3 Ways to Deal With Slugs in Your Garden

Slugs. They are nasty.

Creepy. Crawly and slimy.

Not much else to say on them besides they are pretty gross.

But how do you rid them from your garden.

This is what Rita asked me.

She asked, “I am having trouble with slugs and really do not feel comfortable using the slug bait called “snail death” any longer. I have free range chickens and I don’t want them to ingest the slug bait either?Any good solutions?”

Here are 3 ways to rid your garden of slugs

Use cornmeal. Slugs love them some cornmeal and it makes them dead.

All you have to do is put a few tablespoons in a glass jar and put that jar on it’s side close to your container garden.

It will attract the slugs. They will eat it and die. Simple and safe way to kill some slugs.

Use beer. Slugs are known alcoholics and can’t resist beer. Dig a small hole and put a shallow dish in the hole. Fill it with beer.

The slugs will fall into the dish of beer and drown in the beer. I know some people that would love to go that way too.

Slug control products. There are also products that you can buy that are non-toxic and safe to use. Safer Brand has a few options for slug control that you can use.

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Ginelle July 25, 2012 at 10:13 am -

Coffee Grounds on the soil around the plant seems to be helping me this year.
Nicole_hambleton July 25, 2012 at 10:43 am -

Is there any way to repel the slugs without killing them?
Mandy Malagón July 25, 2012 at 12:14 pm -

I use crushed egg shells, good for the plants too!
kay July 25, 2012 at 1:26 pm -

copper wire repels them
shiner July 25, 2012 at 1:50 pm -

Get a box turtle. They love slugs, and they also can tell you the weather by when they come out of hibernation!
Kim sørensen July 25, 2012 at 2:05 pm -

Pick them up and put them in a bucket. Pour a pot of boiling water over them.
Alicelincoln75 July 25, 2012 at 5:20 pm -

If you have free range chickens why do you have slugs? Mine used to keep my garden pest free. Bran is also effective: put it where it will stay dry. The slugs/ snails/ beetles eat it; thirsty they drink. Go lie in the sun while the bran swells- pop. No more pest.
Sharn July 29, 2012 at 7:36 am -

I know slugs can cause damage but being a Brit I like to live in harmony with my garden, some of the suggestions are so cruel, on one hand we are encouraged to plant plants to entice Bees, Butterflies, ladybirds utilise piles of logs to house spiders, hedgehogs, Plant trees laden with berries to encourage birds to feed and nest to mention a few, all with the intention of welcoming wildlife into the garden and normally nature takes care of it’s own.
I grow huge hosties in pots and in the garden and they have never been touched and yes I have seen the odd slug lets face it with all the rain we have not too mention the heavy clay soil in my garden. You know what it works everyone is happy, sorry I should say it works for me and my wildlife friends.
loveanimals July 29, 2012 at 10:35 pm -

Why kills animals in your garden just because they’re “slimy and creepy”?????

This blog just got a bit more creepy for me. I’m out of the newsletter. BYE.
Mike Lieberman July 30, 2012 at 9:29 am -

All good. Peace out.
Auntywillow July 30, 2012 at 10:47 am -

I work in a shrub and tree nursery and I’ve seen how much damage slugs can do. A shame, but we do bait them with poison. Without healthy plants to sell, we would not have a business and a lot of people would be unemployed.
At home, in my container garden, I have not yet had a problem but would prefer to relocate the pests rather than kill them (when it is possible, realistically I know that it is not always possible).
Namaste2uom July 30, 2012 at 2:45 pm -

Too funny! I need to try the cornmeal!
Sullivus August 5, 2012 at 5:40 pm -

Another recommendation is to try to dry the area out. Is there mulch on the planting bed that you can remove? Can you move the plant into a sunnier spot?
hyderabad Flowers August 16, 2012 at 12:13 am -

The rain was great! Our grass is green again, except we have some bare spots.
The flowers are looking good!
Mycs April 21, 2013 at 10:59 pm -

Healthy plants like healthy bodies resist disease and insect attack.

There are no pest insects. There is only sick soil.

I have tons of slugs and snails,aphids (food for ladybug juveniles, lacewings and lizards) sowbugs or pillbugs, termites, earwigs ants, etc, in my garden doing their work breaking down organic matter into rich soil. None of my plants have any damage from them.
Remember if using cornmeal unless organic you are supporting GMO corn growing. Just feed your soil.
Veronica Humphreys May 24, 2013 at 8:48 am -

I use diatomaceous earth,..it kills ants, potato and tomato beetles, cabbage butterflies,..and slugs, ,,,safe for chickens, I actually mix it into their dust baths, powder them with it and feed it to them…how perfect is that? Google it and read all about it, I buy food grade by the 50lb bag for under a $1 a pound,..at our feed stores (not the kind you use for swimming pools)
Thekalemale July 16, 2013 at 9:34 am -

I understand that people don’t want to hurt the animals but by simply repelling them, you’re contributing to their starvation; so who’s worse? At least by giving it cornmeal, the animal dies with a last meal. For those who just want to not be cruel, just remember that unless you are doing everything in your power to keep slugs and other garden creatures alive, you are technically being just as cruel as those people you’re accusing of cruelty. Yeah!! Lets not feed them and let them starve to death. Some people are too ridiculous.