[Aidy]

Best thing for slugs I have found by a country mile...

Chickens 

Get some chooks, they will kill the entire slug population in no time and you get tasty eggs too.

and no veg as they will gobble them up too 

Mine are good chooks, so long as they is insect life, they are not interseted in greens. 

[sunshineband]

Obviously very well trained as well as well fed 

[hubballi]

Right, I am very happy to report that 2 things have worked well for me so far.

1) Spaying diluted salt water around the outside and inside wall of my lean to greenhouse. This has stopped anything getting in to around 99.99%. It's miraculous and I will continue to use it. Amazing and I think someone on another post suggested it a while back so thanks to them.

2) Concentrated garlic in water. I saw a Hosta grower on GW and ws asked how did he keep the slugs off. He replied saying he has boiled some garlic in water and concentrated it down and sprayed the young leaves. I have done this and yes it has worked. Hardly a nibble on them   I actually made mine last year and it has sat in a plastic bottle for nearly a year which has matured. It's very very garlicy smelling now and almost makes me feel sick it's that strong. Just add it to water and spray.

[ulsterfairy]

Thank goodness for that    I was starting to give up hope for you   

Might give the garlic ago myself, I did see that ep of gw but was dubious, good to hear it worked even if it does stink!!

[hubballi]

Yes, I was in despair over it but it's very rewarding when something works 

[hubballi]

Oh dear, this just doesn't make sense. I spray everything with the garlic spray BUT it doesn't seem to work on red duke of york potato plants (not my Charlotte and Roosters), broad beans, peas and my echinacea plant that they have chewed the top off taking the developing flower out. They have even traversed the pot it was in that I sprayed with salt water.  

Why would this method work for some plants and not for others. It doesn't make sense.

[aelf]

I read an article in a gardening magazine yesterday that claimed caffiene works well in repelling slugs. Mind you, the article also said that other researchers found no benefits.

Still the 'Blue Pellets of Death' for my slugs  :happy:

[arugula]

I read an article in a gardening magazine yesterday that claimed caffiene works well in repelling slugs.

I can believe that (someone thinks that), I understand coffee grounds work.

[andtiggertoo]

Has anyone tried course sandpaper as a barrier on pots or raised beds. I am also plagued by slugs (among other things) this year.

[arugula]

Has anyone tried course sandpaper as a barrier on pots or raised beds.

It might work attached to containers, if you used a cloth backed sandpaper rather than a paper backed one, as this would disintegrate with dampness, however I do quite regularly see snails and slugs moving around on the (sandy) beach here.

[hubballi]

WD40 is supposed to stop them I was told by a grower of prize goosberrys. He even sprays it in a circle o the soil around the plants. They hate it.

[mumofstig]

and so will the soil

[hubballi]

The Hosts are now being eaten so scratch everything I said about the garlic. I am very confused as to why something works and then it doesn't. 

[aelf]

could it be the rain has washed all the garlic off? do they need spraying every day? Also, we have had ideal conditions for slugs for several months now and the ground is literally exploding with them at the moment. I don't think any control measures will work 100% in this situation.


We need some dry days 

[Grubbypaws]

even my nematodes are loosing the battle