Strawberries and slugs

[aluckyguess]

I am having a problem with slugs and my strawberries, as soon as they get almost ready to pick these little slugs eat holes in them. What can I do without putting any poisons down?

[Ross McKay]

If you're in Australia, encourage the blue-tongue lizards. We have a couple that make the occasional appearance around here and have not had a problem with snails or slugs since their arrival.

If not in Australia, well... do you have an animal there that likes eating slugs and snails? (Ducks, perhaps? or do they like strawberries too? :)

[Art Kesler]

Get some Sluggo. Non-Toxic. Even OK to use with pets and kids around. Not a poison. Good stuff. Stops slugs. They stop eating and die. I've used it for years now.

Art

[Billy]

I'll second that. Active ingredient is ferrous phosphate (iron phosphate on container). It is non toxic to mammals (you and me and our pets, unless you have a pet gastropod).

Locally, you can get Sluggo at $10/lb., or Ortho Ecosense brand at $5/lb. (found at Home Despot) Bill who putters got the straight poop (chemical), and that worked out to $1/lb or so. We may have to threaten to post a picture of him with his finger in his nose to get him to divulge. Problem is it took a number of months, and many crises of faith before it arrived.

[aluckyguess]

Thanks

[Pavel314]

I put copper mesh around my mushroom garden to keep the slugs off.

[Merryb]

Someone told me crushed egg shells- it slices them when they crawl over them...

[aluckyguess]

I want to thank you again, just picked a bunch of strawberries and no slugs.