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You won't see the result immediately, but keeping a dryer garden is the best method for long-term slug control. Here are some tactics for making your garden less friendly to the damp-loving pests: Water plants in the early to mid morning, so the soil dries before nightfall. Install drip irrigation to minimize water use. Keep the yard free of debris, and mow the lawn regularly. Avoid organic mulches, such as straw or grass clippings. Space plants far enough apart to allow air flow between them. The following plant preparations all deter slugs to some extent, if you can find them in your local gardening store: Oak leaf mulch or tobacco stem meal, spread as a barrier around plants Wormwood tea, made from steeping artemisia cuttings in warm water for 24 hours. Strain and combine with soapy water, then spray onto soil or slugs. Purchase strips of copper foil wide enough that the slugs can't bridge it with their bodies. Use them to form a barricade around your plants or planting beds. Young children may cut themselves on the strips. Spread salt on the surface where the slugs are crawling around to kill them by drawing out moisture. Be aware that salt can easily kill plants and ruin soil. Use this around the base of potted plants on a porch, or place a barrier on the soil prior to spreading the salt in order to protect the integrity of the soil. Avoid using salt in situations where it can come into the contact with water (like when rainy weather is likely or a sprinkler is running). Water can dissolve salt and wash it off of "safe" surfaces and into the soil, harming soil quality. Frustrated gardeners have thrown just about any substance in their garden to try to keep slugs away. The following are the best of these homemade solutions, but are unlikely to deter 100% of slugs: Coffee grounds may have mild effects on the health of your garden. Sharp, coarse sand scrapes against slugs, but may not deter them completely. Seaweed is not as effective as plain salt, but perhaps a little safer for your soil. Calcified seaweed meal is better, if you can find it. Certain plants keep slugs away because of their taste, texture, or toxins. Plant these in a barrier around the entirety of your garden, or keep one near each other plant. These are not 100% immune, but they will deter many slugs for no effort besides the initial planting. Try the following species: Herbs: ginger, garlic, chives, mint, and chicory. Vegetables: bitter greens are generally less appealing to slugs than sweet greens. Try planting kale, spring cabbage, or sprouting broccoli. Hosta varieties with blue leaves are more resistant. Flowers for full shade: Astilbe, Dicentra, Digitalis (foxglove), Lobelia, Viola (some pansies and violets). Also Ranunculus (buttercups) and Vinca, but these spread rapidly. Flowers for partial shade: Phlox, Campanula, Hemerocallis. Also Mentha, but this spreads rapidly. There are several materials that can kill slugs on contact. These can be used to make effective barriers to prevent slug movement, but they must be used carefully and kept dry. Improper use can hurt your garden (and even the people or animals who use it). Be sure to apply these materials to non-soil surfaces except where noted: Safety warnings: Do not inhale any of these substances or handle with bare hands. These may not be suitable in gardens where children or pets play. Diatomaceous earth: May harm beneficial insects. Wood ash: Raises soil pH, which can affect plants. Hydrated lime: Raises soil pH greatly. Can make soil uninhabitable for many plants. 1% Caffeine spray: Applied directly to the plants you want to protect; kills slugs when they feed. Can negatively affect many plants in unpredictable ways.
Keep your garden dry. Create mulch or tea from certain plants. Make a copper strip barrier. Sprinkle salt on non-soil surfaces. Build folk remedy barriers. Grow plants that deter slugs. Consider using more powerful (but more hazardous) barriers.