Question
hi - i wonder if y ou can help?
i started a bunch of sunflowers from seed - now they were big enuf to go in the garden - so i would put these  beautiful little plants in the garden - and after a few days they look terrible - all eaten up by something. whatever is eating them isn't eating the other plants around - just the sunflowers. what should i do? wait til they are bigger & stronger to put them in? or put slug bait out - (i did once and it didn't seem to help - the sunflower seemed to be still more eaten even with the slug bait around it.)
i look forward to any help you can give.
thanks!

Answer
Pamela, there's no question that mature plants are less appealing to slugs than are young seedlings.  Once the plant is fully hardened off, another words acclimated to the environment, the outer layer on the foliage hardens and is not as succulent as the leaves on smaller plants.

I, too, have had many heartaches over the damage slugs have done to my plants over the years.  I have tried everything including beer traps, diatomaceous earth, homemade traps, and copper.  I must admit that I've had moderate success with the beer, but it would evaporate each day and got expensive to maintain.

I am happy to say that I've finally discovered an effective deterrent.  It is an iron phosphate 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're interested, click on the attached website and search for Escar-Go.

http://www.gardens-alive.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'll need to apply this solution twice per week, and preferable in the early morning hours when slugs are most active.

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

Regards,

Mike