Slugs – what really helps!
A simple way to live with the little slimy creatures
When I still had a garden in Potsdam I was frequently asked what I do against slugs. Unfortunately, I had no answer for a simple reason: I had no slugs.
I suppose it was due to the extreme drought in Brandenburg. In any case, I had no problems at all and only had very little idea of how lucky you are to have a slug-free garden.
After moving to Hamburg, this was to change quickly and in the first weeks it was already clear: Hamburg is a slug stronghold. On wet summer or autumn days, you have to zigzag along the sidewalks to avoid having to constantly scrape the slime off the soles of your shoes. And I always felt a little sorry for every slug I trod on.
This brings us to my personal problem: I can’t kill slugs just like that. A friend told me that she always collects her slugs and then cuts them with garden shears. I admit: I’m just not cool enough to do that, and the idea of touching slugs frequently makes me shudder with disgust. I’m a real wimp in this regard.
Of course, in Hamburg I immediately started researching which method would probably be the best, asked my friends and came to one conclusion: I don’t want to use any chemicals in the garden (not even “organic” slug pellets). But unfortunately, there doesn’t really seem to be a 100 percent safe natural way to stop these slimy creatures. Even if one friend had a good experience with one method, the next one tells me that it did nothing at all for her.
I then decided pretty quickly not to learn through trial and error and test all methods over a period of years. I prefer to take the path of least resistance: I simply don’t plant plants that slugs like. There are an incredible number of different perennials, bulbs, and summer annuals that have developed their own defenses against slugs and are therefore ignored by them. And that’s exactly what I take advantage of!
With perennials, it’s easy for me to do without the so-called slug magnets as there are so many beautiful varieties that slugs are not interested in. With annual summer flowers it becomes already more painful (zinnias!). But the biggest problem, of course, are my beloved dahlias.
But even here there is a relatively simple way: I plant all the dahlias first in tall planters that I put right on my patio and keep an eye on. Only when the plant is about 1 m high I will put it in the bed. Slugs primarily love the fresh shoots and the bright green leaves. In my garden this has worked wonderfully and I advise everyone: if you don’t want to give up slug magnets, then don’t place them in the wet areas of your garden.
To give you a quick overview which plants and flowers from our assortment are slug-resistant varieties and which ones are slug magnets, here is a PDF for you to download and print out.
By the way, when gardening I always try to choose the plants that suit my garden, my soil and my conditions best. Everything else means too much disappointment and work, and quickly takes away the joy. Maybe you also want to go the easy way like me?
