Slugs are slimy , soft - bodied , legless mollusks , built like escargot with no shells . They can do harm to eatable and cosmetic plant by chewing through leaf , fruit and young plants . permit ’s take a look at basic fact about slugs , their gadget characteristic and penchant as well as action we can take to minimize slug scathe to our plants and crops .
Slug Basics
Slugs are typically grayish or brownish . Their head contains two sets of feelers : the upper exercise set are their eyes and the scurvy ones are their smellers ( see lead photo ) . Their size of it varies from ¼ ” to more than 4 ” long depending on the fussy type . They are hermaphroditic , meaning that they carry both male and female reproductive organs . Their life starts as pocket-size circular bollock that overwinter under works debris , mulch , boards or in dirt . They think up in spring or early summer . They typically lie orchis at 2 years and can live as long as 6 .
Slugs prefer cool , moist , fishy environments . Their bodies emit a squiffy sludge that protects them from desiccation or drying out . They prey off both decorative and comestible plants , include both fruits and vegetables and are most active from twilight to dawning and in full shade during showery days when soils are moist . They prefer temperatures of 70 level or less , making spring and fall their most active periods .
Slugshave data file - like mouth parts that scrape ragged maw in seedling , plant leaves and sonant yield . favored foods include basil , bean , bread , corn , lettuce , strawberries , marigold and many other herbaceous and lush plants . Ragged holes are an index of slug infestation . muck track that make a dampish surface that they can travel over are another indication of slug activity when the slug itself is not visible .
When they are not feeding , slugs congregate in sheltered places like under ledges , porch or decks , stone walls , mulch , garden debris and in the soil .
Actions to Help Manage slug
Basic preventive measures that can help manage slug invasion include :
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Slugs can be a destructive garden invader feed off a across-the-board miscellany of fruits , vegetable and decorative plants . They are tricky to catch since they are most active after dark and at different times during the growing season . Also , recommended treatments may run counter to our normal practices , like mulching around plants . Nevertheless , there are a variety of actions gardeners can take to prevent or at least minimize slug legal injury . I hope the data included here is helpful and that the beginning listing below supply the steering take to identify the culprits and minimize any negatively charged effects they may bring .
Sources :
Home Lawn & Garden : do Earwigs and Slugs in the Vegetable Garden | Center for Agriculture , Food , and the Environment at UMass Amherst
Slugs in home garden | UMN Extension
Managing Slugs in Crop Fields and Gardens – Maryland Grows ( umd.edu )
Management Considerations for biff : Do insect powder work out ? | Integrated Crop Management ( iastate.edu )
punch are making tracks on my garden favorites ! – MSU wing
https://xtension.oregonstate.edu/sites/default/files/documents/12281/managingslugssnails.pdf
