Have you been noticing jelly-like ovules on the top layer of your soil?
Slime trails in your garden? Or strange damage to your plants in the form of the foliage being consumed with different-sized holes?
If so then you might have a problem with slugs in your garden!
These pesky guys are known as slugs and slug eggs. Slugs may seem to be harmless creatures due to their appearance, but they are far from harmless.
They are said to be a plant enthusiast’s worst nightmare and biggest enemy!
Slugs and slug eggs in your garden and pot plants can cause great damage great despair to the average gardener.
This issue, however, is one that can be easily remedied once the slug eggs and slugs have been identified.
Slug eggs in soil?
Slug eggs can be identified as small, round, jelly-like ovules that can be found usually under debris on the top layer of soil of plants. They’re not a good thing as these eggs grow into adult mollusks that feed on your plant’s stems and leaves, ultimately destroying them.
Best place to search for slug eggs
Slug eggs, as mentioned above, are small, round, jelly-like ovules that are usually transparent and have no distinct color.
Adult slugs usually lay their eggs on the top layers of soil under some sort of debris and these eggs. If you won’t remove them, these eggs will grow into adult slugs that could potentially ruin your plants and your garden.
Slugs are jellied like mollusks that live under the top layer of soil.
The best way to identify slug eggs in your garden and pot plants is to search under the debris in the soil and surrounding rocks.
Slugs tend to lay their eggs in hiding so they may not always be visible at first glance of the plant and soil. They are also usually minute in size, which makes it difficult to spot them at first.
Slugs and snails are attracted to environments that suit their needs best.
Slugs love living and laying their eggs in wet, damp soil as the moisture in the soil keeps their jellied mollusk bodies hydrated.
For this reason, you might have better luck finding and removing snails in the early morning or in the evening when the sun is down. Slugs prefer to be active during this time as there is not much overheating and evaporation.
Also, one thing you should take note of is that slugs are also very attracted to the foliage of plants that are high in nutrients.
For this reason, you will often find slugs and slug eggs being laid near your lettuce, cauliflower, cabbage, and marigolds.
Implications of having slug eggs in the soil
If you find these jelly-like slug eggs in your soil, you should remove them at all costs immediately.
Slug eggs can hatch as early as two weeks after being laid and once they have hatched they can be a menace.
Slug eggs are not good for your plants, ultimately causing great damage to them. Slugs love to feed on the roots and stems of most vegetation. They also feed on leaves, flowers, fruit, and vegetables.
This makes slugs one of the worst pests to have in your garden or in your pot plant as they can damage all your plants and vegetation through their feeding habits.
If too much foliage on your plant is damaged the plant can start to wilt and die.
How to remove slug eggs from the soil
Once you have found and identified the slimy larvae of slug eggs it is advised that you remove them from the soil.
Slug eggs can be removed by using various different methods.
One of the ways you can remove slug eggs is by pouring slightly soapy or salty water on the identified slug larvae. This will act as a natural poison and kill the existing eggs.
Another method that can be used to remove slug eggs is to pick the eggs off of the soil using a latex glove and tweezers and place them in soapy or salty water.
You can also simply break the eggs using tweezers.
Bleach mixed with water can also be used to kill slug eggs. Make sure to remove the eggs from the soil first before you submerge them in the bleach mixture you made.
The fact that slugs lay their eggs on the top layer of soil and that these eggs are very soft and fragile means that taking a gardening folk or gardening spade and churning or plowing the soil will easily remove and kill any slug eggs that have been laid.
Tips to prevent snail and slug infestations
Monitor and control the slugs and slug eggs in your garden by digging a few holes that are approximately 6 inches deep and 4 inches wide.
Thereafter cover the holes with a thin board. This is a nice way to trap slugs and prevent them from laying eggs in your garden or in your pot plants.
It’s a good idea to place plates with water and baking yeast all around your garden. This acts as a natural deterrent and poison which will keep the slugs away and remove slugs that find their way to the plate.
It is sometimes necessary to removes slugs from your garden by physically hand picking them out.
As previously mentioned, slugs are usually active in the early mornings or late afternoons going into the evening. This is therefore the best time to search and pick out slugs from your garden.
Copper tape, eggshells, and pencil sharpenings are very useful for preventing and controlling slugs. Placing these sharp and scratchy materials in the soil of your plant will defer the pests from laying eggs there.
Daniel has been a plant enthusiast for over 20 years. He owns hundreds of houseplants and prepares for the chili growing seasons yearly with great anticipation. His favorite plants are plant species in the Araceae family, such as Monstera, Philodendron, and Anthurium. He also loves gardening and is growing hot peppers, tomatoes, and many more vegetables.