You've toiled for countless hours cultivating, planting, weeding, and loving your garden, and who arrives to ruin the party? Those blasted slugs and snails , that's who! Anyone who has gardened more than a season or 2 knows the devastating effects that slugs and snails have on gardens, lawns and vegetable plots.
For years the only solution was to apply potentially toxic chemical slug baits to your garden for protection , or spend hours picking them from your plants one by one.....no fun at all.
Fortunately, new and creative organic snail and slug controls have come on the scene in recent years. A popular organic slug bait is Iron Phosphate, a naturally occurring plant nutrient which doubles as a natural Slug and Snail Control bait. Used in granular form, Iron Phosphate, which is sold under many brand names creates excellent , non-toxic Slug and Snail Control as well as providing iron to the plants it's applied around. One of the popular brands containing iron Phosphate is Sluggo by Monterey Lawn and Garden Products. Sluggo comes in multiple sizes and formulations and provides long lasting protection from destructive slug and snail predation. It's a granular product so it's easy to apply, safe to use, non-toxic to humans pets, wildlife and bio-degradable in the soil.
For Sluggo label directions click the link below:
Another effective , organic treatment for slugs is the use of Diatomaceous Earth, a powdered , silica like natural material made from the fossilized remains of diatoms , a form of hard-shelled algae. Although it looks like a fine powder , it's actually quite sharp and dehydrating to slithering insects like Slugs and Snails......and when they slither over it it dries them out , killing them by dehydration. Diatomaceous Earth for insecticidal use is sold under many brand names including Concern , and St. Gabriel Organics. Application is typically to the soil underneath vulnerable garden plants and annuals so that the targeted insects are likely to crawl or slither through the Diatomaceous Earth. Caution should be used not to breathe the fine dust when applying, because airborne particles can irritate the lungs of both the applicator and pets / wildlife.
