controlling slugs and snails

[Grn Thmb]

In the newspaper today I saw that Diotamaceous earth, cracked red pepper, and horticultural cedar are used for control of slugs. What is horticultural cedar? :roll:

[CaptainCompostAL]

I don't know. I assume it's just commercial cedar chip mulch.

A classic death trap for slugs and snails is also beer, sprinkled lime, and crushed egg shells.

I read the other day that fireflies are natural predators to slugs and snails. They paralyze them with a liquid from their mouth. Them they suck out their fluids leaving the outer skin and/or shells.

Pretty cool huh?

[simpleman]

You can use Slugo.I'm not sure of that spelling,I've never had to use it,but it is recomended by Howard Garrett.

[Kathe Kitchens]

Sluggo is a great idea. Its active ingredient is iron phosphate. It kills the slugs and snails and then breaks down into fertilizer. You can get Sluggo at almost any organic gardenig center and lots of the Lowe's stores in Texas carry it now. It comes in small pellets and it's easy to shake out in the areas where you have a problem. I used horticultural cedar where I had problems but Sluggo is what really got rid of my slug & snail problem.

[Dchall_San_Antonio]

If you have room for a duck, that's a great organic solution to slugs.

A non organic solution that wipes them out is ammonium sulfate. AS is a high nitrogen (21-0-0) fertilizer that looks like rock salt and has the same effect on snails and slugs as rock salt. I would not boadcast this stuff everywhere (like I used to years ago) but maybe use it in places to protect certain plants, like hostas. I have a pile of cinder blocks that the snails like to live in. I sprinkled a few teaspoonfuls inside and around those blocks and they're gone.

[CaptainCompostAL]

Beer traps, crushed egg shells, garlic/hot pepper teas, are all classic remedies against snails and slugs.

[Dirt Doctor]

Horticultural cedar is one of the brand names of fine-textured cedar. It's the name Garden-Ville uses. Cedar flakes is the term used by the Cedar Fiber Co. This material is the by-product of the cedar milling done by companies making various products with ccedar oil. Cedar-Cide's products still contain the oil.

[ladybug37091]

I have a bed of hostas and other slug delights. I throw my coffee grounds out there along with crushed egg shells. It is my prettiest flower bed. If I started having a problem I would next try copper pennies as copper shocks them. Try the simple and free first. 8)