Does it feel like a losing battle sometimes? Don’t worry, there are ways to control these little creatures.
I’m not a fan of using pesticides or any kind of toxic poison in the garden unless it is really necessary. Most of the time there are harmless alternatives that can do the trick.
I don’t mean I like the taste of them in garlic butter, I mean I like them as interesting little creatures. When I observe them, I love the way their little long eyes move about like small antennas.
They curiously poke the air and then quickly disappear inside their shell when sensing danger. Slugs may not be as cute, but I think of them as divorced snails, shuffling along and complaining that their partner ‘got the house’.
As much as I get angry when my plants have been attacked by them, I know they are part of nature and the eco system.
I don’t want to use slug pellets because they are poisonous to birds and other wildlife. Instead I have tried alternative organic methods to control them and most of them are home-made, from things that you can find in your kitchen or easily bought online or from garden centres.
As a passionate gardener, I know how disheartening it can be to nurture a gorgeous asiatic jasmine vine only to have it ravaged by slugs. Those slimy creepy crawlies can destroy the foliage of jasmine vines overnight, leaving behind telltale holes and shredded leaves. So what’s the best way to get rid of these pests without harming your plants or the environment?
After dealing with a severe slug problem on my own asiatic jasmine vines, I’ve learned effective organic methods to control these troublemakers and protect my prized vines In this article, I’ll share everything I know about identifying, removing, and deterring slugs to restore the beauty of your infested jasmine Let’s get started to outsmart these sticky interlopers!
Identifying Slug Damage on Jasmine Vines
The first step is confirming you have a slug problem. Look for these signs:
- Irregular holes in leaves, usually near the edges
- Shredded or skeleted leaves
- Slime trails on leaves and nearby surfaces
- Jagged edges on leaves left uneaten
- Slugs on vines or hiding spots like mulch during early morning or night
Once slugs are confirmed as the culprits it’s time to take action!
Organic Ways to Remove Slugs from Your Jasmine
Getting rid of slugs without pesticides calls for persistence and regular effort using natural control methods:
Handpicking
Go slug hunting! In evenings or early morning, handpick any slugs you find on vines and drop them into a bucket of soapy water to kill them. Cruel, but effective.
Traps
Lure slugs to their demise by putting out beer traps (sunken jars of beer) or boards for them to hide under during the day. Dispose of trapped slugs in soapy water.
Predators
Encourage slug predators like birds, beetles, frogs, ducks, and fireflies to frequent your garden. Their appetite for slugs can make a real dent!
Salt and Copper
Sprinkle these natural slug deterrents around their entry points. Salt dehydrates slugs while copper gives them electric shocks due to a chemical reaction.
Diatomaceous Earth
This powder of fossilized algae is deadly to soft-bodied slugs. Lightly dust it around plants and entry points, reapplying after rain. Completely non-toxic!
Stopping Slugs Before They Start
Prevention is the best medicine when battling slugs. Stop them in their tracks by:
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Eliminating hiding spots like ivy, weeds, wood piles, and dense groundcovers near vines
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Applying diatomaceous earth or coffee grounds as barriers
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Keeping the garden tidy and soil exposed to increase predation
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Choosing gravel or stone mulches that slugs dislike traveling over
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Watering early in the day so plants dry out by evening
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Boosting drainage and reducing moisture in the garden that attracts slugs
Restore Your Jasmine’s Beauty
I know how disheartening it is to see your lovely jasmine vines ravaged by slugs. But don’t surrender your garden to these sticky pests! With persistence using organic removal methods and preventative measures, you can break their life cycle and restore the full beauty of your asiatic jasmine vines.
Stay vigilant in regularly checking for early signs of damage, and be willing to get your hands dirty pulling up the slugs at every opportunity. Use traps, predators, and barriers to make your landscape as hostile as possible to slugs. And nurture healthy, vibrant vines that can withstand occasional pest pressure.
With a multi-pronged defense strategy, we gardeners can reclaim our gardens from these slimy invaders! I hope my battle tactics against slugs on my asiatic jasmine offer you hope and inspiration to protect your own precious vines. Let’s keep growing gorgeous gardens, where slugs are thwarted and jasmine vines can thrive in all their glory. Go get ’em, gardening friends!
Crushed egg shells
This is so far the best method that has worked for me, together with the nematodes. Every time I make an omelette or use eggs, I keep the shells to dry on a container that I keep especially for this purpose. Once they are completely dry (some people dry them in the oven), you can crush them finely and store in an airtight container. I find a pestle and mortar easiest to grind them. Once I have a good quantity of crushed egg shells, I sprinkle a good layer around plants that are vulnerable to slugs and snails. In my garden, lupins are the slugs favourite, but last year they managed to grow nicely thanks to the crushed egg shells around them. Find how to prepare your egg shells and other useful tips here.
Natural Slug Control Methods
This is one of my preferred methods of slug and snail control. Nematodes are tiny organisms that basically cause the death of slugs by bacterial poisoning and are completely harmless to pets or children. They are not cheap, but they are very effective. The only problem I found is that as my garden is not small, I didn’t buy enough to cover all of it. But I would say that it’s the most effective way to control slugs. It’s not as effective on snails though, as they live over ground and the nematodes work underground.
I have tried this and it was a great success. You fill small traps with beer and sink them into the soil so that the edges are flush with the ground. The snails and slugs are attracted by the beer and fall into the trap, literally. However, you do have to have a strong stomach when emptying the traps. The sight and smell of stale beer and dead slugs is not something I will remember fondly. For that reason, I haven’t used this method again.
This is something I haven’t tried myself, but I thought it was worth mentioning as I’ve heard other people have had some success with this. All it involves is scattering used coffee grounds around any plants you want to protect and apparently the caffeine in the grounds is toxic to slugs. With the amount of coffee I drink, I doubt I’ll run out of supplies so I’ll give it a try and report back to you.
I must admit, I haven’t had much success with this one. You can buy sticky copper tape from most garden centres or even online and you stick it to the rim of plant pots that you want to protect. The copper emits an electrical charge when the slugs or snails try to cross over it to get to the plant. That’s the theory but my slugs and snails must be made of sterner stuff than others because they didn’t find this a problem. So this method gets a thumbs down from me unfortunately. If you have had any success with this, I would love to hear from you!
This works as a barrier method around plant pots. Just smear a good layer of Vaseline around the rim of the plant pot and this stops the slugs from getting to the plant. If you don’t have Vaseline to hand, Petroleum jelly or Vicks will do just as well.
A very simple way to make a trap for slugs and snails is to use half a scooped out grapefruit peel and place it face down near the plants you want to protect. Slugs like dark damp places and will find their way into the hollowed out grapefruit. Check the next day and see if there are any snails or slugs underneath. Apparently you could also use half oranges or lemons. Personally, I had all sorts of other bugs in them but found no slugs. Not sure if this has worked well for others but it’s an easy thing to try.
This is a relatively easy way to control slugs and snails but also time-consuming. Snails and slugs tend to come out in the evening, especially if it’s damp and this is a good time to go out with a container and a torch and just hand-pick your little enemies.
A very easy and beneficial way to control slugs and snails is to attract wildlife that feeds on them. Attracting birds by providing bird tables and water is a good way of controlling their numbers. If you can build a pond in your garden and attract newts and toads who love to eat them, you can control their numbers. Hedgehogs are also great animals to attract in your garden and will help keep the snail numbers down.
How To Kill Weeds In Asiatic Jasmine
FAQ
How to get rid of insects on a jasmine plant?
What can I spray on my plants to keep slugs away?
How to get rid of slugs permanently?
How to control Asian Jasmine?
So control of Asian jasmine involves preventing the roots from traveling far afield. Pulling out the plant with as many roots as possible is more effective than pruning jasmine vines. It may enable you to take control of jasmine that has overrun your yard. However, this requires a lot of time and effort on your part.
How do you kill Asian Jasmine weeds?
Use glyphosate-based herbicides such as Roundup that do not affect established Asian jasmine plants. Mix the recommended dosage of the herbicide into a spray bottle that will apply the herbicide around the weeds. Make sure to follow the manufacturer’s recommendations on the appropriate dosage keenly. Focus the spray on the foliage of the weeds.
How do I get rid of Asian Jasmine?
You should let the soil rest for a few weeks after removing Asian jasmine before you plant any new seedlings. You can apply a broadleaf liquid herbicide to eliminate aggressive growing jasmine in your lawn. Imazaquin, Network, and Roundup in large concentrations are effective herbicides that will kill jasmine plants.
How do you stop slugs from crawling over plants?
One of the most obvious methods is to create a gritty barrier between your plant and the slugs. Spread grit, gravel, nutshells or crushed eggshells around your plants and the slugs will avoid crawling over it. Slugs love to feed on fresh green growth such as seedlings, so the younger the plant the more susceptible it is.