I don't have any yucca so I can't try your recipe but it would be interesting to hear about the results. I use the iron phosphate slug bait. It has saved my seedlings. It has to be reapplied after rain or watering, though. I've also heard of using epsom salts or diatomaceous earth around plants for slug protection.

I have one small yucca, which looks like it would be easily intimated by slugs, so I'll have to wait a bit before trying the recipe. However, is the iron phosphate you mention "Sluggo" or is it a generic thing? Sorry to be so dumb!

Yes, Sluggo is an iron phosphate bait.

Thanks.... do you find that it works? If so, I'll get in a couple of tons!

Metaldehyde it ain't, which is both good and bad. Kind pricey, results kinda dicey. >It has to be reapplied after rain or watering, though

I've had very good results with the iron phosphate baits, whether Sluggo or any other brand. Pricey yes. But cheaper than trying to save the dogs after they've eaten metaldehyde, beef-flavored conventional slug baits.

Any slug bait needs reapplication after watering and rain. Nothing new here. And like any other bait, you have to put enough of it out there to get results so you may just need to put more out initially.

I also use copper tape on container plants with good results.

I've heard of caffeine sprays working but don't have a recipe and haven't tried it myself. I'm doing fine with the sluggo type baits.

I've used both types many times, the iron phosphate products do not have the same impact. I've put on plenty of the latter, precisely because the discreet little dribbles that are adequate with metaldehyde baits have been like nothing with iron phosphate baits--it's as if they do not draw the slugs to them like metaldehyde baits do.

I've also had a dog almost die from metaldehyde poisoning. Beef flavored? E-e-e-e-k!

Sunset 4, 5 = USDA 8.

So glad I read your messages..... was just about to apply metaldehyde, when I read about the dog thing. I Have two dogs who eat everything! I'll return it to the store. Does iron phosphate have the same poisonous effect on dogs?

No, iron phosphate baits are perfectly safe for both kids and pets and biodegradable as well. When I have a slug problem (which does not seem to be often - too many things in my garden for them to graze on so damage is widely dispersed and not significant), I have gotten the best results from beer traps. Those guys like their Bud!! I do use Sluggo in container plantings and it works fine for me.

My favorite method is just spearing the little devils when I encounter them - great way to work out some aggression :-)

Mix up 1/4 cup ammonia in a spray bottle of water and spray it on any slugs you see. Kills them and is safe for plants...even good for them. I take a garden tour every night spraying and see results very quickly. I also use the sluggo type baits.
Kathy

I've had good results from Sluggo again this year. Slugs like nothing more than chewing down newly sprouted dahlias which fill 90% of my cultivated beds. I did it regularly at about weekly intervals until it was apparent this was the year of the disappearing slug.

Honestly, I think I've seen 10 or fewer all summer long and half of those were well away from the gardens. Looking under their usual foliage hiding places- nothing. Under bags, buckets and other garden staples- nothing. I don't know what the deal was. Someone emailed me that there was a virus cutting into slug populations this year. Goodie, is all I can say.

They all moved up to our Camano garden.

I just started using diatomaceous earth this year and love it. I was actually brave enough to plant a hosta and the slugs have pretty much left it alone. It does need to be reapplied after rains though. It has worked better for me than the traditional slug bait.

Can you explain about diatomaceous earth.... what is it and what does it do?

Diatomaceous Earth is a very good and safe bug control powder.

It is white to greyish-white powder that is the bodies of very small crustaceans. They are fossilized remains of diatoms, a type of hard-shelled algae.

There are several types of diatomaceous earth, so be careful which you use. The kind that I use is EDIBLE by humans. (www.mastergardening.com). It is pharmaceutical grade diatomaceous earth NOT the kind you find in Lowe's or Home Depot - that "kind" has additives that "pure" gardeners would probably not want mucking up the soil.

The other kind is used in pool filters.

Diatomaceous earth will kill any "soft bodied" pest but will NOT harm any bird, cat, dog, human, etc. Sprinkle it liberally around your plants. The "action" of the diatomaceous earth is a drying process... If you've ever been in the desert, you will start to understand what will happen to slugs, ants, and other pests if they crawl across this barrier. They will lose ALL moisture after being cut by the very sharp (to them, not to us) edges of the diatoms.

It's a good thing to use in many ways. Indoors it is a good barrier to put down under cabinets where sugar ants come in. Just be VERY CAREFUL not to breathe the "dust". ANY type of pest control has SOME cautions.

If you are interested in what else it can do, I will direct you to our intestinal tract - do some research, you'll find it.

Here's to a bug free and prosperous garden!

~kelly ann

I was seriously considering to put a cooper tape all around my vegie garden.Kind of costly.Anyone who used it would it work? I have millions slugs and have tried everything mentioned above but not the tape as yet.Would it last years? Please let me know..thanks

I tried the copper tape years ago & found it expensive & useless. Last year out of sheer desperation when I had two huge slugs (so big I thought they were little snakes) making whoopee on my fence on I squirted them with windex & it was almost instant death. I spent all that spring going on night forays with my bottle of windex & I have to say the population has been much reduced. I think Kathy is on to the right thing. I thinks its the ammonia in the windex that does the trick, & since then I've switched to a dilute solution of ammonia. This of course requires going on nightly forays for the squishy buggers. I did read however that ammonia can be toxic to aquatic animals, so I would be careful around water ways with it & not use it if you have frogs in your yard. I think in the soil it just dissipates into fertilizer. I've had pretty good luck between this & the iron phosphate. Any thoughts on the harmfulness of ammonia anybody?

I have had great success with the copper tape on my raised beds and containers. And, it does last year after year. Unfortunately, it does not work on the ground. When you put it on the material, clean it really well, and dry it completely before putting on the tape. The slugs will NOT cross it. I have hundreds of slugs in my woodland landscape and the slugs will not cross over the copper tape.

Thanks for the tip about the windex.You know if I have to go and spray them I might as well just pick them up into a jar.I am looking for something ( not harmfull) to spread on the soil and something that I don't have to remove and not to reapply after rain..Am I dreaming here? Any takers please and thank you

scarleta - I have just the stuff i use in my garden!
It is called
WORRY FREE by Lily-Miller
Slug & Snail Bait

This stuff is just mostly a mineral and NON-TOXIC for pets + great success with it here this Spring!! Highly recommended. ~m'

My latest discovery - crushed oyster shells - have put some around my hostas and it seems to be working. I'm going to get more. It's not too expensive, available at farm supply stores. also I saw a copper mesh strip advertised in Lee Valley Tools - 100 ft for about $15 (I think) am going to get that too. I also use non-toxic slug bait but don't find it terribly effective. Coffee grounds are good. Have tried diamataceous earth too, but it doesn't seems to work so well when it's damp. I wonder about the yucca - it's worth a try too, I think.

Thanks Mareas:Where does one get this worry free by L.Miller ? Can you please let me know.About the copper mesh it says right here on this forum that is not effective on ground? Only in pots? Can anyone comment on it please.

My container of Sluggo (Iron Phosphate) says right on the front of the container: " Remains effective after rain". Am I missing something here?

I used the copper tape on a raised bed and watched the slugs climb up it every night and have a disco party in my veggie patch. Maybe the tape needs to be wider. Isn't the idea that it gives them a shock?

I get squeamish at the thought of snipping in them in half or spearing them.
Puts me off my dinner. Would love to hear if the yucca works on the little yuckas.

I am plagued with so many slugs I am considering getting ducks -- apparently ducks love to eat slugs. Last night I slept with the window open -- birdfeeders by every window -- heard strange little sounds, crept out with a flashlight -- huge slug orgy out there, actually making noise! Have to start taking naps in daytime and spending hours out at night with headlamp on hand-picking these things to get rid of them. I use a Sluggo-type product that does work but there's too many slugs for it to eradicate them. These slimy ickies must breed like crazy. Ugh!!!!!

About the diluted ammonia slug spray: You'll notice the slug just dissolves under the spray. The ammonia actually combines with the protein in the slug body to create ammonium nitrate, which is a fertilizer.

About barrier strips: I think once the copper has oxidized it won't have the same effect. And it's expensive. I've found that slugs will not cross galvanized metal. Much cheaper than copper. I grow all my basil in a galvanized container.

I use pine needls around sensitive plants. Also, put everywhere big leaves, wet small pieces of wood, then i collect what gathered underneath. My two hens are doing a good job for me as well if i allow them to go for a hunt. I had slugs long time, was cleaning beds and then got them infected again. Then i found out that my compost is actually seeds slug's eggs. So, I started from cleaning my compost area. Now life is much more easy with strawberries and hostas surronded with pine needles.

What do they look like? Slug eggs? I found two huge slugs on the bottom of my compost pile when I emptied it.I really mean they were giant.Maybe they had eggs? What would one look like? BTW I would love them to stay on my hostas if only they left the rest alone...

What do slug eggs look like, they remind me of Tapioca.

A......

Copper strips work, but they must be wider than the slugs are long. Here the European brown slug gets BIG so I have double wide strips of copper tape on my containers. Does work.

Worry Free = Sluggo. Same thing, different brand. Iron phosphate. Nontoxic to dogs, cats, and birds.

Windex is not the best thing to be spraying on plants. The active ingredient that is killing the slugs is the ammonia but windex has other things in it that are not good for plants. Use plain ammonia in a spray bottle. Ammonia is a fertilizer so it's fine for the garden - by itself! no window cleaners.

Ducks love slugs but ducks will trash the yard. Been there done that. I used to keep the ducks penned up and in spring I'd go around the garden with mud gloves on and a bucket with a little water and pick up the european brown slugs to feed to the ducks. They loved it and it really kept the slug populations down. The chickens did not want anything to do with slugs, not even the little ones.

The banana slug is native here and not a garden pest. Kinda olive green or grayish yellowish, sometimes with black spots. Big. Not destructive. They mostly eat decaying organic matter like fallen leaves and mushrooms and dog poop. Anything that will eat the dog poop is a good thing (unless it's one of the dogs doing it). Do not poison them. What you want to kill, are the big brown or black ones, or the more normal sized gray spotted black ones, or the small black ones. Those are not native and they are very destructive.

Sorry Scarletta, you can dream, but it's just a dream. Gardening is an activity - you have to stay active at it!

One GREAT way to cut down on slugs in the garden? Plant only drought tolerant stuff and dont' water in summer! You'll have WAY less slugs if they can't keep breeding all summer long.

Oh yes, I hope I didn't give anyone the idea to put windex on their plants. I was using it on my deck, walkway, etc. I don't spray ammonia on my plants either. Just on the slugs.

I use 4:1 water: ammonia in a spray bottle and it is great. The spray has great reach so if I can see them I can get them. I'm out there in the evening & morning several times a week and it keeps them in decent control. I've never had damage to my plants, either.

I also put sluggo out but only around the hostas and if I plant something new. I'm too cheap to use it more extensively.

I use the Sluggo bait exclusively and it works as long as I do it regularly. Once a week early in the spring and then every two weeks later on. I lve in teh middle of the woods and have lots of slugs.

I have also not had a problem after it rains and found this on a Sluggo web site,

"SLUGGO - Biodegradable Slug and Snail Bait
Sluggo Snail and Slug Bait takes care of slimy pests without harming wildlife and pets! When ingested by snails and slugs, Sluggo's active ingredient, iron phosphate, will cause them to stop feeding. The pests will then become less mobile and begin to die within three to six days. The granular formula remains effective after rain or a sprinkling."

Happy slug killing!

JB