How Alaskans can win the war against slugs

It has been a particularly good year for the gooseberry sawflies, at least at our house. Our plants are naked, save for the ripening fruit. I suppose it could be worse; we don't eat the leaves. The problem is the varieties we use are not sawfly resistant. We need to re-plant with those that are if we want bushes that look normal.

It seems to me we need to figure out how to trap these sawflies. The sprays and concoctions, raking the soil around the plants and other attempts have failed. I am on it.

So thanks to our naked gooseberry shrubs, loss of leaves has been on my mind this week. And just as I was about to start a column regarding the need to protect your other leaves from slugs by putting out beer or yeast traps, I received a note from a loyal reader with another idea. It seems, judging from the very convincing accompanying photo, that vegetable oil and soy sauce also does one heck of a job attracting and eradicating slugs. It's pretty darn close to a salad dressing, if you ask me.

Even without having tried it, I can tell this one is an attractant just like the yeast in beer. If you choose this method, put those slug-attracting baits just outside the garden, not inside it. You want to draw slugs away from your garden, not bring them into it!

This was the second time this week someone mentioned a slug remedy I have not tried. A great gardener friend noted to me this week that she uses pennies around her plants to keep the slugs away. Copper tape around the wood of raised beds has been used for years, so pennies make plenty of sense to me as long as they still contain copper! The mucus the slug produces to travel on sets up an electric current when the slug touches copper. It would keep me away, too.

Two discussions of slugs in one week is a good indicator that they are here and gardeners need to take protective action. If you don't like either of the options discussed above, other gardeners swear by a slug-dissolving spray consisting of ammonia, soap and water. Basically it is a mix of one part ammonia to four parts water, with a few drops of liquid soap as an optional add-in if you are worried about your aim, and add to a spray bottle. The soap will make whatever does hit the slug stick better. A couple of squirts with this stuff and the slug is mucus. (If you add soap, be sure to check the manufacturer's warning; not all household chemicals can be safely mixed together.)

My mother swore by grapefruit rind traps. She loved a good grapefruit and apparently so do slugs. Mom would take the hollowed-out halves and use them as slug traps, making little domes for them to slide under.

Some folks tell me they only use crushed egg shells for slug control. These make it hard for a slug to navigate and can be placed around your plants. Really? Seems like a lot of work to me. Plus, I would rather the egg shells go into the worm bin or compost pile. Still, if you have chickens, you may decide it's worth a try. Nutshells, sand and diatomaceous earth are similar kinds of barriers some folks say they use. But I tend to doubt their effectiveness. They may work, but only for a short time.

OK, now how about the slugs that hit the pots and containers on your deck? One suggestion is to coat the rims with a barrier of petroleum jelly. I suppose you could put a circle lower down so the slugs don't even get that high. Oh, and don't forget that under these containers is great slug habitat and daytime hiding spots.

Coffee, specifically the caffeine in it, is a repellent for slugs. The problem is, what kind of coffee? Actually, "how strong?" is the real question. For me, water content of the soil and rain make anything but the grounds useless. The grounds do seem to at least cut down on slug numbers and they are terrific for the soil. The worms love 'em too, so why not try it? But use it in combination with other remedies.

Finally, I know some folks claim chickens are great slug eaters. That may or may not be so, but there is no way I am keeping chickens. (I did that as a kid.) Now a cute little hedgehog, on the other hand, claimed to be a mighty slug devourer, might just be the animal to deal with my slugs.

Whatever your weapon, now is the time to go on the slug attack. Oh, I hate to use that kind of metaphor when dealing with nature, so let's just say it is time to help your plants protect themselves against slugs. There are lots of ways, but you really do have pick one or two — and act now — or else.

Jeff’s Alaska Garden Calendar

Alaska Botanical Garden: The nature trail is closed until fall due to bears, but the garden is open, and just telling your visitors that bears are around should get them off your couch for a few hours on a self-guided tour.

Wine in The Woods fundraiser: Alaska Botanical Garden's second annual wine tasting on Thursday, Aug. 3 from 6:30-9:30 p.m. features more than 100 wine tastings, hors d'oeuvres, live music, commemorative glass — and, of course, the garden itself. $75 wine tasting ticket; $40 designated drivers (must be 21 or older to attend — no babes in arms or children). For more information, visit eventbrite.com/e/wine-in-the-woods-tickets-36373013663 or call 907-770-3692.

Spittlebugs: They look disgusting, but they are harmless, which is good because you can't spray them away.