9 Ways to Keep Slugs off Your Hostas
You're not alone if you enjoy hostas’ easy-maintenance and lush foliage but struggle with slug damage. In this article, organic farmer Jenna Rich will discuss nine ways to keep slugs off your hostas.
Contents
If you’re like me, you have a shady corner of the yard featuring hostas. They’re low maintenance, elevate a simple entryway or patio area, and have many fun color and style variations. If you’ve ever noticed their foliage suddenly resembling Swiss cheese, it’s a sure sign that slugs have been there. They’ll leave irregular holes in the leaves or chew off entire leaves at the stem. It’s not a great look!
One of the worst things about slugs is you can’t always see them as they come out to feed at night, feasting on your hostas while you sleep. Shaded, moist, and cool areas are where hostas thrive, which, unfortunately for us, is also the perfect environment for slugs.
There are plenty of organic ways to deter them from your hostas, but which ones work? If you’ve experienced slug damage on your hostas, keep reading as I discuss nine ways to keep them off them.
Organic Slug Bait
Organic slug bait is an OMRI-approved granular product and a safe choice for organic growers. The granules, a blend of mollusk bait and iron phosphate, are a gentle yet effective solution for slugs and snails. They cause indigestion and discomfort in the pests, leading to their eventual demise. The pellets break down into soil fertilizer, posing no threat to wildlife, pets, or children.
It’s important to note that these pellets will naturally break down over time and after rain, necessitating re-application. This regular maintenance ensures the continued effectiveness of slug bait in keeping your hostas safe. While they’re non-toxic, placing them on the soil surface is best to prevent accidental ingestion.
Copper Barrier
Place a physical copper barrier, such as tape, around your hostas, leaving no gaps for them to squeeze through. Use this along the edges of raised beds, planter boxes, pots, trees, and plants like hostas, away from electrical wires and outlets. The copper may be sharp along corners, so secure it safely, especially if kids play in the garden.
Copper interacts with slugs’ slimy secretions. When they encounter this copper barrier, slugs are likely to high-tail it out of the area. Monitor the area closely and remove any slugs trapped inside the barrier several days after applying the copper.
An alternative to a copper barrier is coarse salt, which will dehydrate and kill slugs.
Remove Slug-Friendly Hideouts
Remember, slugs love dark, moist, and cool areas and will make a home anywhere in the landscape that suits their needs. To remove places slugs gravitate toward, remove:
- Random unused boards
- Landscape fabric
- Large rocks and flat stones
- Debris after weeding and pruning sessions
- Buckets and containers that may hold water
- Heavy mulch, particularly in the spring
While slugs will find a home just about anywhere they can, if you limit these items, you’ll have less slug pressure.
Good Habits That May Deter Slugs
Here are some healthy garden habits that may help deter slugs in general, making them less likely to come after your hostas:
- If you have naturally wet soil and a humid climate, add compost where needed to ensure your soil is well-draining.
- Remove unnecessary mulches like woodchips and straw that slugs can use as a breeding ground.
- Avoid overhead watering to keep foliage dry. Water in the morning so plants are dry into the evening and overnight when slugs come out to feed.
- When pruning annuals, remove lower leaves to make it harder for slugs to climb up them. The harder it is for them to thrive in your landscape, the more likely they will move on to the next.
- Stake plants to keep them off the ground.
- Proper spacing among plants is needed to promote healthy air circulation.
- Planting hostas in raised beds makes it more difficult for them to get to them.
Attract Natural Predators
When you attract a pest’s natural predators, you allow nature to work out the problem and restore balance. Luckily, slugs have many predators, and attracting them will benefit the garden.
Ground beetles, fireflies, ducks, native birds, turtles, shrews, toads, and snakes will make a snack out of slugs. Leave hiding places like tall grass or cover crops for snakes to hide, and keep your eyes peeled for toads and frogs hiding out under the canopy of bush beans and tomatoes. You can even make a toad hole!
Birds will appreciate native plants, fallen seeds, and brush piles where they may build a nest. Having a clean water source nearby will naturally attract native pollinators.
Coffee Grounds
While you should note coffee grounds’ effects on soil pH levels, this is more of a concern in edible gardens. Adding a ring of coarsely ground coffee around the base of hostas shouldn’t alter the pH excessively. Slugs hate the grittiness of the grounds and won’t pass through it to reach their midnight snack.
Pro tip: Always do a soil test before adding new products to determine the baseline.
Beer Traps
When done right, you can trap slugs with beer. Make a trap using an old food container with a lid. Trim it to size and bury it so the bulk of the container is underground and the lid is at the soil surface. Put an inch or so of beer in the bottom of the container. Slugs are attracted to the smell and taste of yeast, and when placed throughout the garden, they’ll crawl right in and get stuck in the liquid, ultimately dying.
If you don’t have beer on hand, you can also make a sugar, water, and yeast mixture or sourdough starter discard. For best results, check traps regularly and reset them as needed.
Human Hair or Animal Fur
Slugs detest crawling over human hair and scratchy animal fur. Make a ring around your hostas with hair from your hairbrush or after you brush your pet. A bonus effect is that the smell may also deter other critters hungry for your hostas!
Crushed Eggshells or Garden Grit
In general, slugs won’t slime their way over anything sharp that causes them discomfort. Eggshells and garden grit are readily available and inexpensive. I recommend trying various products to decide what works best for you.
Ensure eggshells have been thoroughly washed and dried before crushing and spreading them around to avoid bad smells and attracting unwanted critters. Grit made from granite, sand, or stone will work.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do slugs love to feed on?
Slugs go after young transplants in the spring and fall as they thrive in cool, wet environments. They’re attracted to decomposing plant debris, vegetables, ripe fruit, and annual and perennial flowers. Unfortunately, they’re not too picky!
What strongly-scented herbs can I plant near hostas to deter slugs?
Anything in the allium family, such as onions, garlic, and chives, as well as mint, rosemary, lavender, and fennel, make good companions and may help deter slugs.
Can I grow hostas in the sun to avoid slug pressure?
While most hosta varieties do best in partial to full shade, some larger, thicker varieties can handle partial shade, although their blueish coloring may be affected. ‘Sun Power’, ‘Big Daddy’, and ‘Montana’ are sun-tolerant hostas.
