Protect Your Hostas From Slugs & Snails Part 3
- John Plant
- Feb 27
- 5 min read
This is a popular and very emotive subject that we have discussed every year.
I suggest that you read this blog as well as look at the 2 previous blogs on the subject. (see links below).
February offers us an advantage over the slugs as we can get ready for them before they become active.
Slugs and snails have overwintered in their safe places and will be ready to wake up, just as soon as the weather warms up a little. They are usually hiding under loose slabs, or underneath pots. Anywhere that they don’t get disturbed much at all. Have a good look around for them now, and dispose of them as you see fit.
Don’t just throw them over the fence, as they will be back in a day or two.
Snails are nocturnal creatures, so the best time to collect them is at night using a flashlight. This is when they are most active and visible, making it easier to gather them for disposal.
Beer traps can be a moderately effective way to control snail populations. Snails are attracted to the yeast in beer and will crawl into the trap and drown. However, they need to be checked and emptied regularly to prevent them from becoming breeding grounds for mosquitoes in the summer months.
Life Cycle
Before delving into disposal methods, it’s helpful to understand the snail’s lifecycle. This knowledge can inform preventative measures and make your disposal efforts more effective.
Eggs: Snails lay clusters of eggs in damp soil or under rocks.
Juveniles: Young snails are tiny versions of the adults.
Adults: Adult snails reproduce and continue the cycle.
Controlling the snail population often starts with targeting the egg stage by disrupting their egg-laying habitats. Regularly clearing leaf litter and overturning rocks can significantly reduce their numbers.
How to stop snails eating my Hostas?
The first thing to ensure you have healthy Hostas. Preferably slug resistant varieties. Slugs will attack anything if the job is easy, such as dying leaves, damaged foliage or weak plants.
Consider attracting natural predators, such as Birds, toads and the ever lovely Hedgehog. Build natural breeding areas such as plenty of trees for nesting birds, maybe a pond for toads & frogs, and encouraging Hedgehogs by allowing access from neighbouring gardens and feeding them. There are proprietary feeds on the market, but one of the main foods to steer clear of is dairy products. Hedgehogs are lactose intolerant and can’t properly digest lactose, which can lead to digestive issues such as diarrhoea. For more hedgehog feeding information, check out the link below.
Back to the snails… some control methods.
Handpicking.. Moderately effective but time consuming and you have to dispose of them.
Copper Tape.. Moderate effectiveness and low environmental impact. Expensive.
Diatomaceous earth… (a natural powder to sprinkle around plants) but only effective in the dry. (if you can find it?)
Beer Traps.. Moderately successful but still need to dispose of them.
Pesticides… high effectiveness but low on environmental values. (slug pellets).
For potted Hostas, emerge the whole plant, foliage and all, in a bucket of water for a few minutes. The slugs will displace themselves and will either sink or float.
Dispose of as you see fit.
As a nursery with thousands of Hostas I need a really effective method of Slugs control.
For the last few years I have had the same regime, and it seems to work for me.
We start as soon as the pips start to show in the spring. We give a sprinkling of organic slug pellets. Then every 4 weeks, once the foliage has grown, we spray with our own mix of Garlic Spray. (see link below for recipe). We do this until the leaves start to go over.
We also spray nematodes for slugs. Once in the spring and again in late summer. We also spray nematodes for Vine Weevil in between.
The hard landscape also plays a part in slug control. We have a selection of surfaces that slugs just don’t like particularly gravel & slate. It won’t stop them but will slow them down.
You can use a number of household items by sprinkling on the surface of pots such a coffee grounds, eggshells, & wool pellets.
Not everything will work for everyone, so you need to get your own regime sorted.
Try a few natural slug repellent plants such as foxgloves, geraniums, fennel, any of the onion family including garlic.
It must be noted that if snails had a choice they would generally go for the easy option, so why not give them a sacrifice crop. Sow some lettuce regularly and plant nearby.
What I love about all of these solutions is that a lot of people will try more than one of them, and that’s ok! Find one that works for you, and carry on using it.
Hostas are beautiful plants, and the challenge of keeping slugs & snails from your Hostas, is really worth it.
Hostas tend to be able to handle whatever nature seems to throw at them. Every year they come back up, and carry on regardless. I just love them!
You may be surprised at the are large number of Hosta varieties that are slug resistant. Varieties with thick ribbed leaves, blue leaves or those with a waxy layer are far more resistant to attack.
Take a look at the dedicated section of our website featuring the resistant varieties .
Some fun facts about slugs!
Slugs do not need a male to reproduce. They are hermaphrodites and can fertilise their eggs all by themselves. No wonder there re so many of them!
They can easily hide in the smallest of places as their body mass is made of water which can take any shape, and they can move surprisingly fast.
Yes! Slugs do have teeth. These are called denticles. How else do you think they can eat so much? They can eat twice their own weight daily. They can have between 20,000 & 27,000 teeth. I wonder who got the job of counting those?
Some slugs can grow up to 25cm long and sometimes live for up to 6 years, in favourable conditions. They have 4 tentacles. The top pair for sensing light, and the lower pair for smelling and tasting.
They can survive without food or water for several months, by entering a state of suspended animation, known as aestivation.
Slugs do play a beneficial role in our gardens by helping decompose organic matter. So not all bad then!
Please take a look at our previous blogs for a fuller picture.
If you want to overdose on Hosta Knowledge & discover all our past Hosta blogs click here
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John Plant
Rewela Hostas
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