Slugs, damn slugs

As fresh, pale green growth first appears so do the slimy, rapacious slugs. Some plants are ruined for the whole year and may even die if the slugs aren't held off. This March so far has been a bit cold for them to venture out, but it will warm soon enough. This is war and I am ready.

First, I protect the most vulnerable plants with a moat of slug-repellent pellets. The pellets don't hold long in Portland's wet weather and must be replaced once a week. I use Slug&Snail Bait by Lilly Miller which purports to be safe around animals. No problems (knock on a half-dead eucalyptus) in 4 years. Clearly, it's Monkey-approved.

Second, I make nightly rounds, headlamp strapped on, and bamboo skewer a steady spear in my right hand. In my left hand, I carry a small bucket with an inch or so of cheap beer (Hamms!). Skewered slugs are dropped into the beer. No mercy.

Finally, in the Fall (slugs slack off in the summer when it gets warmer and drier) I'm especially diligent about the nightly obliteration ritual, and I also put down "walking planks." That's a thin piece of wood soaked in water (or, Fall rain) which slugs congregate on the underside of. Sluggy walking planks get tossed in the firepit. No mercy.

The more slugs I can eliminate in the Fall, the fewer there are to breed in the Spring. But, it's a war never won, a battle always waging.