How to deal with slugs and snails in the garden

amberflowerflood77143 · 3 March

Hi everyone, I am new to this forum and I have a question about slugs and snails in the garden. I have a small vegetable patch, and I want to grow some lettuce, spinach, and strawberries. However, I have noticed that slugs and snails are eating my plants and leaving holes and slime trails on the leaves and fruits. I have attached some photos of the damage for reference.

Some details about my garden and my plan are:

I water my plants in the morning, or when the soil feels dry to the touch. I avoid watering in the evening, as slugs and snails are more active at night and prefer moist conditions.
I mulch my plants with straw, bark, or gravel, to keep the soil moist and prevent weeds. However, I leave some space around the stems, as slugs and snails can hide under the mulch and attack the plants.
I remove any dead or decaying plant material, as slugs and snails are attracted to them and can breed in them.
I inspect my plants regularly and hand-pick any slugs and snails that I find. I also use a flashlight at night to catch them when they are most active. I dispose of them in a bucket of soapy water or salt water, or feed them to my chickens.
I use some natural barriers and repellents, such as crushed eggshells, coffee grounds, copper tape, or diatomaceous earth, around the edges of my vegetable patch, to deter slugs and snails from crossing them and reaching my plants.
I use some natural predators and traps, such as birds, hedgehogs, frogs, nematodes, beer traps, or grapefruit halves, to attract, catch, or kill slugs and snails in my garden.

I would appreciate any advice or tips from anyone who has experience or knowledge in dealing with slugs and snails in the garden. Thank you very much for your time and attention. 😊

BenCotto · 3 March

This has the hallmarks of an AI posting which includes every repellent ever mentioned on Facebook, most of them bunkum. Diatomaceous earth and ‘flashlight’ suggests you’re based in USA. Is this so? Please come back with personalised information and photos.

ViewAhead · 3 March

There is no answer to slugs and snails. 🙂 And AIs don't need their 5-a-day anyway.

philippasmith2 · 3 March

Given that list, I suspect the OP will simply have to resort to Magic - works every time

B3 · 3 March

Or you could do what I do and grow stuff they don't eat

Dovefromabove · 3 March

Ducks … that’s what Amber needs …. they eat slugs 🦆

Fairygirl · 3 March

There's no photos either...
I gave up on lots of plants because they're just slug fodder. Life's too short, and there are always alternatives

amancalledgeorge · 3 March

Is this just a training post for some AI data set to get enriched by actual human input...good grief

BenCotto · 3 March

“ However, I have noticed that slugs and snails are eating my plants and leaving holes and slime trails on the leaves and fruits. ”

You posted on March 3rd. What fruits would they be?

ViewAhead · 4 March

That crossed my mind, @BenCotto. 😉

Oliya · 4 March

Speaking of ducks… I remember there was an episode on GW where a couple said they got ducks to control slug and snail population and it really helped (they had a narrow but very long sloping garden).
Does anyone here have ducks? I looked into it and Call ducks are small and only require a small amount of water… I wonder if they actually do eat slugs and snails… 🤔

How to deal with slugs and snails in the garden

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