Slug is none other than a gastropod mollusk. And if in dry and sunny weather the number of pests is restrained by natural factors, then constant rains lead to an increase in the population. This immediately affects the condition of your garden plants. Garden snail is a terrible pest. Attacking cabbage and other delicate cultures, it leaves only the gnawed bits of gorgeous leaves. Of course, the plant dies or is far behind in growth. Today we’ll talk about how to get rid of slugs on the site. This is not too difficult, but if you give the snails a chance, they will greatly spoil the appearance of the garden and make it impossible to give a good harvest. Therefore, the sooner you notice the enemy, the more likely you can do without much loss.
Who is your enemy
To organize an effective fight, you need to find out what the pest loves, how its rhythm of life is organized. Only after this can one begin to choose the means for its destruction. So, today we are looking for ways to get rid of slugs on the site. As already mentioned, the slug looks like a snail, only without the carapace, which he lost in the process of evolution. His movement is rather slow, and on the ground he leaves a wet footprint that scares away natural enemies. It is worth adding that this is a night robber who tries to spend time in darkened, humid places during the day.
Nutrition and Reproduction
Since you can get rid of slugs on a site only knowing exactly where in the garden to wait for their attacks, this is valuable information that is extremely important for us. Breeding begins in the fall, when snails actively lay their eggs. Clutches fully ripen by spring. Therefore, after harvesting, it is so important to clean up the area, collect and burn all the grass, and with it the eggs.
And the slug feeds on absolutely everything, but it deals especially great damage to leafy vegetables and berry crops. The traces of the visit are easy to evaluate by carefully inspecting the crop. Huge holes will gap on the leaves of cabbage, which greatly spoils its appearance. And the gentle bushes of berries can disappear altogether. Only twigs will stick out of the ground the next morning. According to the mucus dried up on plants and the earth, the culprit can be calculated. Now it remains to decide how to get rid of slugs on the site, and get down to business.
Ways to fight
Summer residents and slugs have been fighting for so long that the arsenal is very impressive. There are ways that our grandfathers used, and modern insecticides. Each of them has its pros and cons, so each of you need to choose among them the most suitable for yourself. Speaking about how to get rid of slugs on the site forever, you need to understand that you have to use a whole range of measures. This is the only way to provide quality protection of the garden from the snail.
Spare no effort and time
For retirees and people who love spending time in the garden, mechanical methods of struggle may be the best choice. This includes the entire arsenal of actions that the gardener makes with his hands. Ask any summer resident about how to get rid of slugs on a garden site, and he will name manual assembly of wreckers as measures of control. All you need to do is go out into the garden early in the morning, go around all places with high humidity (including traps) and collect snails. But the bypass takes a lot of time, and you need to do it every day, otherwise the effectiveness of the fight will be minimal.
The second option from this group is exposure to high temperature. In order not to harm the plants, use hot water. In this case, you will also need to enable the pests to get to the plants, and then destroy them by pouring hot water. That is, the optimal time is night or early morning.
The effectiveness of such a struggle
Slugs on the site can be defeated using these methods, but you need to understand that the time spent will be enormous. Mechanical methods will be effective only when the gardener spares no effort, studies the habits of the snail and regularly checks all the places that can serve as a shelter from the sun and heat. In the event that this is unacceptable to you, and you do not want to use poison on the site, pay attention to the following option.
From the experience of generations
Moms and grandmothers can tell how they dealt with attacks of the naked snail. These funds are good because they are safe for humans and animals, and also do not require material investments. Let's learn more about how to get rid of slugs on the site in folk ways.
- Planting herbs. This is the best solution that nature tells us. In order to block the path of a garden snail, it is enough to plant rosemary, laurel, garlic and dill around the perimeter of the plot. In addition, you will provide yourself with a crop for the whole year ahead.
- Traps. The fight against slugs on the site can be done by different methods, and one of them is the creation of collection sites for them. To do this, along the beds at night spread sheets of burdock soaked in beer. Slugs crawl under them, attracted by the smell, and also driven by instinct, which makes you seek shelter from the sun. Remember to check the traps and collect the snails. You can also dig around the perimeter of the plot cropped bottles with bait. These are vegetables and fruits, dog food. Slugs will crawl inside, but they will not be able to get out.
- Ditches. This is another effective way when the beds are surrounded by shallow trenches. It is good to sprinkle them with salt, pepper, tobacco dust.
- Natural enemies. Since you may not have enough time to fight slugs on a site, entrust this to the natural enemies of the pest. Of course, this method is not suitable for everyone. If the summer cottage is located near a forest or a reservoir, you can try to attract hedgehogs and gray toads, which will gladly save you from the invasion of a naked snail.
Chemistry in your garden
Today, there are many drugs that guarantee the extermination of harmful insects by 100%. Of course, the use of chemicals carries a certain risk, therefore it is recommended to leave this method in case there are a lot of pests and you need to quickly stop their invasion. A large number of snails in rainy weather can leave you completely without a crop.
A review of all modern drugs will take a very long time, so we restrict ourselves to considering only a few examples. In any country store, you can ask the consultant about the available range of tools and features of using the latter.
Metaldehyde
One of the most famous and inexpensive drugs. It is produced by several manufacturers, so it is always on sale. It is packaged in bags and cans, representing a small blue granules. The basis of this drug is a tetramer of acetic aldehyde. Granules attract snails in the same way as beer or fermented juice, so you do not have to look for them, they crawl themselves. The duration of the action is impressive, from 14 to 21 days. The only negative is the quick decomposition after rain. It is enough to go through the rain a couple of times, as you have to repeat the treatment again.
The drug should be scattered in the early spring, when the snails only hatch. It is fatal both with external contact and with ingestion, since it destroys the digestive system. The drug is dangerous for pets, as well as for children who like to eat berries without thorough washing.
"Storm"
For many years, it is considered one of the most effective ways to deal with a garden snail. It is produced in the form of blue granules, the base substance is metaldehyde. This is an intestinal and contact drug, which exerts its effect upon first contact with the body of the slug. Pellets attract snails with their smell and literally dry them, absorbing mucus. And after eating the poison, the slug dies within two hours.
"Ulicide"
And how to get rid of slugs in a summer cottage without endangering anyone? There are modern drugs that kill only the snail. For example, "Ulicide", which consists of iron phosphate and auxiliary components. After ingestion of the mollusk, the drug slowly dries it. It usually takes a week before he dies. Granules are resistant to erosion, so it can be used even after rain. In addition, this poison is completely safe for insects and animals. At the end of the season, the granules break up into natural elements, that is, iron and phosphorus.
How to perform processing
In principle, there is nothing complicated. Processing should be done in the spring, when planting is still small. If necessary, drugs can be added during the season, trying not to get on the plants themselves and especially on the berries. Since you need to deal with slugs in the garden area pointwise, pay special attention to plantings such as cabbage and strawberries. Garden slug first of all will try to get to them.
Try to protect pets from contact with toxic substances. Dogs and cats should not walk in the garden without your control. It is also important to protect children from possible poisoning. If age permits, then conduct explanatory conversations. If not, then refuse to use chemicals in your area.
Preventative measures
The main thing is to regularly inspect the site. If damage appeared on plants that had not happened yesterday, then it is worth thinking about protecting plants from a snail. If a garden is attacked by several snails, then they can be caught by hand, without resorting to chemical methods. It is much worse if the pests firmly established themselves in a new place and postponed numerous masonry. In the spring of them there will be a huge number of hungry creatures that will eat everything that you plant on your beds. In this case, you will need to try very hard to destroy the pests before they rob you of the crop.
Instead of a conclusion
A snail is a dangerous pest that can leave you without a crop if you give it a chance. Not only is he disgusting in appearance, he is also incredibly gluttonous. If he has good living conditions, he will give great offspring, and next spring hordes of caterpillars will move to your landings. At the beginning of the season, they need food especially for growth and development. And the young seedlings are still too weak to withstand the pressure of pests and release new leaves. But in the spring, the gardener has a significant advantage: cabbage did not have time to grow luxurious leaves, so the snails have nowhere to safely hide. A close inspection will reveal an enemy who can be defeated in any way possible.