable and berry crops, greenery and ornamental plants suffer from the invasion of these harmful mollusks every year. They are so gluttonous that they can spoil most of the crop. No one has yet been able to completely get rid of these pests, but everyone can scare them away from the beds or significantly reduce their number on the site. This can be done in various ways, which are already used by many gardeners. The main thing is that the chosen method works in your garden or dacha.
Ways to deal with slugs in the garden
The most popular and safe way for humans and plants to reduce the number of slugs on the site is to collect them manually. This procedure is carried out in the evening, after sunset, when the mollusks crawl out to the beds to refresh themselves. It is easier and more efficient to work with a close-knit team of like-minded people, but it is quite difficult for one person to do this. Therefore, lonely summer residents need to choose one of the following pest control methods.
How to deal with slugs using natural enemies
Slugs are an indispensable treat for hedgehogs and frogs. The gardener's task is to attract these representatives of the fauna to his site. Small containers of milk can be placed on the beds as bait. First, they will drink milk, and then they will definitely start after slugs.
Another enemy of slugs is the parasitic nematode, which is present in the Nemaslug biological product. This effective and safe product is very expensive and problematic to buy as it is of British origin. But on the other hand, those who are lucky enough to purchase it will need one watering of the beds a month in order to completely get rid of these harmful mollusks.
Slug Fighting: Lures and Traps
When slugs slide in large numbers to the bait, it is much more convenient and effective to deal with their number in one place.
Fermented milk products are one of the baits that slugs will not pass by. For this method, you will need an old medium-sized board, greased with fermented baked milk, kefir or sour milk on one side. The board should be placed near the beds on two bricks, with a greased part to the ground. During the night, a huge number of mollusks will gather on the bait and it will be easy to collect and destroy them early in the morning.
Another effective slug bait is beer or fruit juice. One of these liquids is filled into a small container (for example, a cup or half-liter jar) dug into the beds. The aroma of beer or juice attracts pests, they creep and fall into the liquid. They will no longer be able to get out of there. The procedure can be repeated every day for a week until the number of pests decreases significantly.
Try flour bait as well.Small glass jars should be filled with cornmeal and placed on their side next to vegetables. The pests will start slipping right into the jar.
These mollusks really like the aroma of grapefruit peel. It can be spread right next to the plants.
How to get rid of slugs with mulching
The mulching layer of some materials and plants either repels pests with its smell, or interferes with their movement on the surface. For example, sawdust or pine needles are very disliked by harmful shellfish. If the amount of needles is not enough for a full-fledged mulch layer, then you can spread out several branches from coniferous trees in the beds.
Nettle mulch between vegetable beds will also keep slugs out of your plants. Its "scalding" properties are unlikely to be experienced by the pest.
This method will be as effective as possible only in the case of constant renewal of the mulching material. It should be free from caking, always fresh and fragrant.
Joint plantings in the fight against slugs
These pests react strongly to various odors. Some scents they like, attract them to the beds and lure them into traps. Others, on the contrary, cause hostility and do not allow plants even at a close distance. This feature can be used in joint plantings. There are several options for planting vegetables and berries. For instance:
- White cabbage + rosemary (or thyme).
- Sweet pepper + mustard.
- Strawberry + parsley.
Sage or lavender can be planted in areas with vegetable crops.
Slug barriers
Various barriers made of any materials that will not allow the pest to reach the plants are also a way out in the fight against them. For this purpose, apply:
- Copper headbands or cover material. Copper plating on these slug barriers can cause minor electric shock.
- Plastic gutters of various sizes, filled with water. Slugs will not be able to bypass or "step over" such a fence.
- Homemade or purchased funnels and plastic rims;
- A piece of cloth smeared with tar. Such patches should be arranged around the vegetable bush in the form of a rim.
- Rope dipped in copper sulfate. It is laid out around the entire garden bed or flower bed.
- A rim around the ornamental plant, constructed of any recommended material: crushed egg or walnut shells, river shells or sand, and small pebbles.
Folk remedies for slugs
Various infusions prepared for watering and spraying are effective only with a small number of slugs on the site.
Spray recipes:
- For 5 liters of water, add 100-150 grams of garlic crushed into gruel and leave for 24 hours to infuse.
- For 1 liter of water - 150 grams of dry mustard. Can be used after an hour of infusion. For spraying - add three parts of water to one part of the finished infusion.
- For 5 liters of water - 500 grams of tobacco dust. After daily infusion, you need to add a teaspoon of liquid laundry soap.
- For 10 liters of water - one bottle of brilliant green.
Irrigation recipes:
- For 5 liters of water - 0.5 kilograms of dried delphinium leaves. Insist for 48 hours.
- For 5 liters of water - 500 grams of mustard powder. The infusion will be ready one hour after mixing.
- For 5 liters of water - 500 grams of fresh or two hundred and fifty dry hot pepper. The infusion is prepared for two or three days, then brought to a boil and infused for another 48 hours.
- For 500 milliliters of water - 2 tablespoons of coffee.
- For 5 liters of water - 2 tablespoons of ammonia.
Pollination of the soil around the plants to control slugs
There are substances and various components that, when they come into contact with the soil, prevent slugs from moving or even approaching plants. These powdered substances or mixtures are sprinkled on the beds, aisles or the space near the crop. It:
- Dried coffee grounds.
- Powdered hot pepper.
- Tobacco dust.
- Wood ash.
- Chalk powder.
- Superphosphate.
- Slaked lime (neat or mixed with tobacco dust).
The use of slaked lime is carried out in two stages with an interval of 10-15 minutes. The protective reaction of pests is the active secretion of mucus, the amount of which is not infinite. The second dusting effectively destroys the helpless slugs. True, this substance has its own negative consequences for the soil. Excess lime can ruin it, which will affect the further growth of plants.
Killing slugs with salt
You should immediately pay attention to the fact that not all vegetable crops like watering with salt water. In the fight against slugs, this must also be taken into account. For example, tomatoes do not welcome such watering, but beets take them well.
A strong saline solution is useful for the final disposal of slugs after collecting them in the beds (in traps or by hand). Salt is also used: for irrigation, for sprinkling the space between plants and the compost heap.
How to poison slugs: chemicals and biologics
It so happens that the number of slugs on the site exceeds all unthinkable expectations and assumptions, and all the most common methods and methods do not work on them as effectively as we would like. In this case, the last hope remains - this is the use of various drugs that are offered by specialized stores and pharmacies to combat this harmful shellfish.
The safest drugs are Agrozin and Ulicid. They will not be able to harm either people or animals. These are preparations made in Ukraine.
"Agrozin" helps to improve the soil structure and effectively fights snails and slugs. The high cost of the drug pays off. For every 10 square meters, it is recommended to add 45 milliliters of the product. The drug is applied once a season.
At the heart of the drug "Ulicid" is iron phosphate. One square meter requires about 5 grams of the drug. Greater efficiency is achieved with a single application.
Chemicals should be used as a last resort, when all the means and methods have already been tested, but the harvest still needs to be saved. The most popular means are "Thunderstorm", "Slime-eater", "Meta". A prerequisite for all chemicals is to use them no later than three weeks before harvesting vegetables. The preparations are applied dry. Small granules at a distance of 10 centimeters from each other should be spread out on the beds that have been infested with pests.
We wish you to choose the most effective way to deal with slugs!
