Looks like time release fertilizer to me. Do you use Miracle Grow or any other scotts brand soil or mix?

Okay I guess I should have given more detail. I potted this plant in the spring and repotted it a couple of days ago. There was nothing on the surface of the soil when I was finished, then yesterday this little "pearl" was there. It looks translucent to me, and I squashed the other one by accident - it was squishy inside. I haven't used time release fertilizer and as I said the second one that I found was inside the (open) bag of potting soil. It looks to me like there is something inside, doesn't it look like that to you? thanks for replying

Slugs eggs are generally somewhat rubbery. Slow release perles are brittle.

I haven't used time release fertilizer and as I said the second one that I found was inside the (open) bag of potting soil.

That tells me it is fertilizer and it comes in many soil mixes. I've never seen a slug egg that big and they are usually laid in small clusters.

Would the bag of soil state that it had time release fertilizer in it? I will read the bag tomorrow. Would the fertilizer pellet be filled with liquid? If so, then maybe that is what it is. I wonder how that one little ball got on the top of the soil when it wasn't there the other day.

Slow release fertilizer prills start out as hard little balls but absorb water through micropores as time goes by. They eventually burst, releasing their (now) liquid contents into the soil. If squeezed with your fingers, they will 'pop'. Slug eggs will just squish.

Many potting mixes come with a small amount of SRF.

A couple GW members have gone through their soil and picked out all the fertilizer because they thought they were eggs. I wont say what I thought when that was posted.

If your soil says it has fertilizer that lasts 3,4 or 6 months then it has time or slow release fertilizer.

I PROMISE I'm not going to go through my soil and pick them out. I was taken aback to find this "thing" on the top of the soil in my potted plant that was definitely not there before. If it's fertilizer that's a relief. I'm not looking forward to a new crop of slugs in my garden.
Thanks!

Hello again and thanks to everyone who responded. The potting soil is called Hyponex; it doesn't have fertilizer listed as an ingredient. Can anyone tell me more about it as far as what I found on the soil? do you still think it's fertilizer? Are you familiar with this brand of potting soil ? As I'm reading it seems that no one really recommends it but that is another post. thanks

Hyponex is one of the worst products for a potting mix that I have ever seen. It's primary ingredient is a sedge peat, which ends up as a mucky, slow-to-drain gruel in a container. If someone gave me some bags of it, I'd use it in my outdoor beds in very small amounts, but never in a container.

The attached link refers to a study of several commercial potting mixes. I wouldn't recommend ANY of them, but it especially singles out the Hyponex as one to stay away from. FYI.

I think you should squish the 'eggs' or the fertilizer prills (I don't know for sure what you have). I don't think of slug eggs as one or two, but in clutches. Moist, sluggy clutches. Again, if it 'pops', releasing a clear liquid, it's a SRF prill. If there is something inside, it might be a slug or snail egg.

Here is a link that might be useful: Here's some information about Hyponex

Rhizo thank you for the link. I just picked up a bag of potting soil and it happened to be that brand - shame on me for not knowing what a poor choice I was making. This could explain why my poor little plant is hanging on but not thriving. This little Daphne requires a well drained soil and I think she is not getting what she needs in this soil. Thank you.

No shame to you, Anita. We all learn from our mistakes. Most people don't do research before they buy a bag of potting soil! Unfortunately, there are a lot of very bad products out there.

If you visit the Container Gardening Forum, do a search within that forum for favorite potting soils. You'll also find some recipes for making your own, but don't feel obliged to follow those to the letter. It's not necessary at all.