do slugs bite – Simplify Gardening

Slugs in the garden. can be problematic. devouring seed starts, and mature plants that you have invested time and energy in. Every gardener has to deal with these gastropods at some point, but they can be troublesome due to their numbers and the fact they tend to only feed at night or on rainy days. In this blog, I am going to give you some proven control methods that actually work. Unlike snails, slugs don’t carry a shell on their backs. Instead, they have a small, saddle-like plate called a mantle. Because they lack the protection of a shell, slugs tend to feed primarily at night or on rainy days, when they’re protected from the sun. During the day, they tend to hide under rocks or in other dark, moist locations. This can make things easier for the gardener to control slugs and snails as it allows you to use methods in order to trap slugs in the garden. With a little effort and following the tips in this video you will soon be able to have beds of soft leaf lettuce like this without the worry of them being destroyed by slugs. Now don’t misunderstand what I am saying here, We do not want to eradicate slugs entirely from the garden, we just want to remove them from areas we are growing our food in. Slugs and snails are very important. They provide food for all sorts of mammals, birds, slow worms, earthworms, insects and they are part of the natural balance. So the slug control methods we will use here can be utilised in specific areas where you can keep them away or dispose of, and allow other areas in the garden for them to thrive and provide food for all the wildlife that you should have in the garden. Before I continue, If you would prefer to see this blog in video format you can click the video below. https://youtu.be/6R7LkDigfDc Slugs in Garden – 6 Proven Control Methods That Work Slug Control Method 1 The very first thing we can do to control slugs in the garden is to bring in wildlife, As already stated loads of animals will naturally eat slugs and snails in the garden, By adding areas for wildlife like this small pond will bring in loads of life that can help remove the pests from areas you do not want them to be. A pond will bring in birds, frogs, toads, newts, hedgehogs, and many other animals that can do a lot of the work for you. Remember when designing your pond it should have a beach section made of gravel to allow any animals that fall into the pond access to escape it. I have an older video of how I built this pond and will put a link in the description for you to check out, Along with all other links for videos and products mentioned from this point on. Slug Control Method 2 Trapping slugs in the garden by placing some upturned rocks or planks of wood, some plastic or tin sheet will all provide shade during the day, As we spoke about earlier slugs do not have a shell to protect them from the sun so they hide away during the day, we can use this to our advantage and place in articles in order to provide somewhere to hide, We can then go to that place and remove the slugs manually, this makes it very easy to remove large numbers in a short time. Another tip here would be to use upturned Orange or grapefruit skins as slugs love to hide under these and they don’t look as offensive in your garden. Slug Control Method 3 Beer Traps are very effective at controlling slugs they can be as simple as a small bowl or bottom of a bottle or even built as a whole unit designed to be removed and emptied and keep out the rain. If using an open-top place a slate or ridge tile over the tops to keep the rain out and provide shade. However you decide to build yours a few things to bear in mind is that you do not need expensive beer for this, Your supermarket own brand will be ideal as its the yeast and hops smell that attracts them, Slug will fall into the beer and drown. Do not throw this away as this liquid can be used in the next Method. Slug Control Method 4 https://youtu.be/Gg1cosZY6k0 Slug Control In Garden - How To Get Rid Of Slugs Make slug nematodes Nematodes are a slugs worst enemy, There are thousands and thousands of different species but there are one species that really is very effective at killing slugs in a treated area. Products like Nemaslug can be used, these contain these nematodes held in a clay base you simply add to water. Nemaslug can get expensive if you have large areas to deal with. A few years ago I made a video on how to make your own nematodes and slug control and I will put a link for that below. This method works so well that I really struggled to find any slugs on my garden to make this video. I had to ask fellow gardeners if I could check their gardens. They were only too happy to oblige I can tell you. Slug Control Method 5 All too often I see gardeners throwing handfuls of Blue Slug pellets all over their food and gardens, These are chemically based and not only can they contaminate your food, but they can also kill the wildlife you brought into the garden, These pellets don’t stop at the slug, as the slug is eaten the chemicals are then passed onto whatever ate it, and this also kills that animal. However over the past few years, Wool pellets have been introduced, these have been found to be quite effective, It’s been discovered that slugs are just as bothered by itchy, rough wool as humans are. They don’t like climbing over the coarse texture. Slug Gone pellets are made from natural wool that’s been compressed and formed into pellets. The pellets are spread around the base of susceptible plants and then watered they expand, forming a thick mat of wool that slugs refuse to climb over. Slug Control Method 6 If you have a container garden or raised beds, stick-on copper tape can really help with slugs, the copper itself will not be enough but simply add two strips and a 9v battery your running current through each strip and the slug creates a circuit big enough to turn them away from the direction they are going. It is important to note that using this method assumes you had no slug eggs in your compost, it will only keep slugs out if they were not present before you add this method. Avoid using mulch such as straw and hay, instead, opt for compost or leaf mould. The time of day you water your garden can also help. Watering at night will keep the ground moist when the slugs are about, by watering in the morning the ground will be dry by night time and they are less likely to stay with you instead of moving onto a garden that gets watered at night. Utilise drip irrigation instead of overhead watering, this will limit the amount of soil saturated at the surface area. Be tidy in the garden leaving decomposing weeds or plant leaves is like opening the restaurant doors, remove these and place them in the compost and talking of compost keep this site away from where you plant your salad leave and greens that’s slugs love. If I was to pick just two of these methods it would be the pond and the nematodes, the wildlife will do the bulk of the work for me, and the nematodes can be sprayed on areas of the garden I want to ensure that slugs cannot damage. But you may wish to choose some of the other methods. 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