How to get rid of garden slugs organically

Snails and slugs have been the bane of gardeners for generations. And while over time, many methods have been developed to control these slimy pests.

Hand Picking

Hand-picking and disposing of slugs and snails does work, because if you gather up all the adults before they reproduce, things will get dramatically better, because the tiny ones you miss, don't do the most damage. Discard snails or put them in a bucket of salty water to kill them.

Setting Traps and Hunting

This method's goal is to coax snails and slugs out of the flowerbeds into what they think is a safe haven. In reality, it's a haven you're going to throw away every day.

Laying on the ground

·         Cabbage leaves

·         Citrus fruit rinds, moistened with water

·         Dry pet food

·         Stale beer

·         Mixture of yeast and honey

·         Dry cornmeal - it will kill slugs by expanding inside them

·         Sprinkle salt on non-soil surfaces (salt can easily kill plants and ruin soil quality)

Barrier to slow them down

Scratchy things such as crushed eggshells, sandpaper, cinders, wood ashes, and diatomaceous earth (this will need replacing if it gets wet).

Natural deterrent keeps them away

Red Bush tea (Rooibos), Mint tea

Why Slugs Hate Salt

The slug contains a lot of water, which is essential for its survival. Sprinkling with salt draws that water out, and the slug dies of dehydration.

Osmosis is a natural biological phenomenon whereby water passes from one region of high water concentration, through a semi permeable membrane to a region of lower water concentration.

Plants and salt

Salt in the soil or on plant leaves triggers osmosis too, this time within the plant cells. Water is drawn out of them to restore the equilibrium, and that’s why leaves burn and the plant eventually dies.