Why do slugs die when they’re exposed to salt?
Salt draws the water out of a slug’s body and dehydrates it. Slugs have soft, thin skin that doesn’t offer them a lot of protection. Whenever they come into contact with salt, slugs make more slimy mucus to try and clean off their bodies. After a few minutes, slugs can’t produce enough mucus to protect themselves, so they dry out completely.
Should I salt slugs if I find them on my plants?
No, salt can damage plants and affect the soil balance. Salt may leave burns on leaves, stems, and buds, so don’t sprinkle it near your valuable plants. As the salt dissolves in the soil, it may also draw water out of the roots and kill the entire plant. For the best results, take the slugs to a different spot in your yard away from your precious plants. If you have a potted plant, you could sprinkle salt around the outside of the container, but it will get rinsed away easily or look a little messy.
How do I get slugs off my plants to salt them?
Leave a board on damp soil overnight to make a hiding spot for slugs. Water a patch of soil in the late afternoon and set a piece of wood or cardboard on top of it. Make sure there’s some space between the board and the ground by setting it on top of a brick or stone so slugs can get underneath. Just be sure it stays close to the ground so slugs can easily reach it. The next morning, flip the board over to find a bunch of slugs hiding there. After that, you can pick or scrape them off. Slugs need somewhere to escape from the sun, or else they’ll dry out.
Go out and hand-pick the slugs at night. Go out to your yard in the late afternoon and water the plants where you’re having a slug problem. Wait until it gets dark and go back outside with a flashlight and gloves. Search the undersides of leaves for slugs, and just pull them off by hand to collect them. If you don’t have gloves or don’t want to pick the slugs up by hand, use a pair of tongs instead.
How do I use salt on slugs?
Sprinkle the salt directly on slugs to stop them in their tracks. You can use any type of salt on the slugs. Whenever you have a slug away from your plants, just take a pinch of salt and put it directly on the slug. The slug may start writhing around or making more slime, but that’s normal. Within a few minutes, the slug will dehydrate completely and die. After the slug dies, collect it in a bag so you can throw it away. Since slugs make a lot of slime while they die, it could leave a mess on the floor or ground. It’s best to use salt outdoors away from any plants or surfaces you want to keep clean.
Drop slugs in a saltwater solution as you find them. Fill a plastic container that has a lid with a mixture of 7 parts water and 1 part salt. Whenever you find a slug, drop it in the mixture and close the lid. Leave the slugs in the mixture for at least 2 days before throwing the container away in a plastic bag with your regular trash. Avoid adding slugs to compost since they could contain a dangerous rat lungworm parasite.
Is it cruel to put salt on slugs?
Slugs have pain receptors, so salt could be really painful for them. Some studies have shown that mollusks like slugs and snails still can feel pain, so coating them in salt and dehydrating them isn’t the most humane. If you’ve ever accidentally gotten salt in your eye, that could be a similar feeling to what slugs experience when you use salt.
What other ways can I kill slugs without salt?
Put a beer trap down to attract and drown the slugs. Fill a deep bowl or container with beer and bury it in your yard so at least 1 inch (2.5 cm) sticks up above the ground. The fermented smell of the beer attracts the slugs, but they’ll fall and quickly drown in the beer overnight. Check the container the next morning and empty it if there are slugs inside. Be sure to refill the beer every few days so it stays fresh.
Apply nematodes to the soil to infect and kill the slugs. Beneficial nematodes are small microscopic creatures that live in soil and infect pests with bacteria. Get nematodes from your local garden supply store and mix them with water following the directions on the packaging. Starting in spring, apply the nematodes in the evenings when the soil is warm and moist.
Try feeding slugs bran so they plump up and get eaten by birds. Sprinkle some pure bran in the soil around your plants so the slugs stay off your leaves. When slugs eat bran, they swell up and slightly dehydrate so it’s harder for them to move. Birds will see the slugs struggling to get away and get a free and easy meal.
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