How to get rid of slugs and snails that are eating my plants?

Ptu10412708
by Ptu10412708
  8 answers
  • Dfm Dfm on Mar 01, 2018

    beer in a shallow lipped container, they get drunk and die. use generic beer, not the good stuff. They won’t care

  • Ellis Ellis on Mar 01, 2018

    You could try Sluggo. It's safe for pets and wildlife, is organic, won't hurt the environment. Walmart, among others, sells it.

  • Lael Lael on Mar 01, 2018

    I, like Dfm, used to put a shallow container of beer outside the back door tucked in behind the Helleri Holly bushes, where I thought they lived. It worked. Also, if you have the stomach for this, which I don't, you can pour pure salt on slugs n snails and it's Chernobyl for them. They actually kinda melt. The better solution is to keep a line of salt around your plants and doors and they won't cross it. Otherwise you go the chemical route. Sevin dust takes care of most bugs that eat your plants but remember, you have to reapply it, especially after rain. They are very aggressive with certain plants and flowers and will decimate a bush over night. Sevin Dust those guys. Best of luck

  • Sylvia Stechele Sylvia Stechele on Mar 01, 2018

    I save my egg shells and crush them up then spread them around the soil and on the plants. When the slugs and snails crawl over them the shells will cut them open and kill them. I know it's not very humane but it works.

  • Vicky Hatton Vicky Hatton on Mar 01, 2018

    My solution, too.

  • William William on Mar 01, 2018

    Sink a few bowls or plates in the ground level with the surface. Fill the bowls/plates with (cheap) beer. The yeast attracts the slugs. They drink their fill and drown. Not their sorrows


    Anything you can make it uncomfortable for the slugs/snails to crawl on will deter them. A combination of solutions from everyone here should take care of them.


    Broken nutshells work in the same way as egg shells when getting rid of slugs. Break up the nutshells into small pieces, and create a protective barrier around your plants. Any slugs that come near your vegetables will soon turn the other way.


    Crushed egg shells work as a great home remedy of slugs. This is because slugs don’t like moving across sharp objects, although it isn’t not impossible for them to do, they just prefer not to. Break up the empty egg shells into small(ish) pieces and place around the flowers, plants, vegetables, and fruits you want to keep safe from slug damage.


    Ash and Cinders make a rough protective barrier, and the fine ash also acts as a desiccant that dries the slug out. Wood ash and cinders are preferable. Avoid direct contact with plants.


    Grit and Gravel. The sharp rasping edges of finely crushed ‘horticultural grit’ makes an excellent slug barrier. Coarser gravel is largely ineffective, other than for decorative purposes.


    Sandpaper. Cut rings of sandpaper and slip them round the stems of vulnerable plants.


    Sawdust makes a good coarse barrier around tender plants, also acting as a desiccant that dries the slug out. Hardwood sawdust is most effective, and some people recommend cedar or oak.


    Copper Rings or Discs. Solid copper rings/discs of various diameter, used to encircle single or small groups of plants to inflict a mild electric shock on the unsuspecting slug. Look for rings that clip together. These are easy to slip round established plant stems, or join together to form a larger barrier.

  • Spread Epsom Salts - The coarseness of Epsom salts cut the slugs/snails as they crawl across it and they'll die. Works for me

    Bonus, plants like Epsom Salts

  • Michelle Leslie Michelle Leslie on Aug 02, 2020

    Hi there, it might sound silly but we have a few overturned flowerpots, with a stone placed under the rim to lift them up a bit, scattered around our garden. We check them every few days for snails. They like crawling inside. Grapefruit and orange halves work too. We also try watering our garden in the morning instead of the evening. Snails and slugs like moist conditions so by watering in the morning it gives the surface soil time to dry out by the evening when snails are most active.