Belcarra Garden Club
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I (Nora) decided to do a little investigating online. Our local slug fiends are the Pacific Banana Slug, the Giant Garden, and the European Black Slug. I never liked the look of the eggshells in my containers and garden, so I also add my crushed eggshells to my worm bin instead. I was surprised to read that the eggshell trick may actually be a myth. The slug’s heavy mucus lets him slide right over sharp edges, even glass. You can see the experimental proof online! If there are traces of the egg’s membrane present, it will actually attract slugs! Nonetheless, there are also other people who still use eggshells as a deterrent. Be sure to crush your eggshells into small “bits” and make the eggshell barrier wide, as slugs can stretch a long way! Coffee grounds have also been suggested as a deterrent.
My personal “battle strategy” is to make “slug rings” around my “slug favourite” plants. I use copper mesh (from Lee Valley) around the bottom of the containers on my deck. For those bigger pots, I put the copper mesh around a smaller plastic pot with the bottom removed and sink it into the soil. This has been very successful in keeping slugs from decimating my new dahlia shoots! Out in the garden, I have used slug rings in conjunction with coffee grounds. This year three “tasty dwarf hostas” were finally able to survive AND flower!
KEEP LEARNING AND GROWING! Nora
Common online tips for slug problems are: clean the area around your plants where slugs might hide, keep a vigilant “slug patrol”, water in the mornings, use slug bait that is animal safe, use barriers around sensitive plants as a deterrent, encourage predators, and grow plants they don’t like (lavender, ferns, lantana).
Will Crushed Eggshells Keep Slugs Out? (allaboutslugs.com)
http://www.allaboutslugs.com/eggshell-myth-busted/
Warning: Eggshells Actually ATTRACT Slugs - Laidback Gardener
https://laidbackgardener.blog/2015/07/14/warning-eggshells-actually-attract-slugs/
Get Rid of Slugs in the Garden | Easy 6 Step Plan (allaboutslugs.com)
http://www.allaboutslugs.com/6-step-plan-to-control-slugs/
17 Ways to Get Rid of Snails and Slugs (with Natural Ingredients) | Pest Control FAQ
https://pestcontrolfaq.com/17-ways-to-get-rid-of-snails-and-slugs/
12 ways to deter slugs
https://www.treehugger.com/ways-get-rid-slugs-naturally-4858817
Lee Valley – copper mesh
https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/shop/garden/pest-control/insects/51241-copper-blocker
Wonder of Slime - Slugs & Snails on a Razor's Edge - YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3MeFpXCXj0
Banana slug:
ADW: Ariolimax columbianus: INFORMATION (animaldiversity.org)
https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Ariolimax_columbianus/
Leopard Slug - The Animal Facts - Appearance, Diet, Behavior, Habitat
https://www.theanimalfacts.com/insects-spiders/leopard-slug/
Black slug - Invasive Species Council of British Columbia (bcinvasives.ca)
https://bcinvasives.ca/invasives/black-slug/