Why don't more gardeners know about ammonia for slug control? It does not simply deter slugs or send them elsewhere; it dissolves them. Ammonia is a component of fertilizer and doesn't harm soil or lawns (unless applied in concentrated amounts, such as dog pee in hot, dry weather). It's far cheaper than slug bait. I keep a diluted solution in a spray bottle and squirt a mist along all edges and borders in the yard, either in the cool early morning, or just before sunset. Any slug that catches the mist turns white and dies in moments. Just one trip about the yard will expose dozens, many less than one inch long. Repeating the process one or two more times will rid the yard and garden almost completely of slugs. It takes weeks for any survivors to repopulate.
Why don't more gardeners know about ammonia for slug control? It does not simply deter slugs or send them elsewhere; it dissolves them. Ammonia is a component of fertilizer and doesn't harm soil or lawns (unless applied in concentrated amounts, such as dog pee in hot, dry weather). It's far cheaper than slug bait. I keep a diluted solution in a spray bottle and squirt a mist along all edges and borders in the yard, either in the cool early morning, or just before sunset. Any slug that catches the mist turns white and dies in moments. Just one trip about the yard will expose dozens, many less than one inch long. Repeating the process one or two more times will rid the yard and garden almost completely of slugs. It takes weeks for any survivors to repopulate.