Slug Fest 2013

Warm, rainy weather has arrived. This is the usual weather for this time of year in this part of the country. And as usual, the slugs are pigging out in my garden.

Baby slugs nursing on my Napa cabbage.

Slugs are terrestrial mollusks that wreak havoc on tender seedlings and leafy greens, leaving a film of slime in their wake. For those of us who don't use chemicals in our gardens getting rid of slugs presents a challenge. A beer-bait trap works to a certain extent as the slugs are drawn to the fermentation, then fall in and drown. The yucky part is dumping the gross slimy mess once the container is full. A beer trap will kill slugs, but it may draw additional slugs to your garden that otherwise might be headed for your neighbor's yard.

Some gardeners swear that spraying a blender-made mix of slugs and  cayenne pepper on and around the garden will act as a slug deterrent. Personally I can't stomach the thought of collecting live slugs and putting them into a blender.

My favorite method is to ruthlessly slice slugs in half using my garden snips for the little buggers and my pruners for the big thugs. The most successful strategy for this tactic is to wait until dark, put on a head lantern and launch into the garden with pruners as your own personal weapon of mass destruction. I may not kill them all but it's great therapy.

Overall the best way to keep slug damage to a minimum is to use a combination of tactics  known as Integrated Pest Management or IPM. IPM for slug control includes the following recommendations.  Remove objects that serve as hiding and breeding places such as garden debris, weeds, wooden planks, stones, etc. Spread rough edged substances such as diatomaceous earth, crushed oyster or clam shells, etc. around seedlings. Place 4" tall copper barriers around tender plants. Iron phosphate baits (such as Sluggo) work as a deterrent and are safe around children and animals, but need to be reapplied after a rain. And for instant gratification get out there and slice up the freeloaders with your pruners.