Slug Wars

Warning: blog post content may not be appropriate for all audiences such as those with a weak stomach or are some kind of slug rights activist.

Its been raining and that means all the hungry slug demons are out and about after my vegetables. Last year proved to me how devastating slugs can be... devouring rows of germinating seedlings before they even had a chance. And this year- they are at it again.

This is where I start. After the sun has set. A nice jar of ... not honey... but warm SALT water. My spearing tool.

The spearing tool by the way is just my fancy made up name for a small rib bone I found in the garden (must have come from the compost I collected from the public works place), but it just happens to be a whole lot better than a stick for stabbing slugs... which is what I do when I don't want to get my fingers slimy.

The hunting begins around plants prone to slug attacks... which to identify just a few... they happen to really like lettuce, carrots, any of the cabbage family. Above is a group of demons caught in the horrifying act of eating a cabbage leaf! *shivers* When I saw this I ran to get my camera just so everyone can see and believe how awful awful awful and destructive these creatures can be to garden plants.

The slugs promptly went for a nice warm salt water swim- in slug hell! Now look closely at the leaf above. You can still see the fresh chew marks up and down the edge of the leaf. Its not hard to see how they can destroy a row of seedlings freshly breaking ground and barely anything to look at. Chew chew chew -and the whole plant is dead. By the way... when I originally took these pictures I didn't notice the small slug that was on the tip of the leaf. Three slugs on one poor cabbage leaf! The little one can be seen barely behind the leaf on the right slowly running away. I'll get him next time.

I had to see it to believe it. Slugs will munch on onion. Onion family members usually do not have many pests, but even demon slugs will go for them.

Slugs love lettuce, so if you are growing lettuce pay particular attention to protecting them. This lettuce fortunately is large enough to not really experience much of a set back in growth. Small defenseless seedlings are the ones you want to spend most of your energy patrolling for and protecting from evil slugs. This guy went for a swim non the less.

A demon emerging from hell to wreck havoc on the garden. During the day the slugs seek shelter just about anywhere to protect themselves from drying out in the sun. Unfortunately they find nice hiding places in the soil of the garden bed (usually right next to the plants they plan to eat... like a bed and breakfast- jerks!). I think these guys can burrow a bit so it may have made this cave for itself, or it could be a hole left by a weed that was evicted from the garden.

When it comes to battling slugs I am willing to try many ideas. One I read about was spreading wood ashes around the plants and as the slug tries to crawl across it will cut itself on the rough ashes and dehydrate to death by the time it gets to the plant. I spread ashes all over the beds I though needed it most. In spite of my efforts some of the slugs still proceeded as usual... which makes me wonder ... either I'm not doing the ashes thing right... or they don't work. Or maybe my particular demon slugs are used to all the ashes from hell and don't mind mine much.

Regardless, a nice jar full of warm salt water always works. If you have the patience, you can dispatch 100% of all the demons you find.