StillLearning - it sounds like you had leopard slugs which I have been told actually assist in the composting process. I often find them in my compost bins and just leave them but they are the only slugs that get preferential treatment.
I find coffee grinds round plants works really well, but also collect in bucket of salted water, but towards end of last summer slugs were actually climbing out of quite strongly salted water! Scary stuff- just how much salt is needed?
I believe it is the caffeine in coffee that deters slugs though it may also be the smell as they home in in tasty leaves by scent receptors.
You do need quite a lot of salt - it should dissolve them quickly, not allow them to climb out.
So, put my egg shells in the oven to cook off the membrane, then mix with coffee grounds......result no manual handling of slugs necessary. I hardly ever find dead slugs in the garden so think they must get eaten before I get there which is a bonus
I bake my eggshells in the oven, 15mins at 220, takes all the moisture out of them so that they're really brittle and super scratchy. it gets rid of anything that vermin may find attractive as well. but also do snail patrol with a torch after dark too.
I imagine with these warm temperatures they're breeding already and well on their way to causing chaos. I'll have to get my chop sticks out sooner than later and declare the truce over.
What a lot of replies Tracey...haven't had time to read them all but replying to your first Q, if the shell has been cracked in half for frying, baking etc I just rinse the two halves in water under the tap and put them in a plastic container in the kitchen, they dry in a few day's, them crunch up... when the container gets full, I put the lid on and store in shed ready for use.
For hard boiled eggs, providing it's just the skin and shell...that goes into the plastic container too...egg shells don't do your soil harm... it's good to recycle and adds small amounts of calcium. I tend to use shells just in pots though or the GH beds.
My dad used to put his eggshells in the microwave. I put mine in for 1 to 2 minutes depending on how many there are, then put them in a pot or plastic bag to crush them. Mind you, I don't know how much good they do as I still find the little blighters eating my plants.
I use sheeps wool around plants and find slugs don't like it, however you do need to have a sheep farm just down the road!
If you have a friendly farmer you could offer to buy a fleece they are only worth a couple of pounds each so a fairly cheap way of dealing with slugs, it also makes your hands soft!
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I believe it is the caffeine in coffee that deters slugs though it may also be the smell as they home in in tasty leaves by scent receptors.
You do need quite a lot of salt - it should dissolve them quickly, not allow them to climb out.
Edd are coffee ground or instant ok/good for the soil or do you need to be careful with quantities?
Tracey sound like you should patent that mix, double whammy!
I bake my eggshells in the oven, 15mins at 220, takes all the moisture out of them so that they're really brittle and super scratchy. it gets rid of anything that vermin may find attractive as well. but also do snail patrol with a torch after dark too.
Thank you Edd, I found quite a few today, so time to begin the battle again.
I imagine with these warm temperatures they're breeding already and well on their way to causing chaos. I'll have to get my chop sticks out sooner than later and declare the truce over.
For hard boiled eggs, providing it's just the skin and shell...that goes into the plastic container too...egg shells don't do your soil harm... it's good to recycle and adds small amounts of calcium. I tend to use shells just in pots though or the GH beds.
My dad used to put his eggshells in the microwave. I put mine in for 1 to 2 minutes depending on how many there are, then put them in a pot or plastic bag to crush them. Mind you, I don't know how much good they do as I still find the little blighters eating my plants.
I use sheeps wool around plants and find slugs don't like it, however you do need to have a sheep farm just down the road!
If you have a friendly farmer you could offer to buy a fleece they are only worth a couple of pounds each so a fairly cheap way of dealing with slugs, it also makes your hands soft!