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You are here: Home / Natural Pest Control / 4 Natural Ways To Get Rid Of Slugs In The Garden

4 Natural Ways To Get Rid Of Slugs In The Garden

By Jennifer Updated: October 31, 2019. First published: August 14, 2014. This post may contain affiliate links. 4 Comments  

Call me a little off-my-rocker but I LOVE SLUGS. I think they are insanely cute. Their shape, their slime, the way they slowly slink. Ahhh – slugs are just adorable. Until they eat up my garden! Stinkers. Time to get rid of slugs in the garden!

My daughter is a lover of all things garden-pest. Therefore, I am not allowed to do anything that would bring harm to ‘her’ slugs. This is fine. I can scoop them up and rehome them in the field behind us. Eventually it won’t be a field. Someone will be building a house their shortly and I am not too sure what I will do with the slugs then. Maybe bring them to the park? Not sure. Will cross that slug bridge when I come to it.

Moving along…

I realize that my form of slug control isn’t going to work for everyone. Heck, it really doesn’t work for me in the throes of garden season. I just can’t keep up! So, I am sharing some other humane, natural ways to get rid of slugs in the garden. I’m not promising that EVERY slug will vacate. Slugs are pretty clever when it comes to seeking out shelter. But you should see a noticeable reduction in the number of slugs feasting on your freshly planted lettuce, cabbage, spinach, and other garden goodies.

two slugs on lettuce leaves in the garden. The words "how to get rid of slugs in the garden" are written in green.

4 Natural Ways To Get Rid Of Slugs In The Garden

Red clover

Slugs love this easy-to-grow legume. Researchers found that when this alternative source of food was planted next to garden beds, slugs favored it over more valuable edibles. Resilient and hardy red clover grows in a wide variety of soils. While the clover lasts, this method substantially reduces slug damage. After it fades, cut it down and incorporate it into the soil as nitrogen-rich organic matter. I use this brand.

Water your garden in the morning

Slugs love damp and they love the dark. If you water your garden at night, they will be naturally drawn to the area. If you water in the morning, the surface soil will be dry by evening and slugs will tend to skip over the area. Studies show this can reduce slug damage by 80%.

Seaweed

Seaweed is not only a good soil amendment for the garden, it’s a natural repellent for slugs. Mulch with seaweed around the base of plants or perimeter of bed. Pile it on 3″ to 4″ thick – when it dries it will shrink to just an inch or so deep. Seaweed is salty and slugs avoid salt. Push the seaweed away from plant stems so it’s not in direct contact. During hot weather, seaweed will dry and become very rough which also deters the slugs. I personally have had luck with this brand.

Grapefuit

Overturned grapefruit halves, with a stone placed under the edge to tilt it up a bit, will attract slugs. Leave overnight, and you’ll find the slugs stuck to the flesh in the morning. Slugs love the scent and the moisture. You can collect the slugs in the morning and dispose of them or relocate them.

Need a more permanent slug solution? Here are 4 ways to humanely kill slugs in garden areas.

Diatomaceous Earth

I have written about this before in my spider control post. Diatomaceous earth, a natural mineral dust, dries out slugs within days after they come into contact with the sharp prehistoric particles. It isn’t horribly painful but dehydrating until the point of death doesn’t sound too good either. But it does work. All you need to do is sprinkle it around your garden areas. The slugs crawl through, the sharp little particles cut up the underside of the slug, it dries out and dies. There you go. Slug gone. I get my Diatomaceous Earth here.

Egg Shells

Mother Earth News recommends crushing up egg shells and sprinkling them around your plants. The slugs crawl across the shells and like the DE, get cut up, dry out, and die. Obviously the egg shells will also benefit the soil as they decompose… so they provide double the benefit.

Beer trap

Yes, beer. This type of trap works because slugs are attracted to the fermented yeast in beer. Take a shallow container (a repurposed sour cream container is great) and bury it so that it is even with the soil level. Fill the container with beer to within an inch of the rim. The slugs crawl in and drown. Change out the beer every couple of days. The slugs like their beer fresh.

Organic Baits

The one I know of and feel ok suggesting is  Sluggo . It relies on the power of iron phosphate. Iron phosphate is an organic compound that is found naturally in the soil, and if the bait is not consumed by a slug or snail, the material breaks down into fertilizer for your soil. Iron phosphate is not volatile, and does not readily dissolve in water, which minimizes its dispersal beyond where it is applied. So slugs it eat and die. The end.

Have you fought the slug battle and won? If so, do share what worked to get rid of slugs in the garden!

Be sure to check out all my other great natural pest control posts as well. I will teach you how to get rid of ants, keep mosquitoes at bay, stop a house fly invasion, keep moths out of your pantry and closets, prevent a spider invasion, scare away silverfish, and more!

 

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About The Author

Jennifer, author of Hybrid Rasta Mama, is a former government recruiter turned work-at-home mama to a daughter brought earthside in early 2009. She is passionate about and writes about holistic health and wellness, natural/green living, toxic mold awareness, and the benefits of coconut oil. She frequently shares allergy friendly recipes on her site as well as DIY herbal remedies, DIY natural body care, and natural cleaning recipes.

Jennifer graduated with honors with a Bachelor's Degree in Ethnic Studies. In January 2019 she became a certified mold and moisture intrusion inspector. She has completed coursework in the naturopathic series offered by the Avicenna Institute and accredited through the Board of Natural Medicine Certification Council.

Jennifer is a member of the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors as well as the International Society for Environmentally Acquired Illness.

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Comments

  1. Claudia says

    August 15, 2014 at 5:05 AM

    Consequently tasty! That appears irresistible.

    Reply
  2. Katt says

    May 20, 2019 at 1:34 PM

    Awww I was completely charmed that you rehome the slugs! Great post on both rehoming and *ahem* not Rehoming the slugs in the garden! I can’t wait to try out some of these ideas. My garden has been overrun with slugs lately. My porch too for that matter! Thank you for the awesome information!

    Reply
    • Jennifer says

      May 21, 2019 at 10:05 AM

      Glad you liked my post. I always try to rehome when possible. Slugs are cute in their own little slimy way. 😉

      Reply
  3. Brooke says

    May 5, 2020 at 9:17 PM

    I think you misunderstand the meaning of ‘Humanly.’ Nothing about attracting them to something they will essentially cut them selves to death on, or attracting them to a place to drawn, is humane. Natural, yes. Humane, absolutely not. Call it what it is.

    Reply

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