Has anyone actually USED Sluggo?

[fargosmom]

DE would be detrimental to beneficial insects in the soil. Sluggo is a more targeted approach. However, the link Degroovie provided is very informative. I should have been more suspicious. However, it seems like the hens are doing a good job of keeping the slimy population down all by themselves - I haven't had much damage to my plants, after all, so I haven't needed to use any snail poison. Yay for hens!

 

[lazy gardener]

Thanks all for the info re: SLUGGO. I also have the same question, and have read a little research that indicates that the product is not as benign as the manufacturer would lead us to believe. I've used it in the past, not sure if I will again. I'm hoping that by turning my girls loose in the garden, that they'll eradicate a lot of next years crop of slugs before they have a chance to hatch! My biggest garden issue is protecting my lettuce crop from those slimy nasties. But, if it's only a lettuce bed that needs protecting, and if the chooks don't do an adequate mop up before the lettuce gets planted, I'd opt for fencing the lettuce, and judiciously using sluggo on an as needed basis. Every year at this time, I say... next year's garden won't be such a jungle... In my jaded minds eye, I see orderly garden beds with nice wide mulched paths that perfectly fit my little tractor, with happy little chickens munching their way between the beds. Reality says, it'll be a jungle again by mid June!!!

 

[Brookliner]

My grandfather in Washington State used shallow pans of beer to trap the slugs - some were the size if small snakes. The slugs are drawn to the beer and drown when they can't climb back out. We used to throw the bodies in the burn barrel and watch them melt. I remember picking them off the front sidewalk at night ugh! Luckily in New England we don't seem to have a problem. I occasionally see a small one on my hostas...but that is about the only ones I see. Good luck.

 

[Darabbit4u]

I have one Bantam chicken. She is a much loved pet who comes when called, sits preening or sleeping next to me when I read in the garden, and walks into the utility room to put herself to bed every night. I live in Washington and of course have lots of slugs. Two years ago I dispersed Sluggo throughout my back yard. A few days later I noticed my chicken was listless and had a very pale flesh colored waddle and crown. The only thing new was Sluggo being added to the yard. It took weeks for her to recover.
I still use Sluggo but use common sense too. No more wide distribution. Put the Sluggo down the center of each slug susceptible plants. Slugs will find it.
I also recently did research to educate myself more on slug control. There is a slug institute that studies this stuff! Top 3 organic deterrents:
1. Water early enough that yard is dry by night. Studies show this one thing cuts slug populations in your yard by 80%!
2. Keep your yard clean. No old boards, nursery pots, propane tanks, yard detritus. Get it all off the ground!
3. Trim all leaves laying on the ground off.

This summer will be my first time in testing these treatments. I have put Sluggo down the middle of my susceptible plants. My nursery pots are stored in black plastic bags by size in my attic. I'm sporting a backpack blower every couple weeks keeping dropped spent flowers and other yard fodder clear. And I'm done watering by early afternoon on sunny days and earlier on the gloomy days. We'll see how it goes!
But to reiterate, my chicken got very sick within 2 days of using Sluggo! Use caution please. Also, I moved a rock recently and lying underneath was a little millipede. It was dead, laying in a coil with a piece of Sluggo still clutched to its mouth. I'm not here to judge, just share. If you're concerned about ALL your backyard inhabitants, this stuff kills, end of story.