How to get rid of slugs in potted plants is a worrying issue one would look for answers, because slugs are the most common garden-lover pests that are related to caterpillars and house plant beetles. Severe infestation of slugs can irritate your crops and result in missing seedlings.
There are various methods that can be used to control slugs. On the excellent methods to manage slugs is to use natural predators so read this article as we guide you to the different ways.
How To Get Rid of Slugs in Potted Plants With All Ease?
To get rid of slugs in potted plants easily, you can use coffee grounds, place copper tapes, organic bait, or a slug fence. Moreover, tidy the garden, place beer traps, sprinkle some sand, add natural predators, use companion flowers or resistant plants, and tackle with diatomaceous earth.
– Sprinkle Coffee Grounds
As you go ahead and sprinkle some coffee, you will see that this is an easy method of deterring slugs. These pests do not love the smell of coffee grounds, which is why you can go ahead and prepare your coffee grounds in order to get rid of slugs. You should take and spread coffee grounds near your beloved plants in your garden.
You will notice that if they were used to attack your plants, they begin to avoid them, which will help repel them.
On the other hand, if you discover that the slugs are still attacking your plants, consider mixing the coffee grounds with eggs shells at the same time. You should pulverize the eggshells into small pieces and place them where the slugs love to attack. These will combine and deter slugs completely; in addition to deterring pests, the eggshells will decompose and aid the release of nutrients into your soil.
– Place Copper Tapes
You can use copper tape that reacts with the slug’s slime, resulting in an electric shock. After purchasing the copper tape, use it to surround the areas with your susceptible plants. This technique works well if you want to deter slugs in a small area, and it becomes complicated if you target a large space.
Using copper tape is also effective if you are placing it just inside the top rim of your pots. In addition to this, as you do so, you will see that is easy to wrap on your plants is good.
– Use Organic Slug Bait
Using organic bait is another useful technique that is used to eradicate slugs and to get rid of them in a quick way. Some traditional methods that were used long ago were toxic to wildlife and pests. You should note that baits with methiocarb or metaldehyde are extremely harmful to your pests, so for this, a teaspoon of those can dangerously harm your livestock and people.
You can consider using baits that contain iron phosphate, what you should know is that these are organic baits that are safe and certified. You can sprinkle the bait around the susceptible plants on top of the soil. Once the slugs eat the organic bait, they will die in a few hours. You can use this safer bait on food plants in your garden than natural baits.
– Place a Slug Fence
You can create an electric fence for slugs; for this method, you should fence your beds or pots with an electric fence. You should ensure it runs on a low voltage of approximately nine volts. This will not hurt you and your family as well as your pests, but it is a brilliant idea to get rid of leopard slug the most effective way.
– Let Your Garden Be Tidy
Black slugs, dellocate snails, Arion hortensis, and grey garden slugs love dark and damp conditions, so, if your garden is always tidy, they will not find a place to stay. When spring starts, you should use a rack to remove all the debris, slug eggs, and leaves, and try to tidy up the place. You should avoid using mulch that is three inches because these pests may have a place to stay as they favor moisture.
– Include Natural Predators
Natural predators that feed on other creatures. In this case, you should introduce species that will feed on slugs. Nematodes, fireflies, ducks, and salamanders are excellent predators that consider snails as their prey. You can purchase natural predators and release them when time permits to feed on the growing slug population, and you will see them gone in a period of time.
– Use Beer Traps
Beer traps aim to the death of natural slugs, and it is one of the most effective methods that can be found. If you find tiny small snails in potted plants, use an open container and make sure the rim is the same as the ground while you have poured some beer inside.
The slug will mistakenly dive into the container with beer and come across with their hasty demise. Monitor your slug traps each and every morning. This is why you can do place it in the evening, and by morning time, you will see that they have drowned in the beverage as they were attracted to the smell of the beer.
– Sprinkle Some Sand
This is one of the simplest control methods, so you must consider using it in both outdoor and indoor plants. Like what you feel when sand is stuck at your feet, the nails can also become uncomfortable. You should get sand soil and scatter it near the susceptible plants in spring.
This will eradicate the slugs by reducing moisture. However, some slugs are not necessarily damaged by surviving by eating each other. The most damaging snail in gardens that is common is the Herlix asperca will be impacted the most in this case, as this is one of the simplest methods.
– Use of Companion Flowers
Companion plants can eradicate slugs naturally. This is because the slugs will concentrate on the plants they love. When their loved crops are present, there will never be time to attack your plants. In addition to this manner, you will see how these plants would also add beauty to your garden.
– Use Diatomaceous Earth
Diatomaceous has been used for a long time as the best way to get rid of slugs. It is a great powder you should keep away from water, otherwise, it becomes useless. To use it, side-dress your potted plants so that the slugs will be affected as they get in contact with it.
You can also mix it on some petroleum jelly to deal with slugs. The jelly can assist you to get rid of slugs because it is slippery. The slugs will find difficulties in gripping on the surface where this pesticide solution has been applied.
– Use Resistant Plants
Slugs can damage the plants in your raised beds. The other important way to deter them is to use resistant plants. Resistant plants kill slugs because they do not favor crops that possess as powerful fragranced leaves as many herbs.
In addition, slugs hate plants with fuzzy or furry leaves. Slug repellents together with some slug pellets are a great way of pest control that also repel slugs.
Conclusion
The article elaborated on the various ideas you can choose to eradicate slugs in your potted plants! Let quickly have a quick review of the main points once:
- Using copper tape, slug-repellent, and resistant plants are a great way to eradicate slugs from your pots and garden.
- Slugs love to feed on young growing leaves and main shoots.
- Excessive use of mulch and soggy conditions encourage the multiplication of slugs in your potted plants.
- Nematodes, fireflies, ducks, and salamanders are examples of predators that can eat slugs and snails.
You now have marvelous strategies and gardening tips that are useful in managing slugs in your potted plants, so adopt and implement them.
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