Slugging It Out With Garden Slugs

Is your garden looking a bit "sluggish"? Do you find yourself tip-toeing around your own garden in an attempt to avoid these slimy creatures? Many slugs and snails can become garden pests, damaging plants in wet climates and chewing away on tender leaves. Here is a brief overview of slugs and snails in the United States and what you can do about them.

Slugs in your wet-weather garden

Slugs and snails are most commonly found in wet weather areas. They are known garden pests in the west coast and in the southern states. Slugs and snails are land mollusks that are related to shellfish and clams. You can tell them apart quite easily. Snails have an external shell; slugs do not. However, both have been known to cause similar forms of garden damage.

How can you tell if you have slugs in your garden?

In most cases, you will be very familiar with the presence of slugs and snails in your garden. But if you are new to the area or you simply do not note the presence of slugs or snails in your environment, you can tell whether you have them or not by examining the kind of plant damage you find. Slug plant damage usually results in irregular shapes on tender leaves. Another distinctive mark of slugs in your garden will be the "slime trails" you'll probably detect upon close inspection. These are trails where the slugs have crossed overnight.

Getting to know the life cycle of the slug

The life cycle of slugs will depend on the species. But in general, slugs take a year or two to complete a full generation cycle. Most slug species will lay eggs in the spring, while others may lay eggs in the fall. You will find that immature slugs are more common in the spring and fall. This is because temperatures are high during these times of year and the ground tends to be wet. Because spring and fall are when slugs are more active, this is also the best time to vanquish them from your garden. Begin by observing the activity of your local slug population. You can detect their presence by studying the slug slime trials.

How to control the slug population in your garden

The best way to go about controlling your local slug population is by using low toxicity resources, such as iron phosphate-based slug baits. It's important to remember that slugs and snails need wet conditions in order to survive. They are adept at finding all kinds of secret "wet places." Slugs may often be hiding under debris, between dry cracks or other dry areas of your yard and garden. If you have a rock garden, path or rock piles, these are most likely acting as breeding grounds for your garden slug population. On the other hand, rock piles may also support garter snakes, which are a natural predator of the slug.

Reducing your slug population

The healthiest approach to slug control is to reduce your slug population, rather than attempting to wipe out every slug in your garden. Slugs are a natural part of any wet environment, and your goal should be to reduce their population to an acceptable number. Set up a trap and bait system once or twice a year. You can use copper foil strip as an effective barrier for excluding slugs from your garden beds and border plants. Fortunately, there are many new poison baits that are safe to use. Choose slug baits that use iron phosphate as the active ingredient. These baits are effective and relatively safer to use around pets and wildlife. Another important thing to keep in mind is to make sure that you don't harm the slug’s natural predators. These include ground beetles and small garter snakes.