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What Do Organic Growers Do About Slugs?
It would be nice to be able to say that organic gardeners have a simple magic solution for slugs. But they haven't. Indeed there is some evidence that the slimy creatures prefer organic plants.
Organic gardeners do all they can to make their gardens less attractive to the slug. Too much weed cover or badly drained areas provide a haven for them. Travel is difficult for the slug on dry soil so watering only around the base of susceptible plants can give your plants some protection. Slugs like the lush watery growth of over-fed plants. So don't overdo the liquid feeding.
Predators
Slugs have many predators. Birds, hedgehogs, frogs and moles are just some of them. In country areas, keeping a few ducks is an effective way of reducing their numbers.
During dry spells, slugs go underground. But you can help the birds and other predators to get at them by turning over the soil in the areas where the slugs are most active.
Loosening the soil during cold weather will expose slug eggs to the frost and thus reduce the numbers of the next generation.
Protection
Tender, young plants are most at risk. Sowing in pots and trays for sowing out later is one way of reducing slug damage. Mulching plants with absorbent materials such as straw or leaves will help to retard the slug's progress. Don't make the mulch too thick. A thick mulch will provide an ideal habitat for them.
Another solution is to cover an area with black plastic for a few days before planting. The slugs will congregate under the plastic and can be collected and destroyed.
Beer traps are the traditional method of trapping the pests but some gardeners believe that the smell of beer merely attracts more slugs.
Introducing a predator such as 'phasmarhabditis hermaphrodite' is another alternative.
Barriers
Materials such as sand, woodash or crushed eggshells can be placed around plants to inhibit the slug's movement. They can be effective in dry weather but need to be replaced after rain. Some gardeners who live near the sea find that fresh seaweed is an effective slug barrier.
Alternatively, you might consider investing in one of those small electric fences to keep slugs away from a particular area of your garden. But you need to make sure that the fenced area is free from slugs to begin with.
Repellents
Watering the ground with a mixture of wormwood or nettle leaves in water is said to repel the slug. It might be a good way of discouraging them from overwintering in your greenhouse but outside, in wet weather, it would need to be applied on a regular basis.
A more drastic solution is to pour boiling water over a collection of slugs and leave the foul concoction to stand for a few days before watering on to your soil. (Not on your plants) For obvious reasons slugs hate the smell. But unfortunately so will you!
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