Home and Living

Gardening is perhaps one of the most enjoyable activities on the planet. Your hours of hard outdoor work can produce something so beautiful, it is impossible to describe in words. Poets have spent hundreds of years trying to sum up the beauty found in gardens with mere words, but with any good garden, there are simply too many sights to describe with the human creation of language. All sorts of pests, though, can quickly ruin gardens. Two of the worst kinds of pests you might have in your garden are slugs and snails. Not only do these creatures look disgusting and leave slimy, yucky trails over every place they travel, they also do serious harm to your garden.

Slugs and snails live to eat green and decaying plant matter. They will chew holes in your prize hostas, irreparably damage your young citrus trees, and make your entire strawberry crop inedible. Getting rid of these tiny pests may be more difficult than it seems, though. Scientifically speaking, snails and slugs are fairly similar creatures. They both are a part of the mollusk phylum. They move with the help of a “foot” made of muscles. This is what creates the slimy trail that may lead you to believe you have a snail and slug problem. As the creatures move, the muscled foot leaves mucus behind, allowing the body to move easier. All slugs and snails can lay eggs, as they are hermaphrodites. Snails can lay eighty eggs at a time, though it can take a snail two years to reach maturity. Slugs mature much quicker, usually within six months depending on what species they belong to. Once they reach maturity, it is possible for them to lay up to forty eggs at any given time. The chances are good that you won’t see a snail during the day, as they are only active when the sun is not present. The heat and light damages their bodies, so they spend most of the day hiding. They hibernate throughout the winter. This understanding of slugs as creatures may help to give you a better idea of how to rid your garden of these nasty pests.

There are essentially two ways to get rid of snails and slugs in the garden. The first way to rid yourself of this horribly plague is through the use of chemicals. Many lawn and garden stores carry a variety of chemicals that will help you get rid of the slugs and snails in your garden. These chemicals come in a number of different forms. You can buy slug and snail pellets, meal, powder, and liquid. These can be sprinkled or sprayed in and around your garden to get rid of the problem entirely. Moreover, you may be able to purchase pre-made traps for the little critters to keep them from returning later in the season. The use of chemicals, though, is problematic on a couple of levels.

First, if you’re concerned about these pests in your vegetable garden, it is essential to remember that you will be eating the fruits and vegetables you are spraying chemicals on. This can mean some fairly extensive washing procedures when you get ready to eat the produce. If you don’t get them properly washed, you could face illness or food poisoning. Second, the chances are quite good that small children or pets may be in and around your garden at some point. If this is the case, and you choose to use chemical methods to remove the slugs and snails from your garden, you must be extra cautious. Reading the label to the chemical product you have chosen is a must. These are dangerous products that could kill your pet or a small child. Moreover, pesticides are created to be poisons. As a result, they can contaminate water supplies. If you live near a creek, river, or lake, it’s just not a good idea to use pesticides in your garden.

If you need a chemical alternative to get rid of the slugs and snails in your garden, there are many at your disposal. In order to create the best pest management system, you will need to employ a combination of methods. First, keep your garden weeded regularly. Second, be sure that you leave all decaying material out of your garden. It may make great mulch, but it is a haven for the slugs and snails you are struggling to get rid of. Be sure you get rid of any junk that lies in and around your garden. Lots of things are home to slugs and snails including old boards, flowerpots, and rocks. Be sure to destroy any slugs you see while you are working in your garden. Destroying their eggs would be a good step as well. There are a couple of ways to attract and kill slugs when you’re not in the garden. Place several small, round dishes of stale beer in and around your garden. This will attract the slugs, and when they go to drink it, they will drown. If you don’t want to use beer or you don’t have any nearby, you can also use grape juice or a tea made from yeast, water, and honey to the same end.

Keeping the slugs out isn’t difficult. It’s just a matter of finding the right methods.