Question
Hello and thank you! My outdoor flowers have just started producing their leaves and I already see evidence of their leaves being eaten! I don't see any pests that may be the culprit to this,but I know something is there. Any suggestions or guidance would be so helpful! I live in central Ca. Thank you!

Answer
If you do not see any flying insects, the culprits are most likely slugs. Slugs only eat the foliage and usall come out at dawn and after dusk.

I have tried everything to control slugs, including beer traps, diatomaceous earth, homemade traps, and copper.  I must admit that I抳e had moderate success with beer traps, but it would evaporate each day and got expensive to maintain.

I am happy to say that I抳e finally discovered an effective deterrent.  It is a product sold by a company named Gardens Alive, and is called Escar-Go.  Although it is a pesticide, it is organic, and is therefore non-toxic to humans and pets.  It also stays active and solid even after a heavy rain.  Just sprinkle small amounts around each plant, and reapply every 10 days.  In case you抮e interested, click on the attached website and search for Escar-Go.

http://www.gardensalive.com

If the area is large, making this product impractical, try spraying the soil with an ammonia solution.  Mix one tbs. lemon ammonia and one tbs. of non-concentrated dishwashing liquid per gallon of water. You抣l need to apply this solution twice per week, and preferable in the early morning hours when slugs are most active.

Recent studies have also showed that slugs are deterred by coffee grounds. Many gardeners apply used coffee grounds to their soil as an organic amendment. These same studies have shown that plants with old coffee grounds sprinkled around them have 80% fewer slugs than those not treated. It also has shown that the coffee grounds kill young slugs. They suspect it is the caffeine, but they are still researching the actual cause and effect.

I hope this helps.  Let me know how it works.

Regards,

Mike