The Question Is...

My garden seems to be over-run with slugs this year. More so than last year. They are devouring my Cobbitty Daisy plant. Eating nearly all of the greens off of it. Leaving only the flowers.

I know about the poisons to eradicate them but I don't like using poisons in or near my garden. I'm an organic gardener.  A few years ago, I read in Fine Gardening magazine that if you cover the soil around plants with pennies, the slugs will not bother them. There's something in the copper that gives them a slight shock.

We have banana slugs like the ones above. And some other type that are short and black in color. My dear husband does "slug patrol" in the mornings when he can. He simply tosses them into the tall thicket bordering our yard.  At a snail's pace, it will take them a while to find their way back to my plants. : )

You can see the damage done to this Hosta plant on it's right side. I did the penny trick last summer but have not as yet tried it this year. I've been procrastinating.

You can see a small slug up inside the foxglove bloom on the right, along with a teeny tiny one.  I'm curious to know if any of you out there reading this, might have your own kind way of discouraging these little garden creatures. My flowers and I would be most appreciative to hear from you. 

Happy gardening!

xo Colette

Comments

[alicia]

I've used Sluggo, an organic product you can buy at any of the stores here locally. Last week I was at Pierson's and they actually let me try Sluggo Plus for free--I've yet to come to any conclusion on that one. I've been reading about putting out a butter dish of beer. Apparently they will crawl into it and drink till they are a problem no more. Did the penny trick really work?

[colett]

Hi Alicia,
I'll check on that one called Sluggo. Sounds like the product is organic but maybe still kills the slugs? That's another problem for me. I used to use the beer one...only put it in jar covers on the ground. They do crawl in and then die. These days I try not to kill critters. Just discourage them. Yes, the penny trick did work pretty well. But I had to keep going around to unearth some of the pennies now and then that got partially buried from the rain showers. Our weather lately doesn't appeal much to getting out there in the garden. Come on sunshine!
Thanks for stopping by!
xo Colette