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Slugs and coffee grounds - a fatal attraction?
Order in the border
Posts: 52
morning all - what is the collective expert wisdom on using coffee grounds around veg/flower plants to deter slugs? Are there any plants which would not like coffee grounds near them? I'm determined to wage outright war on the little blighters this year - no all inclusive holidays in my greenhouse or on the veg plot/flower garden! Thanks for any wisdom you can impart.
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To be honest - I reckon all these 'remedies' are only effective up to a point. If you have the conditions that slugs and snails love, you're always fighting the tide.
I mainly grow stuff that they're less keen on, which means a lot of shrubs. I pick off slugs and snails as much as I can - especially early on when new growth is appearing. They love clematis shoots so that's one area I target, but I think that's the most effective method.
I no longer grow susceptible plants as I don't have time to cosset them and I don't like using pellets. I believe some people have success with grounds but I think you need a constant and hefty source!
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Hmm point well made Fairygirl, but I want to persist especially with some of the veg I grow, so I'll be covering them with anything I can get my hands on! I've had to throw in the towel with delphiniums & lupins - so many (expensive) failures. I do have quite a hefty supply of coffee grounds from the friendly folk in the staff coffee bar at work so I'll see how that goes! Thanks for your help - I'm braced for the season!
Hi, I agree with Fairygirl, if slugs and snails like your conditions it's a losing battle. I used to be on clay in a damp area (overrun with them) and now I'm on chalk/flint and higher up there's definitely few(er) slugs.
I did find nematodes made a difference on my clay soil, but only after 2 years and it doesn't do the snails. Flowers like Campanula and Penstemon they stayed away from.
If it helps, on my new veg patch last year i put a low raised bed in, ran some copper tape all around it, put paving stones in between and invited all the wildlife in - bird feeders, baths, bug hotels, pond. I found quite a lot of cracked empty snail shells near the veg patch but very few slugs and snails. O, and for the first time ever I only watered the veg patch in the morning, never the evening, however hot the day.
Good luck.
I gave up on delphiniums a very long time ago! Lupins as well
Encouraging wildlife in as much as possible is a big help - but it can be hard to get a balance early in the season if there's a mild spell and everything starts growing. The slugs just have a field day. It's the same with aphids.
I also tried sandpaper round the top of pots, but it does get wet so not 100% effective.
Being vigilant at this time of year until plants get going helps most I think, but it can be difficult if you have a lot of plants to check.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I think coffee grounds are somewhat acidic, so you might want to restrict their use to lime-hating plants, or at least avoid using them on things like brassicas.
I tried coffee grounds [along with many other ideas], firstly the used grounds from my coffee; when that did not work I put down coffee straight from the packet so all chemicals in it had not been diluted. That did not work either. Now I have a mix of not growing ornamentals that slugs love [lupins and delphiniums] and using pellets around salad seedlings to get them through their vulnerable stage.
It is caffeine that is poisonous to slugs so coffee grounds don't have much effect as a deterrent as all the caffeine should have been drunk leaving none in the grounds. Caffeine has not been approved for use as a pesticide so cannot be sold as such however nobody can stop you disposing of unwanted cups of coffee on your garden
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Hi Just a comment about coffee grounds. I left some for about a month in a bucket with a lid on. When I took the lid off the grounds were full of worms!!
Slug pellets and good old fashioned salt is the best way