there is an FAQ in the hosta forum ... as slugs are the bane of hosta growers ...

10% vinegar or 10% ammonia is the preferred dilution ... though i understand the wish to really want to hurt them.. lol ...

i hope you arent going to hurt your plants with 100% .. i dont know ... never tried full strength ...

BTW .... you mean you are using it straight from the bottle .... any idea what the dilution is, in that bottle ??? .... its not listed on my old bottle ...

ken

That's a good point about dilution. I get the containers from Family Dollar for $1. I read 1 to 4 and 1 to 2 dilution. But started using it straight. I put it on many plants but PREFER to just spray the slugs on the ground where they are eating the dog food. No plant damage yet from the spray. Maybe it is a mild solution from the bottle.
I planted 4 hostas this season that are for the hot south. I thought the slugs would go straight to them because people up north that grow hostas have an issue. But not yet. Guess the slugs have too many choices down here in Florida.

Bob

the dog doesnt care about the ammonia???

maybe he would prefer a light vinaigrette?????

ken

I use Sluggo bait for slugs. The active ingredient of iron phosphate is non-toxic to bigger animals and enters the soil as a fertilizer, with iron and phosphorous, both of which plants and soil microbes can use.

ZM

I use Sluggo during a bad slug infestation, too. But, I've never used dog food as a bait and attacked the hoards with a mist of ammonia. The ammonia, yes.....never the dog food.

Sounds like fun. :-)

I'd warn anyone using ammonia in the garden, either on the soil or near plants, to dilute it and apply as a mist directly onto the slugs. Undiluted household ammonia can harm plant tissues.

Ken, I don't have a dog, just the cheap dog food. Something like $5 for 13lbs. They love it and easy to use.
ZM and Rhizo...I also have Sluggo but waiting for the rains to slow down to use it. The box says it lasts through the rains, but don't want to waste it.
Plan to put down dog food pellets and sprinkle the Sluggo around the dog food like the box says to do around plants.
I go out at night once or twice, but I am sure the slugs work in sifts all night long, so the sluggo should help get the ones eating on later shifts. :-)

What a great idea! I was out the other evening and many many slugs had come out of hiding. I am thinking of getting some ducks to patrol the garden (and provide eggs), but in the meantime, I am going to try cheap beer and dog food! Sluggo is great, but so expensive.

Thanks! Much appreciated. I guess I'll just have the cheap beer and dog food for dinner then. ;)

This is our second year gardening and our first year dealing with slugs. Were we just lucky last year? I sank some cups of beer in our garden prior to reading this. Glad to hear Sluggo works well and I will also be looking for natria. I am on my way out now to put out some dog food. Bob, how long do you typically wait before checking on the food? Thanks to all for the suggestions!

I think putting the dog food out under a board or piece of cardboard would also increase its attraction to slugs (raised up with a few rocks or something). I think you could even check the next day!

Thanks for all the comments and helpful hints.
I put the cheap Walmart dry dog food out in the evening and kill the diners at about 9PM and maybe again at 10PM. By morning it is typically gone, even though it was often sprayed with the ammonia. As it will stay light later I will have to adjust the schedule.
Recently my nightly kill dropped to 20 one night, so I skipped about a week. I will put out the dog food tonight.

Ok this will sound gross, but they also like chewed up chocolate or chocolate cookies. The very weird thing is I had a liquidy chocolate that I deposited on the ground. I did this about 4:00PM, then went to a play. Came back and checked about 9PM. I thought that the way the chocolate dropped to the ground and worked it's way into the dirt that they would be working on the chocolate awhile.
Surprise, the Chocolate was ALL GONE, not a trace in all 8 spots. Wish I saw what happened.
I may try that again tonight.

I usually attack the slugs and snails with several methods. Besides using Natria's version of Sluggo, this year I also hand-picked them and dropped them into buckets of water with a small bit of dishwashing soap.

I then bury the corpses and shells back into the garden or sometimes throw them on the compost pile.

Hi bobjax,

" Surprise, the Chocolate was ALL GONE, not a trace in all 8 spots. "

Dogs like chocolate. Unfortunately, it is harmful to them.

ZM

Hi Zenman,
The chocolate was so mixed with dirt a dog would have turned his/her nose at the mess. But no dogs here anyway, so all is good.
Purslanegarden,
Wish I had handles (shells) to pick up my slugs.
Weird or not, I believe that slugs speak to each other. I can spray and kill a slug and another slug 12 inches away goes nuts and tries to leave the site quickly.
I am convened they call each other for dinner once they find something to eat. Many times I have seen 4,5,6 and more positioned in a starburst around a dog food nugget having a group feast.
Got 73 more Monday night. I really have to get back to my nightly slug hunt...at least put some more Sluggo out. I had one spot of Sluggo with a dog food nugget in the middle. The slug went past the Sluggo and straight to the dog food. I did see a different one eating the Sluggo in a different area.
Bob

Weird or not, I don't want slugs to suffer anymore than I want any other creature to, so I don't want to kill them directly, but I am okay with the sluggo doing so.

Google slug bread...it helps a lot. :)

Vireo,
I have wrestled with that also. Don't like killing a living creature. I began to alter that a little when they kill my plants which I have a spiritual bound with.