For the most part, slugs are detritivores, which means that they mainly eat dead or decaying organic matter. With that being said, slugs will not shy away from eating healthy plants as well, in fact, there are certain plants that seem to attract them, like Dahlias for example.
To prevent slugs and snails from eating your plants, you can use natural substances as effective barriers. Crushed eggshells, gravel, wood chips, or mulch can create a rough and sharp surface that mollusks dislike, preventing them from crawling over it. Additionally, coffee grounds can be sprinkled around the soil near your plants, as slugs are repelled by the bitter taste.
Slugs are a vital part of every garden, without them most of the decaying organic matter will be broken down by bacteria, which not only takes significantly longer but also produces a foul smell. You will never be able to eradicate the slugs from your garden, so do not even try, you should either prevent their numbers from getting so high that they start eating your plants or simply control their access to your plants.
I know that you have probably heard about using eggshells against slugs, do not even try it. Egg shells are jam packed with calcium and they actually attract slugs, at this point you are basically feeding the slugs. If you want to know the pros and cons of having slugs in the garden then check out my recent article Slugs In Garden Good Or Bad? ( Top 7 Pros & Cons ).
How To Stop Slugs Eating Plants?
To stop slugs from eating your plants, there are several effective methods you can try. Start by creating a physical barrier around your plants using materials like copper tape or diatomaceous earth, which slugs find uncomfortable to crawl over. Remove any potential hiding spots for slugs, such as debris, rocks, or dense vegetation.
Encourage natural predators like birds, frogs, or hedgehogs to visit your garden by providing suitable habitats and food sources. You can also set up slug traps or bait stations using beer or a yeast-based solution to attract and drown them. Applying organic slug repellents, such as coffee grounds, eggshells, or garlic water, can create an unfavorable environment for slugs.
Preventative Actions In The Spring
The best way to stop slugs from eating your plants is to prevent them from reproducing in high numbers. When it comes to slugs it is a simple numbers game, the more slugs you have in the garden the more damage they will do to your plants. In order to prevent their numbers from getting soo high that they make a lot of damage, you will have to use slug pellets in the early spring. During this time most slugs will slowly start to come out, and by killing these early risers ensures that the number of slugs that can reproduce in your garden will stay relatively low. If you want to know how to prevent a slug infestation then check out my recent article How To Prevent Slug Infestations? ( Top 11 Proven Ways ).
Plastic Barriers
By far one of the best methods of stopping any and all slugs from eating your plants is to create a barrier between the plants and the slugs. Slugs have a good sense of smell, this is why they can find their favorite plants even in a crowded garden. Putting a transparent plastic bottle on the plant, while they are still young will only allow for their smell to come out at the top. Most slugs will not even be able to smell plants that are covered by plastic bottles.
Although plastic bottles can only be used for smaller plants, and only until they grow large enough that they can actually fight off the slugs. If you want to know what causes slug infestations then check out my recent article What Causes Slug Infestation ( Top 7 Causes ).
Potting Up Your Plants
Pots can be a good defense against the horde of slugs, and the bigger the pots are the safer the plants will be. This is how I actually grow my Dahlias, if I would just leave them in the garden they would be eaten in a matter of days. However, by planting them into pots, most slugs will not find them. With that being said it also depends on where you place the pots, if you put them in the middle of your garden, surrounded by plants the odds are that this method will not work.
Slug Pellets
Slug pellets will stop slugs from eating plants by killing them, it doesn’t get any simpler than that. Although using slug pellets doesn’t mean that slugs will not eat or damage some of your plants. The main problem with slug pellets is that they act fairly slowly once ingested by the slugs, and they have plenty of time to do some damage to the plants before they eventually die. If you are going to use slug pellets, make sure to use them once a week, or whenever you start seeing the slug pellets disappearing from your garden.
Copper Tape
Copper tape against slugs works for some people while it miserably backfires for others. If you have a serious slug problem, then I wouldn’t recommend you to go all in with copper tape, it might not even work for your garden. The higher the number of slugs in a garden, the higher the competition will be for food, and in most cases, something as simple as a copper tape will not stop them. Although copper tape in combination with slug pellets can work wonders.
Sheep Wool Pellets
Sheep wool pellets can act as a deterrent for slugs, although how effective they are, depends on how much of it you are actually using. The thing about sheep wool pellets is that a thin barrier is usually not enough to keep the slugs out. If you have only a couple of plants that need to be protected from the slugs then sheep wool pellets can do the trick if you lay a thick layer around the plants.
On the other hand, if you have a large garden that needs protection from the slugs, then getting enough sheep wool pellets would be simply too costly.
Coffee Grounds
Certain coffee grounds can be a deterrent for slugs, although it entirely depends on the type of coffee grounds you use. Not all coffee grounds are the same, some are baked longer, while others have different extraction processes, and some even use chemicals that enhance their aroma. This is why you can hear some people swear that coffee grounds work for them against slugs, while others complain that it ain’t doing anything.
If you want to test out the coffee ground method, then simply sprinkle a thick layer around one of your plants that have been targeted by the slugs. If the coffee grounds work then you should not see any new damage on the plants.
Water Your Plants In The Morning
Something as simple as watering your plants in the morning, instead of the evening can stop slugs from eating your plants. The main problem with watering in the evening is that most slugs come out to feed during this time, and if the soil is also moist then this is a clear signal for them that it is feeding time. In the cover of darkness, a lot of slugs can do massive damage to your garden plants. On the other hand, if you water your plants in the morning, most of the moisture from the soil will be evaporated by the evening, and the number of slugs coming out to feed during the night will be relatively low.
Key Takeaways
- To stop slugs from eating your plants you should use slug pellets in the spring as a preventative action against the slugs. Every single slug killed during the spring means that there is one less slug that is able to reproduce and eat your plants. Plastic barriers can also be extremely effective in stopping slugs from eating your plants, although they are usually used for smaller plants or for the ones that are sprouting.
- Not every method against the slugs will work for your garden, so you will have to try out a couple of them and see which one works for your garden.
- Avoid using salt in the garden, although it kills the slugs but the salt can also damage your plants eventually.