The Problem Index → Garden
Slugs are eating my seedlings
This is the most-repeated garden advice that has actually been tested head-to-head and failed. The things that work are unglamorous and nearly free.
What actually works
✕ Avoid
Eggshells and coffee grounds as a slug barrier
Tested directly — eggshells, coffee grounds, sharp grit, bark and copper tape all showed no significant reduction.
Free, and still not worth it◆ Proven
Beer traps
Showed a real effect in the same trials that cleared the barriers. Nearly free.
◆ Proven
Hand-picking after dark with a flashlight
Deeply unglamorous and extremely effective. Twenty minutes, two nights running, changes a season.
◆ Proven
Pull mulch back from seedling stems
Mulch against a young stem is slug habitat delivered to the doorstep.
◇ Plausible
Nematode biocontrol
Phasmarhabditis gives consistent results where it's sold. Not available everywhere.
Also searched as
slug damage · holes in leaves overnight · snails in garden · eggshells for slugs · coffee grounds slugs · copper tape slugs · beer trap