SLUGS IN PAPOUS YARD in 2004:
· In the Spring 2004 I noted one slug on one of the leaf of Sun Power in Garden 5. It was the first time ever that I became aware that there were slugs in my gardens.
· After a day of heavy rain on July 16, 2004, I noted dozen of slugs all over the Sun Power and quit after removing and killing about 10 slugs. The Sun Power is infested with slugs.
· Following hints by BigGuy and Gayle, I found hundred of slugs on the lawn after a rainfall. The rain has forced the slugs to come out of the ground, and they travel over the grass.
· To destroy slugs, you can hand pick them and put them in a glass bottle containing about 2 inches of vinegar (acetic acid). The slugs die instantly. Liquid ammonia also is effective and even better because it creates nitrogen which plants love.
· You create "slugs baits" where slugs will be attracted to. Examples: 1) a carpet left on the ground near your compost pile; 2) a thick layer of wet newspaper again left on the ground in the vicinity of the compost pile (which is away from your hosta beds); 3) use Sluggo around each hosta and slugs that make it into the garden will be attracted to the Sluggo and when they eat it they die; 4) you sink a container filled with beer level with the ground. Slugs will enter the container and will drown. This beer setup can be also near the compost pile.
· After a rainfall, slugs are forced out of the ground and you can see them all over the lawn; they travel over the grass at whatever attracts them firstÂor the most. Eliminate these loose slugs by spot spraying the lawn with diluted ammonia. Attach a container filled with ammonia to the end of the hose and adjust the outlet so that water will mix with the ammonia in a 1 to 10 ratio approximately. This method is fast and efficient and provides nutrient to the lawn.
· After a rainfall is the best time to cut the grass. Keep it short. The new lawnmower picks up the grass clippings and may also suck in the slugs that were travelling on the grass.

USING AMMONIA AS A TREATMENT (Best method)
Irene, here is part of an article by Bob Olsen of the American Hosta society. This was in the Hosta Journal a few years back.
Larry Clemmons, an accomplished hosta grower from Dubuque, had an almost slug-free gorgeous garden last year while many of his friends from nearby towns were being overrun. Unlike the beer and lightweight chemicals they were using, Larry was spraying the hosta once a week or so with a dilute solution of plain old ammonia. The slugs hate the ammonia and the plants love the nitrogen. He uses a regular inexpensive tank and nozzle sprayer and went over and down into each plant-and he has a lot of them. He sprays the hostas with a dilute (4:1 or even weaker) solution of water and household ammonia in the evening once a week-more often in the spring or with a lot of rain. It would take him no more than two hours a week and there were almost no slug holes. The folks visiting from Iowa City which was being inundated by mollusks were astounded by his lush foliage just a few miles away and many have adopted his system. Don

WOW WOW WOW Ken. Vinegar? On the hosta? I thought vinegar killed plants. I use the amonia, and love to see those squishy guy curl!

My kid collects any slugs we find. Then he gleefully sprinkles them with table salt.

I've created a little monster! LOL (In his defense, he loves all critters that don't eat our plants!)

I used vinegar and reccomended it, the method was drench the soil around the hosta. Then I got to much vinegar on the hosta, no more.

Use ammonia!

Thanks to everyone - especially Ken and Papou, who have both repeatedly sent these instructions. This year I hope to set a slug-killing world record. And if the Hosta DO survive the frozen tundra out there now, I will send pics when they are in their glory. Can't wait.

Westy

Good luck! However, I'm not sure anyone can beat Papou's record!

I'd never heard of spraying with ammonia or vinegar to control slugs. I have always used Sluggo. Which works as long as I spread regularly. Is one better than the other?

Which 'one' the ammonia/vinegar or sluggo? I use Ortho Get-A -Bug and it works well but the expense and chemicals in the environment are a deterrent. The thing with ammonia is you have to spray it ON the slug. It's not preventative it's ammo on the battle field. Foraging through the two acres of hosta I have gets overwhelming if I were to rely solely on the ammonia. The best time is to go out while it's drizzling, or early morning as the sun is coming up. Not real convenient times to hunt.

"Which 'one' the ammonia/vinegar or sluggo?" Are you asking me which I use or which I'm asking about? If it's the latter I'm asking about the ammonia/vinegar treatment.

You have a beautiful Hosta garden. I wrangle a bit over an acre so I know what you mean about how it can be overwhelming. :o) You might want to try the Sluggo, it is more environmentally friendly and it really does work. Trick is to do regular treatments, once a week, especially early in the season. After the first month or so you can do it less frequently.

SB

PS: Why does Houzz editor not recognize the word "hosta" as spelled correctly?