Most DIY techniques do not work, or have a limited effect. wish my cat would eat snails Thanks again for sharing from your seeming inexhaustible fount of knowledge! That is the best thing I can think of that will be a sure thing. Herbs: ginger, garlic, chives, mint, and chicory. Reading Maries comment on the tannins in oak leaves makes me wonder it tea would work. So, never spray pure ammonia onto your hostas or surrounding plants unless youre trying to kill them. Most molluscs live in the water, but slugs and snails are the two that can live on land as well. And the alcohol/water solution has not damaged any of our vegetable plants. BUT, with the price of sugar going up, perhaps it might be healthier for me to keep spraying my garden with it instead of eating.it. Put juice in a 2 litre pop bottle, top with water. Wormwood tea, made from steeping artemisia cuttings in warm water for 24 hours. Put in grinder top with water. How can you recommend the use of chemical baits nowadays !? We have a severe snail problem. Be sure not to place a ball of hair in the soil, as this will not completely solve the problem. Yes, sugar is a good one John. Is any of this, socially responsible? Finding out that you can kill slugs with ammonia can open the door to a whole new opportunity to treat a slug infestation in your garden and save your hostas. Rather than letting them take over your beloved garden, take action to eliminate the slugs that are ruining your plants. Its good in the sense that it can eliminate slugs and a few other pests, as well as make a small amount of fertilizer available in the soil. I clearly said that covering a slug with ammonia would kill it. Ive done most of the things youve recommended and all helpedto a degree. Its oily and keeps a lot of pests away, and fertilizes gently at 5-1-1. Ammonia works on snails and adult slugs. It kills the introduced pest cane toad on contact, so I keep some (undiluted) in a spray bottle. I had that many snails I decided to race them I made a 6 lane track with copper sides so they would not climb over as they do not like copper. What Kind of Ammonia to Use in the Garden? Thank you for the mention ! Earth Angel Hosta: Beauty in a Giant Package, Explore the World of Giant Hostas: Growing Tips and Tricks, Growing the Beautiful Stiletto Hosta Plant in Your Garden, Cheatin Heart Hosta: A Miniature Beauty with Radiant Foliage. Lydia Patubo is the Manager at Flowercraft Garden Center in San Francisco, California. The disease is serious and can sometimes be fatal to humans. Boil the water and mix with the coffee grounds until its fully dissolved. You can also leave a cup of beer in your garden. Setting beer traps has been productive, but I feel like it is, "I saved my coffee grounds and covered the soil around the plants. Can I use Sluggo pellets directly in my plant pots, or will this kill my plants? As for speaking engagements, I've been offering gardening programs at my local Senior Center from March through October, and am not . Controlling Slugs with Ammonia Which Methods Work? Yes. Nematodes are typically watered into the soil using a plastic cup or similar container, like a plastic box. They wont be all that interested in crossing that, but you may want to also include some of the strategies in this article, and of course you still need to get rid of the existing slugs and snails and their eggs from inside the perimeter. Because theyre little, and because they have to get from point A to point B by squirming around, it can be challenging for them to get where theyre going. Mix with 4 parts water (1/4 cup of ammonia per cup of water) or according to Linda in the comments below, 20 parts water is fine (slightly less than 1 Tbsp per cup of water). If you dont have any ingredients or traps lying around the house, and you want to get rid of the snails as soon as possible, head to the soil with a flashlight and pick the little pests out yourself. Collect slugs (4-5 will do). I used a small [48oz] Chapin spray bottle, which was ideal for the job. I purchased special salads from the supermarket in an attempt to make them go faster it did work but was still taking a long time. This is the 9:1 ratio. Slugs are the bane of many gardeners existence; the sneaky little gastropods slither in at night, eating the leaves and fruit from many plants. The only drawback with this is that you need to reapply after a heavy rain. If you have a bit of land, a small flock of domestic ducks will control the slug population, and the ducks arent as hard on the garden as chickens in terms of eating produce. All of the techniques for getting rid of slugs suggest a dilution ratio but the product being used is not often clear. The percentage of caffeine required in a spray (1 - 2%) is greater than what is found in a cup of coffee (.05 - 07%), so homemade sprays are not as effective. I had a talk with him about it trying to explain about ecosystems, etc., but all he could do was irately blame the chemical company for what he called over spraying! Some people, unfortunately, want to keep their blinders on! Support wikiHow by Going to go and collect all of the. Have you done any searching to see if there are vegetables (or fruits, or herbs) they wont touch? You can use ammonia to kill pest eggs around your hostas in the soil. The common dilution for this technique is a 10% solution (1 part household ammonia to 9 parts water). Was just about to give up on finding organic solutions as these snails r diligently destroying my veggie garden! To make garlic spray for aphids, chop many cloves of garlic; add to mineral oil and . The information on toxic solutions is another bonus. Slugs like to roam around gardens and flower pots at night. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. If so, how do you apply it without causing damage to your plants? Im using them on my pathways and have avoided having any slugs on them. Pine cones (small) stay moist and the slugs found my young corn stalks. At a loss. She studied Environmental Horticulture at the City College of San Francisco and has over 10 years of experience with Environmental Horticulture. Very informative and well written.Thank you for this! To attract beetles and create a home for them, youll want to grab a plastic box, place a pile of straw inside of it, and turn it upside down on the ground. Would peppermint oil and water mix sprayed on plants kill slugs? Ammonia also works well to kill bacteria. Manage Settings Helped lots. Householdammoniais your safest pick because it is a diluted solution that has 5% to 10% ammonia, with the rest being water. During the day, slugs will hide under the covers to avoid sun exposure. unlocking this expert answer. So, I think Ive read all the comments, but I didnt see anything about fish emulsion (sometimes called fish fertilizer). Put into bowl covered with cheesecloth. He increased the ratio of alcohol to water to 50/50 and it worked even better. So, I just use a 10% solution for everything. It takes very little. Plants seem to love it, pests dont. Just be sure to thoroughly water your plants the next morning to get rid of any salty residues. Gardeners who use this method believe that the dead slug bodies help deter other slugs from moving into the area. Like you, we dont have any magic cures. Store the metaldehyde somewhere dogs cannot get to it. There are several foods commonly listed for how to get rid of slugs and snails. Yes, and no. Spraying works, if I go out every couple of hours, which, is exhausting. Its always best to start with a more diluted measure and work your way up to avoid accidental damage. Spray some of the ammonia solution through the nozzle after the soaking time is complete. Others spray plants so slugs stop eating them. Vinegar spray . Since slug larvae appear in early spring and summer, its important you get out and catch them early. Many people dont know this fact, but its very important. Many thanks. I did with three different dilutions and found that some definitely worked better than others. Continue with Recommended Cookies. Apparently soapy water also works. Your plants will absorb ammonium and nitrate through the assimilation process. Once they do, they convert them into organic molecules with nitrogen. I havent applied that much, so it will probably just wash away. https://www.pesticideresearch.com/site/pri-resource-centers/pest-mgmt/pest-mgmt-bulletins/snail-and-slug-control-draft/. Ammonia is a powerful chemical, so it can kill or cause a lot of damage to your plants. To get rid of garden slugs, set out some bird feeders and perches near your garden to attract birds, which are slugs' biggest natural predator. I'm sticking with beer, and so far, it's working quite well. I would be interested in reading comments of others on control of slugs, including any experience on using ammonia [or other methods] to eradicate the eggs. What you SHOULD have typed is that it HAS not worked, yet, for YOU. Note: Im following your lead in organic pursuits working towards a long term mutually benififial relationship with Mother Nature. The oily substance makes it difficult for the slugs to pass and get into the soil. I filled each hole as they were discovered and so far the squirrels are gone from that area of the yard. We had a home brew batch not turn out and that worked great. Nematodes can keep slugs away from your soil for up to six weeks. Use dollar store sprayer to spray the ground or poke holes in the cap and sprinkle the complete perimeter of your garden. Since there is no exact rule for dilution, you can experiment a bit. ", taught us not to use raw straw again. I checked several government sites and got a range of 5% to 80% household ammonia. Luckily, there are a few ways you can apply ammonia to and around your hostas to get at the slugs without damaging your plant. This kills both snails and slugs and dissolves them. But, just as using your perfume in the wrong way (drinking it, spraying it on bugs, slugs, etc) would kill, so will ammonia, dishwashing detergent, beer, and even water, if used wrong or in excess. Ive been using this method for a few years now. I assume they are crawling up the sides. There were no squirrels, which I thought was strange. This year the slugs started again, but MUCH worse, and the beer traps were working but we had to put out so many traps and we were going through a lot of beer. It has been said that it contains EDTA and that it is listed as an inert ingredient. One way to deal with slugs is to physically collect them and drop them into some household ammonia. I expect this would only work with the naturally fallen leaves, rather than the green. Thanks for the article. Look for low-dose metaldehyde products with less environmental impact. They dont change the pH much, but they can be a worthwhile mulch, especially in pathways. I could not find any information about plant sensitivity to household ammonia. Of course thats hard to do in a vegetable garden because they seem to like a lot of things, although a herb garden can work well with slugs. Glad coffee grounds worked for you. Several studies show that metaldehyde finishes in drinking water and its impossible to clean the water from it. Some people claim 1:4 or 1:9 are the key dilution ratios, while other people like 1:10 or 1:16. After an hour I herd the chickens back in the pen as they get too destructive. To learn how to make slug traps, keep reading! Sign up for wikiHow's weekly email newsletter. My concern (besides possibly completely wasting my time) is: if it kills slug eggs, might also harm slug predators (or their eggs). I put it down once where we have had slugs and snails and the problem just went away in a matter of days. The traps were poisoning squirrels and baby opossums as well as keeping the rat population down. Of course, that doesnt mean that there is some plant that will react. Go out in the evening and spray any mollusks you see on your plants. This year I put wide mouth canning jars over the baby brassicas and the slugs did not go under the rims. It has an immediate effect, but the amount of insects and pests will gradually taper off year after year with continued use. Directly on a snail or slug just like magic Im in Florida and have a lot of potted plants with trays underneath for retaining water. Which one is best depends on who you talk to. This article was co-authored by Lydia Patubo. Ammonia is a very irritating and colorless gas that has a very sharp odor. Thank you. This makes nitrates safer to use. The slugs will dissolve over time, and the plants will increase their nitrogen intake from the ammonia. You can spray too, but you have a higher chance of missing eggs. But Ive decided to take a season or two off of growing my veg because of them and figure out what it is about our wee ecosystem that keeps them so proliferate. I get coffee grounds from Starbucks. Metaldehyde is, actually, an organic compound with, very limited effect on Wildlife and IS, usually, applied in pellets of wheat, which IS a bait. Although this approach is more hands-on than beer traps, it does not cost nearly as much as beer and I believe it is working a lot better. Yes, ducks are great helpers in the garden. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 2,025,048 times. High concentrations of this chemical are extremely dangerous, and you should take steps to protect yourself with the proper safety equipment. Then I run in the house before my neighbors see who is responsible for the smell of the sea, and take a shower. I used the bucket of water and Dawn detergent to toss the slugs into, and that killed them nicely. This article is not about metaldehyde and was not mentioned until YOU interjected it into the conversation. There is a gardener here in Austin that puts out a box of corn meal to feed them so they get big & plump and sells the to restaurants. Also your article. Use it to try out great new products and services nationwide without paying full pricewine, food delivery, clothing and more. Spray the leaves and stems of the hostas with the ammonia solution. Spinosad has been certified for use in organic agriculture since 2003 by the USDA National Organic Program (NOP) and is OMRI listed. Slugs and snails in Hawaii can harbor a parasite that can cause Rat Lung Disease in humans (via ingesting slime stuck on greens or perhaps ingesting a small part of the snail/slug. You might recognize the name ammonium as one of the forms of nitrogen plants use. Thanks so much for taking the time to share, Susan, thats great! If you have the option, start planting your garden near a frog or toad habitat. Egg Shells 12. This would take a lot of ammonia for even a small garden. Trying to save your plants can send you searching for alternatives, and I know it surprised me when I found out that you can kill slugs with ammonia. thank you so much, Phil always so informative!! wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. They couldnt open their mouths as the slime is so thick. You can mix equal parts of ammonia and water in a spray bottle and apply it directly to the hostas. Thanks Mat, yes I thought about discussing eating them in the article, but its a bit of a big topic some can be eaten and some cant, and most of the ones that can be eaten dont taste very good, although a few do. Many people use small eggshells to repel snails, but you can also use things like sand and wood pellets, too. Again, there is a debate on which dilution ratio works best, by 9 or 10 parts water to 1 part ammonia seems to do the trick. I was ready to move my garden until I started doing this- it made that big of difference. Frogs and toads love to snack on slugs. It can easily burn the leaves. Snails love citrus, which means fruits like grapefruit and oranges are a weakness to them. Would using limestone as mulch detere slugs. I wondered about just putting a ring around the top of the planter. Use "granule" form instead. Water can dissolve salt and wash it off of "safe" surfaces and into the soil, harming soil quality. One source suggested that the soil should be drenched in early spring. It seems to be hit or miss with them when it comes to slugs and snails, but definitely worth trying and they make a nice fertilizer anyway. Do not keep fish in the pond, as these may eat the tadpoles. Take strands of hair from a brush and spread them out over the soil. Does ammonia kill slugs? If the slugs are climbing out, replace with a mix of honey, yeast, and a little water, boiled until gluey. Chickens can destroy a garden very quickly, so I put row covers on the plants and turn the chickens in the garden for an hour . Its bad in the sense that if you use it improperly, you can kill your plants or even harm you. If so, lets dive in! When hit with the spray, they died within minutes. (Wear rubber gloves to do this, you will not . Ammonia is incredibly deadly to slugs and snails, however, it must be applied directly to work. Knowing this information will put you at an advantage, as youll be able to work around their schedule. Ammonia is a strong cleaning agent and it surprises me that spraying it on plants will not harm them, but maybe the dilution used is low enough to prevent damage. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/9\/98\/Get-Rid-of-Garden-Slugs-Step-1-Version-4.jpg\/v4-460px-Get-Rid-of-Garden-Slugs-Step-1-Version-4.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/9\/98\/Get-Rid-of-Garden-Slugs-Step-1-Version-4.jpg\/aid2449-v4-728px-Get-Rid-of-Garden-Slugs-Step-1-Version-4.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"