Mollusk Wars
Slugging It Out With the Slimy Critters.
By Rachel Foster 3/3/05

Slugs and snails, the bane of Oregon gardeners, were the subject of an engaging exchange of e-mail last fall between members of the Eugene Permaculture Guild. Forget oyster shell, diatomaceous earth, and, perhaps, hand-picking slugs, unless you find it personally satisfying. (With snails, though, PP finds hand-picking remarkably effective.) Spearing slugs with a skewer seems to be an especially popular variation, although DH commented, "Slugs in tight places sometimes slip off a down-facing skewer. Try an upward curve as a semi-hook." To which Q responded, "you are such a meany, David."
EZ, a Buddhist, eschews killing. She reported gardening in raised beds made of Trex. "When they were built, they had copper strips attached on the outside. The strips are about one and a half inches wide, and maybe four inches from the top of the bed. I think perhaps the copper has some effect. It's hard to know for sure." She added, "Learn to recognize snail and slug eggs. They are a cluster of perfectly round things, like alive tapioca pearls. They will be in the soil, about three inches down."
An interesting method, new to me, came from JH. Apply a 1-inch barrier of red wheat bran around each plant. "The slugs and snails go after this yummy substance and then seem to desiccate." Apparently the bran is inexpensive at feed stores and easy to work with. It needs to be reapplied after rains or when it cracks. She adds, "I store it in the bag in a metal trash can. Be sure the lid is tight." The bran idea won a quick endorsement: "I got the suggestion from Jude's permaculture class two years ago and have had great results."
What about those supposedly earth-friendly iron phosphate pellets? As DH pointed out, "NCAP's staff scientist, Caroline Cox, thinks Sluggo's [probably] OK. She's very conservative and rarely recommends any registered pesticide product." And PP said "I have personally had pretty good control using Sluggo, but I feel most people do not use it correctly. It is applied quite sparingly and preferably not right on top of tender young plants."
Then there is the carnivorous approach: snails can be captured, fattened up and eaten. Alternatively, let ducks and chickens run free in the garden during the winter and spring. They'll eat slugs as well as slug eggs. Protect anything already tender and green. As PP commented, "Ducks ... adore all garden greens and are best used in a fallow garden," and also, "Garter snakes are great on mollusks and encouraged in our garden."
Two more thoughtful contributions from PP: "Be sure not to kill our native slugs and snails. They cause little garden damage and belong in the forests. When making a pitfall trap or bait trap for slugs, please DO NOT put the opening level with the soil...... you will be killing beneficial beetles such as ground and rove beetles, both of which feast on slug eggs and tiny slugs."
My own thoughts? Like many gardeners I know, I snip the poor brutes in half with my Felcos. And like EZ, I try to keep a dry environment. As for copper strips, I learned somewhere that they need to be new and shiny to provide the shock that makes them effective, and about 2 inches wide.