Hey EO, is it just me and you up this late?

I haven't found slugs down in the pot, but I did find a renegade grub trying to hide out about half way down in a gallon pot. Slung him to the next county......

Tanya

Me and you babe out late looking for slugs, priorities change when you get to be 68. I used to stay up late looking for something but it wasnÂt slugs! I had a much better line that I couldnÂt use on line?

Finish your drink and lets get out of this joint.

I've seen your pic, you and grandson, both lookers, and I know what you mean about priorities changing when you get to be 68, or 47 (well how old did you think I was), so I agree, let's get some sleep. But if I look around a little more, I might find just ONE more hosta that needs me. Or at least in my world it needs me........

Yes, I've found them in pots too. Not MY pots, mind you, but ones from nurseries. I won't comment on nocturnal activities...

It's a common hiding place for slugs, down in a pot. They don't eat the roots, just the leaves, but they like to be comfy, cool, and wet during the day and what better place than halfway down in the pot? And the next meal is very close as well. If I were a slug, that's where I'd live.

Oh, well, some people think I AM a slug, but that's another discussion.

Lainey

I found twenty in one of my containers. I thought they were earthworms the first time I found one. I thought wow that sure is a short earthworm. I touched it, SLIME. YUK! They were in a couple of pots that had a coarse mix with lots of voids. It has been so hot and dry here that they hadn't done much damage to the plant. I guess they just wanted to stay cool.

I always check planting pots for slugs--I don't find them too often, but I do find them on the sides, and I certainly don't need to import them!!!!! But now I wonder if they are just on the sides or could they be burrowed inside the dirt ball. Anyone ever find one deep inside?? Maybe I don't really want to know as then I will be chopping up the darn rootballs!!!!! :o) Mary

"But now I wonder if they are just on the sides or could they be burrowed inside the dirt ball."
Mary

These were all inside the root ball, it is loose soil but most potting medias are fairly loose.

Well, EO, I guess I will be taking more of the rootball apart--which is what you have been advocating anyway. lol. Thanks for that info. Mary

I drenched all of my pots with ammonia today so they aren't long for this world if there are more. Got a back problem that I'm seeing a doctor about tomorrow but I'll check with photos to see what happened after the ammonia treatment?

The pot had about 5 fat little boogers in the soil but no foliage damage so they are living on something (roots). BIT BUTT I didn't examine the soil carefully to see how many there really were. Since I could see that many easily I have to assume more.

I have found them in the bottom of pots. I think they just go in during the day for the dark, moist area. I KNOW what they do at night!

I KNOW what they do at night!"
yardmom

I know what I thought but there wasn't a single hole in the leaves. I think we need to think differently about slug in pots and slugs in the soil.

They were to large to not be feeding on something? It must be the roots in the pots, they may even prefer the roots to foliage if they can get to the roots.

The question deserves more study, we may be losing more than we realize believing conventional wisdom.

I'm not offering answers just new or unstudied observations.

BIG BUTT don't allow my questions to generate another "old wives tale"! I usually work on questions like this before I start talking about it but my back hurts to much to start taking a few pots apart.