This is the time of the year to battle the fall slug population. They are out laying eggs right now for winter hibernation.
I will be putting out the Child/Pet safe Sluggo this week. The more I can kill now the less eggs that will be laid.
This wet/damp weather sets them to laying.

@valleylynn
Questions about applying the Sluggo.
~ Do they make it UN-kid and UN-pet friendly?
I don't need to worry about either where I am located and the UN stuff would prbly be stronger and kill better.
~ Cut dwn and remove everything then apply the Sluggo, correct?
I'd buy a couple of chickens and or snakes to dine on those tasty treats (pests) if I didn't think the chickens and snakes would escape to my neighbor's yards and they'd report me to the police for having them.
I don't think our local jailhouse lets inmates use computers so I'd never get to read your response.
Your friend Shaw, the novice city girl gardener.
*Learning MORE as I cruz and read all the terrific info shared @ this wonderful site!*

Shaw, up to recently there has been 2 main types of snail/slug bait on the market: metalfahyde and iron phosphate. Metaldahyde has been around forever and is the active poison in regular snail bait. It works quickly (you may find dead snails and slugs the next day after application) but it has been linked to accidental poisoning of pets and other animals. It is not labeled for use around food crops and breaks down quickly in wet conditions.

Iron phosphate, on the other hand, is sold as being non-toxic to animals. Slugs/snails will stop feeding after ingesting this type of bait (Sluggo is a major brand) but it can take up to a week for the snail and slugs to actually die. Any excess bait not eaten fertilizes the soil. It is typically preferred over metaldahyde in humid and rainy conditions, too. I am hesitant to say that it is absolutely safe, though,as there appears to be a handful of reports suggesting otherwise but it is labeled as the "safer" alternative. Unlike metaldahyde, it can be used in the vege garden, also. This is the type of snail/slug bait that I use (Sluggo brand).

There is a newer bait on the market, sodium ferric EDTA, which is suppose to be similar to Sluggo but which actually kills the snail/slugs within 3 days. I cannot comment on this one as it is new to my area and I have not tried it.

I hope this info helps.

Thank you OldGardener. Great explanation for Shaw. I too use the one safe for pets and children, as I also worry about any other animals that may come into my yard, including the birds.
Something else I learned is that most people apply it way to heavy. It needs to be applied very lightly. Since we have so much rain during fall/winter/spring this one is also bait of choice, for your reason listed above.
Also because I can use it around the veggies.
The PNW is the land of slugs, the slug capital of the US.

Shaw, I am so glad you have not acquired chickens. I would miss you terrible. And I am way to far away to come visit you in jail.

Thank you, Lynn, for being so gracious about me butting in.

You have brought up an excellent point regarding the application rate. I have to wonder if people over-apply it because of the delay between ingestion and actual death (??).

Although Sluggo appears to be more expensive pound per pound than the metaldahyde-based baits, I find it to be more economical to use as it really holds up well under irrigation (So Cal is the land of sprinkler systems) Years ago when the only option was the toxic stuff, I would have to re-apply snail bait every 2-3 weeks as the original stuff would melt away rapidly. With Sluggo, I have to re-apply every 2 1/2 to 3 months instead so it really works out to be much cheaper in the long run, too.

You were not butting in OldGardener. That is what makes this place so great, everyone pitching with with their experience/knowledge. We all learn from it. I know I did from your first post.

HEEEELLLLOOOOOO Ladies!
OK, OK, you’ve BOTH convinced me that I should NOT use the heavy duty stuff as I never even thought about the birds eating it.
*Duhhh Shaw duhhh!*
I wonder if the birds die when they eat the poisoned slugs?
I spect if they eat enough of them?
@ any rate Sluggo it is.
PLUS, I am going to spread the egg shells AND the coffee grounds I’ve been saving for this festive slug killing fiasco.

My other question was….
Should I clean everything out of the area b/4 I treat it or will the slugs not show up if they have nothing to chomp on?

Thanks to both of you for the responses!
Shaw


Well, I am thinking the chicken and snake thing wasn't such a good idea after I saw this pics.
They prbly would not have gotten the job done when they were eyeing ea other up while dreaming of a tasty treat.
The good thing... I don't have worry about wearing zebra print clothing while clanking my cup on the bars of my cell.
@valleylynn I know I could have counted on you to make me a cake w/ a file in it.

The chick photo makes me sad.

I leave a lot of my dead foliage until the end of winter. Some plants benefit from the extra cover protection from freezing/thawing and really cold temps.
Also, some of the seed heads feed wild life.

I agree, poor baby chick.

This is the area that I usually leave to clean up until spring arrives so the birds and other animals that come up from the river can feed on the remains but this is also the area that Rick Corey diagnosed as "slug soup."
It's where my slug soup Blacked Eyed Susans and leave hopper Echinaceas are planted so I want to clean it up before to many seeds fall to the ground and replant themselves.
That's why I was wondering if the slugs would still show up if I removed all of the debis since they wouldn't have much to chow dwn on.

So do you ladies think the slugs will still come to dine if there's nothing there to dine on?
I got my Sluggo (Hubby went and purchased it for me today.) but, b/4 I apply it should I remove everything?
I already, just today, cut the leave hopping diseased heads off of my pink and wht Echinaceas.
I'm so dumb when it comes to stuff like this.... let's talk medicine, then I'll know some answers.

Are your Echinacea still blooming?
Here is a great article on different approaches to controlling pests. Some info I had never thought about. Especially when it comes to our bee populations.

Does the area stay damp? If there is a lot of debris, I would clean it up and apply the Sluggo. Snails and slugs typically seek out the more moist and cool areas here and those are the areas that I tend to treat. I also constantly find slugs making their homes near or in the drainage holes of my pots as well as the depressions about the bottom of my pots so if you have a lot of potted plants, you may want to take a peek there, too.

You can also try lightly cultivating the surface of the soil if you have the time or inclination. Last spring, I found snail eggs (pockets of 50 or more round, clear to white,1/8"+ eggs) in 2 pots when re-potting everyone. A snail must have been busy this summer, though, as I noticed an uptick in baby snails mid-summer among the potted daylilies. The cluster of eggs were close to 2" in diameter and perhaps 1/2-1" from the surface of the soil.

valleylynn said:Are your Echinacea still blooming?
Here is a great article on different approaches to controlling pests.

Link?

Sorry for forgetting the link, and thank you so much for reminding me.
I found the article again. I feel it is a really important one. It brings a whole new meaning to using systemic pest control.
http://www.gardensalive.com/ar...

Thanks Lynn!

I found this article very interesting when it explained the way systemic type treatment can affect our bees and butterflies.

That particular area is dry as it gets full afternoon sun, in fact both sides of the backside of the house on ea side of the deck get full afternoon sun.

I FINALLY got time this wkend (Saturday) to work on removing ALL of the flowers in the area where my Blk Eyed Susans and Echinaceas "were" growing.
I left NOTING for the birds and other animals that come up from the river to dine in our yard during the winter.
*They are going to starve.*
The slug killer was also applied, so next yr I'll see what does or does not come up.
They usually reseed themselves and I am sure that some have fallen and will no doubt grow back.
I did save some of the heads (I am a true seed harvester) from the non-diseased leaf hopper Echinacea heads and, from the Black Eyed Susans as well.
I'll just sow them next Spring if need be.

On the other side of the back end of the house I removed ALL of the flowers from that area as well today (Sunday) these are the ones that Mother Nature and the wind had planted for me, I saved some of those seeds (heads) as well.
They were just my VERY tall Marigolds and self planted (prbly from the wind) Blk Eyed Susans.
I did NOT slug treat that area (wasn't sure if I should or not) because I finally planted my Autumn Joy and Neon Sedum plants on that particular side.
These are the Sedums that I'd potted in early July and have been babying all summer, along w/ the 2 Shopko Sedum plants as well.
We've had bad wind storms that knocked the Shopko Sedum planters over and some of the blooms broke off so I snatched them up and stuck them in the ground too.
Who knows they "might" survive.

Tomorrow (Woo Hoo, I have a 3 day wkend from the clinic!!) I will prbly work on the variety of different types of Mums that I have in the front yard.
I won't pull them just yet but groom them up a bit.

My semps (rollers) are beginning to turn purple-ish as the nights are getting colder here in WI.
I am not even going to worry about them as they always fend for themselves.
@ValleyLynn my dragon's dead now and I clipped "him" off and am keeping the tiny lil' blk seeds.
The other one that sprouted has gotten soggy looking from the chilly nites.
I sure hope those other ones bloom in the summer next yr VS in the fall, they've got their timing way off kilter.

I did run across while I was removing the plants, many spiders and a couple of green grasshoppers along w/ 2 ugly rusty brownish stout wormy looking things that were about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch long... grubs perhaps???
Not sure as I've never really seen a grub except in pics on the net.
Tomorrow I am going to throw my saved coffee grounds and eggs shells in those areas just to be safe.
This gardening thing is taking a toll on my old obese body, my legs muscles are killing me from bending over for so long.
Outta shape winch that I am.

Well, that's it fer now, don't wanna bore u'll too badly.
Have a great week.

Good morning Shaw. Wow, you have really been busy.
Oh my, I just love your avatar photo. Where is that?
Good thinking on saving all those seeds.

Well I have finally treated my shade garden, front bed and all the raised beds for slugs. I was weeding in my largest raised beds when I came across two huge slugs dining on one of the plants. Both were pregnant with eggs. They have gone on to whereever dead slugs go.
I should have come in for the camera. To late.

@ValleyLynn
I love my avatar photo too but not so much now that I found out it was snagged on the net and probably not taken by the friend who shared/sent it to me via email.
Greg asked about it too, he mentioned "Pictured Rocks" so I Googled Pictured Rocks and sure enough there was the same pic.
I told him I hope it's not copyrighted (though I did notice some type of a signature stamp on it) so I don't get into trouble for using it but I spect it's time for me to change my avatar soon anyway.

Glad to hear you got your beds treated, good feeling huh?
How'd you know the slugs were pregnant, were they really fat or could you see the eggs left around your plant?
I Googled pregnant slugs and got grossed out as I found their mating process, ewwwwh totally slimy.