Garden Pictures Pictures by DiOhio (541 photos)

I'll add on here........have you tried sprinkling sand around the base of your hostas? Slugs/snails don't like moving over the rough, grainy texture of sand and they'll stay away. Sawdust will work too but won't last as long as sand. Then there's the beer in the cup trick. Shallow cup or tray of beer attracts them and then they drown, but you have to replace it when it rains.

Please excuse the dirty fingernails. I dig right in.

Hi Di, What are you doing up! at this time of the morning, it's only 4.30am in Ohio......seriously though, I have been to the states and Ohio a few times and have always been impressed with how well Hostas grow over there. I still say we have a much bigger problem than you do with slugs and snails....our snails eat plenty! I also take your point about deterrents, not so effective here with our sometimes wet summers, in my experience the only times Hostas look good here is when we have dry periods making the slugs and snails retreat and stay hidden.... that usually, does not last for long.

Dirty nails + handling slugs = proper gardener!!

I grow all my hostas near a pond and I never have a problem with slugs because the frogs eat them all.

Yep, that's the ticket Sid. I wasn't sure about frogs so glad you mentioned them. I have many frogs, toads and treefrogs here.

And I'm glad to know that I'm a proper gardener !

Just for the record, toads are the 'acknowledged champion slug chompers' compared with frogs. At least that's what I read somewhere, though I wouldn't like to do the definitive survey. LOL. I much prefer listening to the thrushes bashing their snail cousins on a stone!