Yes. It is a contact spray, so it won't kill them unless you score a direct hit.

-Babka

Thanks for the advice. What about the eggs.

I was told by a grower a few years back that the ammonia spray took care of the eggs. I had a great year last year, virtually slug-less. This year we have had plenty of rain but I've noticed more snails, little ones, suctioned onto the leaves, rather than more slugs. Rained all night, raining again all day today.

Have a great Sunday, folks!

Randeld, I didn't spray my hostas. I poured about a cup or too of the solution onto the hosta pips early in the season to kill the slug eggs. I wish I'd done it to the ferns as well as I think they harbour the slug eggs as well.

Jo, have you figured out how to get rid of those little snails? I have oodles of them too.

Ken, that's great advice about spraying the undersides of the leaves.

The slug bait I am using is supposed to work on them too although I can't tell how effective that is...it is so wet so far this season it's difficult to keep up with scattering of bait. :( I pick them off when I see them. Found two in a pic I took...marched out there and squished them! They are a new generation it seems. I call myself observant but when taking pics, I don't notice the obvious sometimes! Lol at myself.

I also follow the practice of pouring solution onto pips a couple of times in spring, Irawon.

Thanks Jo, I'll get the slug bait out. I haven't used it yet this year.

Jo, same problem here, more little snails. I did the ammonia spray in the spring on the pips and should do it again but it takes a long time as I tried to cover the whole garden.

Barb, I cease spraying once leaves unfurl and thereafter use it directly on visible chewers...but I don't have it handy all the time; hence, hand pick while admiring/checking or handling leaves.

The snails really like Sum and Substance as I keep finding them there (no holes yet though). Sagae had one and Summer Breeze is where I first found the little guys. All in the moist and shadier area and all smooth-leaved hostas. QOTS and Cold Heart are left alone.

Irawon, I'm out there with the "stuff" right after a rain and use it sparingly.

Jo, I too discovered pictures with slugs on the leaves smiling back at me! The nerve of those critters! I think one of them was giving me the ole raspberry! We've had a few weeks of dry weather, above average temps, and I watered. Now we are enjoying what I consider the OLD weather pattern of "scattered afternoon thundershowers" and if it lasts long enough I don't water. However, I go out with my garden hose to loft a spray high into the trees in the heat of the day. It tends to cool the garden (hosta and otherwise) by 20 degrees or so, which gets them through the searing time of the day. It also attracts birds who love to bathe on the wet leaves. I never saw a bird actually eating a slug--too nasty for even them, you reckon? But, perhaps they can eat the eggs.

My Pig Family of Carolina wrens decimated the spider population feeding their five chicks which fledged Monday morning. Instead of nesting in the pig flower pot this year, because the old deck where I had it sitting on the rail was gone, when I hung a basket of petunias by the front door, they immediately nested in the pot....rather late in the year for them, since they usually fledge their young in early April. I guess they were waiting for their home remodel too. :)

Tried a 25% ammonia solution last night after lots of rain. There were many slugs even though I had sprayed several times with a 10% solution. The visible slugs curled up and died immediately. Plants look fine this morning. Will probably spray most of the garden tonight, about 600 plants. Wish me luck.

Sunnywood, I suppose the soil saturated with rain further dilutes the ammonia before any harm comes to the hosta, and the slugs get the effects of a stronger ammonia concentration.

Where you SEE one you can count on many more hiding!! I tend to saturate a plant where I see one. Often I find them under leaves, down low in the groove of the stem. I also like to be sure I get a stream running down the groove of the stem..no doubt there are lurkers at the bottom. This is cheap folks apply LIBERALLY. I had dead/dried out spots on some large leaves I had never seen before. Slugs don't tend to bother my giants with the thicker leaves. I pulled the stalk out and found LARGE slugs living inside near the crown, eating holes where no way would a passerby even see the slug damage. In spraying liberally suddenly I will see things squirming I didn't even know were there--doing their death dance. GOTCHA and I didn't even see ya!!!