Sneaky Slug!!! What do do about potential others
 

Hello everyone!

I kept noticing a hole here and there on my den nobile. I had repotted it, so I thought that there shouldn't be any issues with the media or any little hitchhikers who came along for a snack.

Unfortunately, I was wrong! I noticed another little hole in a new keiki growing on the plant, so I unpotted it and found the culprit!! A nasty little slug! It was a quick bugger, too. It immediately ran to the plant and I threw it all away, slug included with his last meal.

I haven't seen any slug or snail trails. I haven't noticed any signs of damage on any other plants, and the den nobile was on the lowest shelf by itself, away from other plants. However, I have my den antennatum in bud now, and I noticed two new roots seemed to be bitten off. However, there are 5 times as many new roots that are not bitten off, and I don't see any slugs or snails in the pot. No slime trails. They even left the supple fleshy green new growth alone.
I am soaking the plant in water now probably until evening so hopefully the little bastards in there will come to the surface or drown.

What else should I do?
How do I eliminate them in my small home collection? How do I even know they are there if I can't even see slime trails on anything?

I am going to feel paranoid that my other plants will have slugs!! Argh– little monsters! I repot all my plants and I try to remove every last little bit of media and visually inspect the roots, but apparently slugs are sneakier than I ever thought! Argh!

Soaking the entire plant will make the slugs appear, remove and toss them.

I've never seen a fast slug?

Brooke

It moved like 2 inches in about 10 seconds. I would say that is really fast.
Awful little thing eating my plant! Haha. I guess he was fast in slug speed.

I don't know ow you keep your orchids, but if you use salt to coat the surface you have your orchids sitting on, it will prevent slugs from moving from plant to plant

sorry to ear about your SuperSlug :( tricky little thing.

I'd be very hesitant to use salt on the surface of any plant media - it will dissolve into the media, and any more than quite small amounts aren't good for plants
http://ucanr.org/sites/uccesc/files/51474.pdf

I think they meant to circle salt on the shelf the plant sits on, not on the media itself.
A circle of salt will keep slugs AND witches away!!

---------- Post added at 06:21 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:18 PM ----------

My orchids are all grown indoors and the only slugs I get are ones that have come from the seller!! The rest of my collection is slug free!

But that is a good suggestion.
I love Gastropods but not if they are eating my precious orchids!!

Don't know if it'll help but in the veggie garden what I do is put out small buckets filled with beer - they are attracted to it, crawl in and drown (that's a way to die!) - so maybe if you did that? They are also active mostly during evening/night.
I put out small cups of vinegar to catch the adult gnats which works well, so you know, it might help..?

I haven't seen signs of other slugs...
I couldn't leave vinegar out because I hate the smell though!

We once did that to get rid of a nasty fruit fly infestation in the kitchen though, and used apple cider vinegar. Drop a drop of dish soap in to break the surface tension, and watch them sink in to their deaths.

It's gross, but the bottom of that cup was entirely covered with icky dead bugs by morning! Ew! :biggrin:

Oh the disgusting things we have to do to make our life better! :D Haha. Definitely agree - vinegar stinks, but oh well, it works. I really hope you get the sucker!

Cheap wine attracts gnats as well as does vinegar. I would rather smell vinegar than cheap wine, but chacun à son goût.

I know growers who set their greenhouse bench legs in containers kept full of soapy water. This prevents ants, slugs, snails and other crawlers from getting to the plants, and the soap prevents mosquito survival as well.