Die Slugs Die!

sluggo didn't do it?

 

Would you be able to apply diatomaceous earth to help with the slugs or are these mounted?

 

Do you believe they are hiding within the pots or mounts? If so, I've had luck submerging the whole thing in room temp water, maybe with a tiny bit of mild dish soap as a wetting agent. The slugs will be forced to come to the surface (they can't stay under water for very long) where you can then pluck them off with forceps and dispose of them as you see fit. It may take 10 or 15 minutes. Works for snails (though they are slower to emerge) and ants, too. Of course, this is only practical if you're dealing with a small number of plants. I have no idea what your setup is.

 

Toxic granules. I've been using metaldehyde-based bait & it works quite well at keeping them out long enough that the sun comes up & I can squish 'em. Metaldehyde causes them to salivate profusely & in a dry environment they'd normally die of dehydration. But in a greenhouse with high humidity they can actually recover & go on to eat root tips another day. What the chemical does that's useful though is it seems to prevent them from rushing back into their hiding places so in the morning after applying the bait they'll be out fully exposed where I can get to them. It's worked very well for me. Sluggo's different - I think it's iron chloride and it works differently. I've sprinkled it around also but it's hard to say if it's working or not.

The holy grail of slug killers is Mesurol (methiocarb). I'm studying for the pesticide applicator's license exam now so I can buy and apply it legally.

 

Get some liquid metaldehyde, and spray your whole GH with it. Then turn off the water for a few days. Slugs can survive the effects of metaldehyde if they have a wet place to escape to. You want all of your plants and mounts to be dry before you water again. Repeat the process in about 10 days to get all of the newborns that survived the initial treatment. It's nerve racking to let everything get so dry, but the plants don't mind too much.

 

I've had zero luck finding liquid metaldehyde in California. Anybody know of a trade name for over-the-counter liquid metaldehyde in Cali?

 

I've found it sold as Sluggit, but I don't know about it being available in California.

 

I'll check it out. I see it's available in South Africa and something similar in the UK. Thanks.

 

I sell a product called "Tree Tanglefoot". It is a gel containing castor bean oil that was designed to keep birds away from building ledges. It is sticky and irritating to their feet. It is also a great crawling insect and slug/snail barrier, when used in a similar fashion as copper sheet around bench legs or on the wire hangers of hanging mounted plants. I used it all summer to keep ants away from my hummingbird feeders.

 

There is an alternative remedy and that is coffee! Why not try soaking coffee grounds in water for a day or so and using the filtered solution as a spray? Then spread the grounds around the base of benchposts or around pot surfaces. It works! Instant coffee works too.

 

I've had good luck getting rid of snails and slugs in the greenhouse and around the yard with Kocide 3000. Kocide 3000 is copper hydroxide, primarily used as a topical fungicide/bactericide, preventing botrytis, canker, anthracnose, black rot, etc on citrus, fruit trees, vegetables, roses. It will also kill most any invertebrate which comes in contact with it...namely slugs, snails, sow bugs, and insects. I use it at a rate of 1 tablespoon per gallon of water on plants, and then use it at a rate of 3 tablespoons per gallon of water on floors, benches, and other surfaces. Product labeling states that it can be used up to a rate of 6 tablespoons per gallon of water. Do not use Kocide on Stanhopea, Gongora, or related orchids. Test any questionable species or hybrid for toxicity, however the major species seem resistant to problems. I was informed that Kocide can cause leaf drop in Dendrobiums but I have not experienced this.