Non Toxic Slug Control Hack

Garden slugs are a pest that just about every gardener has to deal with. Not only do they leave a gross slime where they walk but they cause plant damage and frustration. For years garden hackers have been discovering non toxic methods of slug control. The following are non toxic methods of slug control and that can be found in your kitchen. Natural -pest control solutions work best in an eco garden or a garden where kids and pets spend a lot of time.

Coffee grounds and egg shells:

Create a barrier for slugs with coffee grounds by pouring them in a circle around plants you are trying to protect. If you aren't a coffee drinker places like Starbucks package and give away coffee grounds to be used in the garden. Similarly save your eggs shells and place the crushed pieces in the same manner as the coffer grounds around the plants you are trying to protect

How this works:

When slugs crawl over the coffee grounds and egg shells their soft undersides are torn and they eventually die before they can cause damage to the plants in your garden. A couple of websites I read in preparation for this post state that it is thought that caffeine is a neuro-toxin to slugs. It is believed that the slugs absorb this as they crawl over the coffee grounds.

Cornmeal and Bran:

Take an empty jar (like a mayonnaise jar) and pour in a few tablespoons of cornmeal inside. Set the jar with the cornmeal on its side near the plants that are being attacked by slugs. The jar keeps the cornmeal dry during rain fall. Bran can also be used but it is pour on the ground near the plants you are trying to protect similar to the eggshells and coffee grounds. The Bran ring will have to be reapplied after rain.

How this works:

Cornmeal is suppose to be a tasty treat to slugs which they will happily eat and eat. Once consumed the slugs swell up and die. Bran is said to absorb the slime that slugs create and since there is no slime the locomotion of slugs is halted.

Salt:

Pour salt around plants you want to protect or in areas where there is high slug traffic.

How this works:

The salt technique works in the same fashion as Bran in that it is suppose to dry out slugs and cause eventual death. The problem with this hack is that adding salt can damage your soil and plants so this should be done sparingly if at all.

The "Beer Plate":

This is probably the older garden hack related to slugs control. Bury an empty aluminum pie plate just below the soil surface and fill 75% full with cheap beer.

How this works:

Slugs are said to be attracted to the yeast and barely in the beer and will happily crawl into the plate to drink and eventually drown. Because beer is a liquid you may have to check on the plate daily and refill as necessary.