Slugs
Any of various small, snaillike, chiefly
terrestrial gastropod mollusks of the genus Limax and related genera, having a
slow-moving elongated body with no shell or only a flat rudimentary shell on
or under the skin. Slimy mollusks that come out at night to eat the leaves of
tender plants. You know they have been there because of the slimy trail they
leave behind on your sidewalk and because of the holes in your beautiful plants. Slugs can grow to be about three inches long and are amazingly disgusting.
Slugs can be kept away from their favorite plants by placing a physical barrier around the plant. Most
effective seem to be copper
strips or crushed egg shells or diatomaceous earth. Slugs do not like to crawl over sharp objects.
Slugs can also be salted to death,
either by spraying with a strong salt water solution, or directly salted.
You can try a liquid approach - as
many slugs have an affinity for beer or ale. Just be certain to make the
drink unavailable to pets. The worst part will be the task of emptying the
beer/bloated dead slug container! A spray bottle that contains a dilute
solution of ammonia will stop them dead in their slime trails, as well.
Ammonia will provide nitrogen to the planting area, and be less deleterious
to plants than is salt.
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