Ammonia Slug Control

By

Peg

9/25/11 - I read about using ammonia and water spray for slugs yesterday, so decided to give it a try. The slugs are worse this year than ever before. I sprayed a very large slug with 6 parts water to 1 part ammonia. It immediately started to disintegrate. I went out a few minutes later, and it was completely gone.

I had used a bucket of water, ammonia and dish detergent to drown them in and that worked too. But I like the spray better and it works so quickly. I had planted several little mum plants last weekend and the slugs defoliated one of them in one night, blooms and all! The spray didn't seem to hurt my plants at all, so I think the 6-1 ratio is safe for any plants. I've been gardening for over 15 years, and this is the best solution I've found for slugs.

By Kim Sherrard (Guest Post)

It was great to read all of the ways of getting rid of slugs in the garden but i have a problem in my front living room?Because i have no carpet and just varnished floorboards they seem to come in the smallest holes under the skirting boards. I would love to pull a board up and spray the ammonia mix all under the floor but im a little worried about the smell it would have. I thought being as though it was indoors this may be a problem? Can anyone help? Many thanks ,Kim.

By Greg (Guest Post)

I use 1 part ammonia to 2 parts water, and avoid spraying the plants. Just squirt the slugs. The ammonia breaks down in the soil to provide nitrogen. Don't over use, just as you would not overfertilize!

By

peatmoss

Hi Newt20
Are you still around -- it is now 2006, I have just started using message boards. Just happened to see your sad posting about your dead plants Your solution was too strong! Of course they died. I have been using ammonia for years. It does not hurt my plants except there are cautions. Do not spray on potatoes, and I have never sprayed zucchini. I do not spray on my greens such as lettuce or chard because I do not know whether that is healthy. I understand that some people do (use on lettuce, etc.) But I spray grass (there used to be tons of slugs on the grass). I use on roses, tomatoes, carrots, beans, all my flowers. Spray in evening, morning, or even when it is raining. The slugs just disintegrate. There is a lot of info on the Web sites -- just search for "slugs and ammonia". My sister uses a solution of 16 cups water to one cup of ammonia and she sez it works. I use mixture of 7 cups water and 1 cup of ammonia. I do not use the sudsy ammonia, only the plain kind that you get in the cleaning sections at the supermarket. Whenever I try a homemade solution on plants, I always test on a small portion first. Interested to know if anyone else uses and how.

By

ThriftyFun

I've always found the stale beer in the short pet food tins works good. Just put them around the garden and the slugs love the beer, get trapped and drown. You need to replace it every day for a while. Also copper tape works well for protecting a small bed. Coffee grounds repel them also so pick up some of the used grounds from your espresso stand and circle the bed you are trying to protect with them.

I'd use this sparingly. I haven't tried the ammonia spray but if you use it, I'd mix it 1/4 to 3/4 water and spray lightly on plants. Ammonia is in some fertilizers but spraying it concentrated on the plants seems like it would kill them.
Susan from ThriftyFun

By

Newt

I will warn you that I was told to do this when I was a very new gardener and had a slug infestation. I happily went out 'slugging' at night with my flashlight using the recommended method and arose in the morning to alot of very dead plants!!

Newt

By

gwyar

Slugs also hate salt water and stale beer, both of which are less toxic to deal with around kids and pets. I sprayed the outside of my trailer with salt water and cut the population in half--- just in time for my strawberries.

Now does anyone know how to keep the bunnies from eating my rose of sharon shoots?

By Teresa (Guest Post)

I like the idea of getting rid of slugs. They crawl on my french doors all the time and make awful messes. It is so hard to clean up after them too. You can't hardly get the slime off...UUUGGGHHH!!!!

By

valleyrimgirl

So, you are saying that I can mix this solution up and give all my plants a really good drink, one time per summer, and I should be slug free for the year?? Does it, for sure, not harm my plants? I have some expensive ones that I don't want to lose. What does the ammonia really do?