Like you, I've been reluctant to use slug bait. I spray 10% ammonia solution for slug control. You have to spray the slug directly so that involves getting into the garden early in the morning, during the night, or on a drizzly overcast day. (more fun than it sounds) For such a heavy infestation, it might also be a good idea to drench the soil around the plant with ammonia solution to kill the slug eggs. The holes on your plants are really quite large...cutworms or caterpillars might be the culprits. Hand-pick those? The slugs/worms have lots of hiding places in the plants surrounding your hosta...you might need to pull some of those out to clear the base.

I've been using dimotaceous (SP?) earth. Seems to help. Just sprinkle it liberally around and under my slug prone hostas.

you would be much further ahead .... if you removed all that grass like stuff around it ... or dig out the hosta.. and bare root it .. accomplishing the same thing ...

if you remove the cool damp hiding places.. you will be further ahead in your year round fight against slugs ...

also.. 10% vinegar.. or 10% ammonia .... either works .... one is found in the pickling aisle.. one in the cleaning aisle ...

there is a FAQ somewhere .. lol ...

imo.. Diatomaceous earth does not work.. long term ...

ken

Like Ken, my first thought was to remove all that grass surrounding the hosta. While it may not completely cure the slug problem, it will hopefully lower the damage.

Be careful applying 10% vinegar - it may cause leaf damage

yes ... but you need to contact the slug directly .... so you would be spraying it in late evening or early morning.. when they are out in plain sight ..

and due to such .... you really dont need to randomly spray the top of a leaf ... since they arent out there sunbathing ... with a pump tank.. you insert the nozzle and spray the undersides ... and let it run down the petioles.. the stalks ...

and bazinga.. on the further south you go... or the hotter the weather.. the more careful you should be.. when spraying anything .....

ken

I don't have that problem. However, I think a large part of it is spraying the ground in the late fall and early spring to kill the eggs. At least, that's what I've read on this forum.

I sometimes have cut worms in the early spring, though . Usually cut worms start chewing at the edge of the leaf, not in the middle (at least here).

bkay

This looks terrible! I never had to deal with slugs!

Yesterday I was in my garden watering and this deer walks into my Hosta bed not far from me and is not even bothered by my yelling. Bold!! :-)