Spraying the vinegar directly on the slugs will dry them out. If the slugs are gathered under an object like a board or pot, you may want to move them somewhere more accessible before spraying. You can clean up by using a hose to wash away the remains, or just leave them in the garden.
A spray bottle filled with plain white vinegar is a great cure for slugs that aren't on plants. An extremely effective mollusk dissolver, vinegar is also an herbicide-so don't spritz the salvia. 15) Or Garlic. New research has shown that garlic kills slugs.
Pouring salt on a slug will kill it in a matter of seconds, however, it generally takes quite a bit of salt to do so. The salt kills the slug through osmosis – it draws water from inside the slug and rapidly dehydrates it.
“Yes”, pouring salt on a slug will kill it, but you shouldn't do that in or near your garden. Although it also kills slugs, applying vinegar for garden slug control is also a bad idea. Both salt and vinegar can be absorbed by your plants and result in damage or death.
Vinegar is non-selective, meaning it will damage any plants and turf grass it touches, not just the weeds you are trying to kill. When you spray the vinegar onto weeds, make sure it isn't hitting other plants. If that isn't possible, paint the vinegar onto the weeds with a brush.
A vinegar water mix or just straight vinegar will kill snails and slugs but must be sprayed directly on them. It works in the same way as salt does. Vinegar is an acid and dissolves the mucus soaked slime blobs we call snails and slugs. Put salt on a slug and the same thing happens.
Plants that slugs hate
As well as those with tough leaves or woody stems that they find difficult to chew. The robust lacy fronds of shade-loving ferns and thick leaves of Geranium, Bergenia (Elephant's ears) and Saxifraga × urbium (London pride) are all too thick for them to sink their teeth into.
Scissors and Spades: A Quick, 'Humane' Death? Cutting slugs with a pair of scissors or splitting them with a spade are perhaps the most widespread methods, apart from trampling them to death. This quick death is considered 'humane' and the least painful way for the animals to die.
Plant slug repelling plants
Astrantia gives off a scent that repels slugs and snails and so acts as a natural pesticide. Wormwood, rue, fennel, anise and rosemary all have the same effect.
Garlic, Lawn Chamomile, chives. Some plants repel most slugs and snails and these may have a deterrent effect when planted alongside or used to make an extract. Many gardeners swear by garlic as a natural pest control. Some say chives are effective it the leaves are tied around vulnerable plants; sounds fiddly.
Baking soda sprinkled onto slugs will kill them. But a far more effective way to deal with slugs in your garden is by attracting birds and other creatures that will eat them.
Sprinkle salt
Sprinkling salt on slugs will kill them, but avoid sprinkling it too much as plants are also adversely affected by an excess of salt. It's therefore best used when far away from valuable plants.
“Instead, we've suggested nine alternative methods that will help you get rid of any slugs and snails in the garden, and then stop others from returning.” Slugs love citrus, so don't throw away your orange or lemon rinds. Instead put them in your garden to bait the slugs and snails away from your plants.
“Salt essentially draws the water out of their skin – an osmosis effect – and they die within minutes of dehydration,” says Dr Gordon Port, senior lecturer at Newcastle University. “Slugs and snails are extremely dependent on a high water content in their bodies. They constantly need water to replenish any the lose.
Some birds, frogs, toads, hedgehogs, slow-worms and ground beetles eat slugs and these predators should be encouraged in gardens. Raking over soil and removing fallen leaves during winter can allow birds to eat slug eggs that have been exposed.
Nematodes are the best way to kill slugs naturally – simply water onto the soil around your plants and let them get to work. Salt kills slugs naturally, however, it takes a lot of salt and should not be applied near your plants. Other methods to kill slugs naturally include beer traps and vinegar sprays.
But are these slow-moving creatures poisonous or dangerous? While slugs are slimy and damaging to plants, they are not poisonous to humans. However, some of them may carry diseases and parasites, such as the rat lungworm, that can be dangerous to other animals and us.
Vinegar can be used as a natural pesticide.
It contains acetic acid, which dries out and kills pests like slugs. To prepare your solution, simply pour the white vinegar into a spray bottle. You can also replace the white vinegar with apple cider vinegar.
As vinegar is mildly acidic, it will kill any snails or slugs it touches. However, vinegar is toxic to vegetation, so only spray snails or slugs that haven't yet reached your plants.
Hydrogen oxide (separately, a great cleaning agent and antiseptic), if mixed with vinegar, creates peracetic acid, as vinegar contains acetic acid. This combination of vinegar and hydrogen peroxide is potentially toxic and corrosive, which can break down or damage the surface it is applied to.
While vinegar is an excellent tool for repelling certain insects, not all bugs hate vinegar. Specifically, aphids and fruit flies love the scent of vinegar and will seek it out. You can use this to your advantage by creating traps.
Running water over it may save it, but you should do it right away. You may want to cut the plant back to encourage new growth and to get rid of the dead leaves from the vinegar.
Always on the lookout for safe, effective ways to kill weeds, I was willing to try it after reading a 2002 report from USDA researchers confirming that vinegar, or acetic acid, is effective at killing some common weed species, including Canada thistle, lamb's-quarters, giant foxtail, velvetleaf and smooth pigweed.