Thank you for your advice rhizo. I did not notice some plant distress on a few of the seedlings. I will get sluggo and the beer traps. I had always heard that beer traps do not work but I will give them a try.

Beer traps work very well!! As does the Sluggo. You can also try spraying or soaking the area around your new seedlings with leftover coffee. NOT spreading coffee grounds - they have a minimal effect but are a good source of OM for the garden - but with the actual coffee. It is the caffeine you are after (CG's have minimal caffeine left in them) - caffeine has been found to be an effective neurotoxin on mollusks (slugs and snails). And it is harmless to the plants.

A very effective alternative to using salt on slugs is to spray them with a 50/50% mix of ammonia and water. They dissolve immediately, the ammonia does not hurt the leaves, and clears the trace of the slug easily.

Renais

I had the same problem with slugs! For some reason my plants were infested with them! I am uncomfortable with idea of using any type of poisons when treating for them, so I did my research and came across this all-natural/organic solution for snail and slugs. The product is called Wilco Snail and Slug Gel. I used the gel to create a barrier around the base of my plants and I noticed that the snails and slugs stay away from it. It might be worth a try.. Good luck!

Here's what it looks like..

https://wilcodistributors.com/information/products/homeowner/wilco-snail-slug-gel/

What great tips kayseeg, renais1 & gardengal48! Thank you! Some of these solutions I had not heard about, so I feel so much more equipped to handle the slugs moving forward! Thank you again hey!

Kayseeg, I can't find any directions or labeling online. Do you mean that this gel is applied as a barrier around each plant? How long does it last? How many plants will be protected per bottle?

The active ingredient in Wilco Snail and Slug Gel is Sodium Chloride, common table salt, according to the web site the link above connects to.

kimmq is kimmsr

I noticed the sodium chloride on the labeling of the gel but assumed that perhaps it's harmful effects on plants would be counteracted by the other ingredients?...My plants definitely suffered, unfortunately, from the table salt around them. I will have to regrow or buy more seedlings to replace the babies I have lost:(. Quite bummed. More lessons learned in gardening!

kayseeg, I would be very interested in seeing pictures of your application of this gel around plants, especially plants with a succulent stem like seedlings. I've seen such gels sold before, and have only seen ill effects from their use. I was surprised that they even still sold such a product. I would also consider being careful not to use much of this gel where you want to plant salt sensitive plants in the future. I'm glad you had what you perceive as good results, but I remain extremely concerned about the use of this product in a garden.

I would avoid the Wilco snail like the plague. It is just a cheap gel with a significant amount of salt content. I see this as a case where the cure is worse than the disease. Yes, the gel might kill a snail that went through it, but you are adding about 25 g of salt to your soil per container of gel. I've seen similar snake oil products before. Folks used to make a gel like this from soil moisture absorbing polymers and cornstarch with added salt. The cost of making the Wilco product is probably very tiny, but my suspicion is that it is sold for over $1/pound--exorbitant in my opinion.

I wondered if I was being overly cautious about this stuff, so I called our extension folks who confirmed my thoughts, and also my put is on an agenda for master gardener training to help spread the word. I seldom get worked up much about garden remedies sold, but this one piqued my ire because it could hurt folks plants and soil.

Renais

I just looked up the price of the Wilco product: $20/pound. Get Sluggo instead for a proven, save and effective solution to slugs.

Renais