And while you’re at it water the beds with a spray containing castor oil if you have voles.

I have never used ammonia or vinegar for slugs. I don't have the patience or time to kill them individually but would do a preventative mass spraying in fall. Enlighten me please!

found this old link with search engine.. not the one above ... peruse it.. and then ask more questions.. if any . ken

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/ammonia-for-slugs-dsvw-vd~2022665

keep in mind.. CONTACT is necessary ... spray undersides.. let it run down petioles ... and the drench mentioned above.. is because they hide in mulch and leaf litter under the hosta ... no need to spray the tops of hosta ... which is more inportant when spraying earlier in the season ... when you want pretty hosta ...

ken

The only amonia I have seen in stores is for washing floors and is lemon scented. Is this fine? Has anyone used this stuff? Or is this a recipe for losing a collection?

i have never run across this issue.. and have no answer .. but i would GUESS that fragrance should be benign ...

there is plain old ammonia.. and higher % product .. but im not up on that ... cheap as i am.. i wouldnt pay more.. to the higher stuff ...

try the hardware store.. or dollar store.. for plain old ammonia ... ken

Most grocery stores carry indented ammonia. I use a half gallon of ammonia to 1 1/2 gallons of water. Be sure to spray all around and Uber plants and in the crown where the little buggers hide this time of year!

Thanks everyone- I’ll keep looking.

chazy sunny's ratio is a bit high .. but apparently it works without harm.. so all good for him ...

but again.. being a cheap sob .... it would cut the cost ... by going along with the 10% that works ...

six of this.. half dozen of the other.. i suppose ...

check out the Q and A section ...at the link below .... as to surfacants and fragrance free ...

ken

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/austin-clear-ammonia?storeId=10151&catalogId=10051

I followed Ken's link but did not find any information on 'soak' method. I have heard here to hit the crowns to kill eggs over wintering, is that sound? My plan is to get a garden hose fertilizer sprayer, fill it with ammonia, turn the nob to 10% and soak the living heck out of my beds this fall, after cutting everything down. I bet I went through four or five ammonia containers this year, watched many curling up and dying but swiss cheese like never before this year. We had a summer of rain so I get how this works but holy cats what a pain.

I use the lemon scented ammonia purchased in the cleaners aisle, and it won't hurt the garden, provided you dilute it with water properly. It really helps to control the slugs and snails. I heard that some other pests are repelled by lemon too. So win win in the garden!

Clear ammonia should be near the lemon-scented in the aisle. Good luck. I may try this as well this fall.

unless arcy bought a very expensive .. calibrated hose end sprayer.. i dont know if i would believe what its output might be ... but on the other hand ... this isnt rocket science... it will probably be close enough ... after all ... whats to lose if you burn the leaves ... they are going dormant.. or already are .. so what ...

the point of drenching the area around the hosta... including the mulch and all .. is that the eggs might not actually be on the plant ...

just keep in mind.. ANYTHING you do.. is better than doing nothing at all . every momma you kill in fall.. is 1 thousand you wont need to kill.. next spring ...and summer ...

ken

ps: and dont get me going on momma is also poppa.. whats that all about ...

I was more concerned with too little than too much Ammonia!! By the time I spray I hope to have just crowns to hit.

Spray the whole garden to kill as many eggs as possible.

When do people cut back their hostas and apply?

with the potential for hvx being transmitted across a garden by cutting hosta.. i started letting ma nature take them to the ground .. and then just collecting the debris .. though you still had to cut the long dead flower stalks ...

and then i figured out they were just self mulching.. so i left the whole pile there all winter ...

ken

Thanks for all the information. Will be cleaning up gardens in fall this year, spraying for the slugs and then spraying for voles! I have moved some of my more slug prone hostas to Wisconsin where we are on sand. -No slugs -no voles.