This article was reviewed by Ben Barkan
and by wikiHow staff writer, Emily Liu
. Ben Barkan is a Garden and Landscape Designer and the Owner and Founder of HomeHarvest LLC, an edible landscapes and construction business based in Boston, Massachusetts. Ben has over 12 years of experience working with organic gardening and specializes in designing and building beautiful landscapes with custom construction and creative plant integration. He is a Certified Permaculture Designer, Licensed Construction Supervisor in Massachusetts, and a Licensed Home Improvement Contractor. He holds an associates degree in Sustainable Agriculture from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
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If you have any gardening experience, you’ve likely discovered that slugs can be extremely pesky and destructive pests. They feed on many kinds of leaves, fruits, vegetables, and other plant matter. After all the hard work you've put into cultivating your plants, you definitely don’t want to let the slugs take away from your effort and care. Luckily, vinegar is a cheap and accessible substance that can control slugs, so read on to find out how you can use it! [1] X Research source
Steps
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Slugs like to hide in cool, moist, shaded areas. Try looking under leaves, stones, or logs. [2] X Research source
- If you have trouble finding slugs, try looking at night with a flashlight when it is more cool and damp. For the same reason, you might also notice more slug feeding when it is cloudy or rainy.
- If you notice dried slime trails, that's a sign that slugs are in your garden.
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Spraying the vinegar directly on the slugs will dry them out. [3] X Research source 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.
- Vinegar can damage plants if it gets on them, so be careful not to spray any plants in your garden!
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You can also use vinegar as a preventative solution. Just spray vinegar around the perimeter of any plants you want to protect. This forms a barrier and prevents slugs from crossing. [4] X Research source
- Again, try to avoid getting any vinegar on the plants, as this may dry them out.
- Respray the perimeter after it rains to replenish the washed-away vinegar.
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If vinegar isn’t working for you, you can control slugs in many other ways. Vinegar isn't the only way to keep your garden slug-free. Try one of these other all-natural methods: [5] X Research source
- Keep your garden bright and dry by pruning low shrubs, thinning plants, and improving drainage.
- Grow plants that slugs don't like, including ferns, creeping phlox, Grey's sedge, evening primrose, and clematis.
- Bury a container in the ground so the top is level with the soil, and fill it with beer until about 1 inch (2.5 cm) from the top. Slugs will be attracted by the beer and fall into the trap and drown.
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References
- ↑ https://extension.umn.edu/yard-and-garden-insects/slugs
- ↑ https://extension.umn.edu/yard-and-garden-insects/slugs
- ↑ https://balconygardenweb.com/amazing-vinegar-uses-in-garden
- ↑ https://diyeverywhere.com/2017/10/23/7-brilliant-reasons-to-use-vinegar-in-your-garden/
- ↑ https://extension.umn.edu/yard-and-garden-insects/slugs