Are your vegetable and flower seedlings being devoured overnight? Are you finding large holes in your prized ornamentals? Do you see slime trails across your walkways?
If so, your garden is probably harboring snails and slugs. They can be found in moist, shady spots in the garden, and are most active at night and on dark, cloudy days.
While these night predators can be easily controlled with baits containing metaldehyde, those same products can be very dangerous to pets and children. Fortunately there are less toxic ways to control these pests. Keeping down the population of slugs and snails naturally does require a little persistence.
You can start by hand-picking snails and slugs at night. It must be done nightly at first with the best time after 10PM when they come out to feed. After a few days you will only have to check once a week. A flashlight and a pair of glove will make collecting them easier. Once collected, crush them completely or drown them in a bucket of soapy water. Once dead, dispose of them in your garbage or bury them 3-4 inches underground which will add nutrients to your soil and avoid fly problems.
You can also use barriers to trap or prevent slugs and snails. To protect container plants trees or raised garden beds, wrap a strip of Copper Barrier Tape around the pot, base of tree or edge of planter beds. You can also cover seedlings with small cages made from plastic or galvanized metal window screen. Just push the cages into the soil so snails and slugs can’t squeeze under. Cover rows of vegetables with special horticultural fabric like Fast Start Seed Blanket, that lets in light and water but excludes these pests.
We don’t recommend diatomaceous earth because slugs and snails can still cross a barrier of it when it is wet. The breathed in dust from this product can also cause problems as well as eye irritation. For a natural bait control we recommend products containing iron phosphate such as Sluggo or Sluggo Plus. It’s safer for children and pets and the iron breaks down naturally helping to lower the pH in soils and helping plants stay green. After eating iron phosphate, snails and slugs stop feeding and die within 3-6 days. They often crawl into secluded places, so you may not see dead bodies.
Snails and slugs love to hide in expanses of ivy or other succulent groundcovers. They also enjoy the hospitality in clumps of agapanthus, lilies, daffodils and iris. Excessive moisture makes an area much more attractive to snails and slugs so definitely avoid over-watering. Water early in the day (not at night) to allow your garden to dry out before nightfall.
Written by:
Matt Lepow, Owner, CCNPro, B.S. Ornamental Horticulture
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