To protect your hostas, especially those growing in pots, cover the soil with used coffee grounds. Not a slug in sight!
By Ruth from Cardiff, UK
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
My hostas are extremely huge. Every spring I attempt to keep the slugs, etc. from getting to them, but have not had any luck. I have tried the beer route, (the dogs loved it), the eggshells, the sharp edges route, and pesticides. I have tried everything. I was wondering if the slugs possibly are climbing on to the leaves that hang down to the ground. If that's the case then are there any other solutions for that?
By BJP
Go to a home and garden center and buy the slug bait. It comes in a bag and works wonders. I use it once maybe twice in a season and I have a large garden with many beds.
A very safe way and inexpensive is to buy the cheapest beer and pour into an empty tuna or cat food can, set next to your Hostas and let those slugs and snails drink to their hearts content! They will die happy and all you do is throw the can in the trash when it is full.
I found out that slugs hate horse manure !I have used heavy amounts of this the last two years and noooo slugs!
Slugs hate to crawl across sharp soil so I spread a circle of sand around each hosta. It feels like crawling over broken glass.
Yes, get a large plant pot saucer. Place a house brick in the centre. Stand the hosta in its flowerpot on the brick and fill the saucer with water.
I have a chemical-free hosta garden conducive to toads. Toads eat the slugs & mosqitos. No chemicals needed. But keep the cats & dogs away from toads as they will make pets sick.
Slug and snail bait is extremely dangerous for pets. For whatever reason- many dogs love it and if they eat it-it's deadly.
Crushed egg shells, baby powder, works well too don't forget companion plants
My method of getting ridd of the ants get an empty jam jar put twoo teaspoons of jam in the jar top up to around three parts of the jar with water put the lid on give it a good shake then pierce a hole in the lid and lay it in the garden where you have a run of ants they get into the jar and cant get out ,i have used this method and can truley say it works ,even with slugs
Use copper tape around the pots. The slugs and snails won't cross it
I sprinkle cornmeal on the ground around the plants and between the plants and their hiding places. They prefer the cornmeal over the plants and they eat so much, swell up and die.
Our dashound actually ate the dead slugs that had eaten the slug bait.within 2 hours our dog died a terrible death,the vet explained to us that the bait is sweet like anti freeze , therefore eating the slugs was like a sweet treat that ended up being his death warrant. We dug a deep hole and put wire over it but sadly we didn't think about the slugs that crawled out
Diatomacious earth is good. Make a ring around the base of the plant, slugs won't cross it. You can get this online or at a farm co-op.
Try boiling a garlic clove and using the liquid as a spray seems to work for us
There are some that arent dangerous to animals.
