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Thursday, July 23, 2009

Slug Bait

One thing that's for sure during a rainy season is lots and lots of slugs. My garden has never had a slug problem in the past but this year I see quite a bit of damage from those nasty creatures.

Slugs love shady spots and Hosta are like candy to them. Yet, some varieties of Hosta are slug resistant. I don't know if it's that they don't taste good or that the leaf is thick enough to make it difficult for the slug to eat.

One thing it's not though, is location. As you can see in this photo, the dark Hosta 'Grand Marquis' is hole free while the white variegated Hosta above it looks like swiss cheese.

There are a number of remedies to rid your garden of slugs. I save egg shells and put them around delicate plants. Slugs will also crawl into bowls filled with beer and then drown but I have an aversion to emptying bowls full of dead slugs. One organic product that I've had excellent luck with is named 'Sluggo'. I think I'd better pick up a box or two!



2 comments:

  1. I've had a huge slug problem this year too! We just got a few containers of 'Sluggo' at a local nursery and we're keeping our fingers crossed. My variegated hostas are also full of holes, I've been cutting off some of the really bad leaves.
    Bonnie

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  2. I have eliminated my slug problem with hostas. In late fall when leaves are dead, but before ground freezes I remove all the leaves and then apply about a half cup of Ortho Bug-Getta snail and slug killer. In the spring when the shoots are up about an inch or two I again apply another half cup of bug-getta around about a 10 inch area.

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