400 Slug-Resistant Hostas for Laidback Gardeners (2023)

FAQs

Which hostas do slugs not like? ›

'Sum & Substance' has plain, soft green leaves which are huge and being slightly shiny are said to be the most slug and snail resistant of all hostas. Plant these with Zantedeschia which produces whorls of pure white flowers to accentuate the curls and curves of the hosta leaves.

Make a line of Vaseline around the circumference of the pot (or on raised feet underneath the pot) and rub salt into it. The vaseline keeps the salt in place and helps to protect it from dissolving. Slugs and snails will not cross a line of salt, and your hostas will be kept safe.

Slugs are a common pest on hosta, and it is likely that they are eating your plants. Slugs will be active when temperatures are above 50 degrees and there is ample moisture from rain or watering.

There are a handful of plants which are believed to be a natural repellent for slugs. What you need: Slug repelling plants “ Living Green suggest that wormwood, rue, fennel, anise, and rosemary are the best slug repelling plants.

Medium-sized hosta with foliage in which the colors change from a combination of blue and gold to dark green and creamy white. A crowd favorite that is both slug resistant and sun tolerant!

One of the most effective ways to keep slugs off the most vulnerable plants is to create barriers with slug repellent material. What is this? Surrounding the hostas with abrasive material such as crushed eggshells, dry sand, diatomaceous earth, wood shavings or coffee grounds can effectively keep slugs at bay.

Slugs dislike plants with heavily fragranced foliage, like many common herbs. They also dislike plants with fuzzy or furry foliage. Slugs are a favorite food of many different predators. Encourage birds, snakes, lizards, toads, frogs, ground beetles, and other natural predators to make a home in your garden.

Coffee grounds are already recommended as a home remedy for keeping slugs and snails at bay. Grounds repel slugs, Hollingsworth found, but a caffeine solution is much more effective, he says: "Slugs turn back immediately after contacting the [caffeinated soil]."

If you have been taking good care of your hostas and are located in the right environment, they are likely to recover successfully and grow back. Moreover, there is a good chance that your hostas will recover if you tend to them after the first slug attack.

Does Vaseline deter slugs? ›

Yes, vaseline can stop slugs from attacking plants and, in particular, prevent slugs from climbing up pots and containers. It can surprise some people, but Vaseline is excellent at keeping slugs away and protecting your potted plants. Slugs are excellent climbers, which is why most plants fall victim to them.

A spray bottle filled with plain white vinegar is a great cure for slugs that aren't on plants. An extremely effective mollusk dissolver, vinegar is also an herbicide-so don't spritz the salvia.

Take 2 whole bulbs of garlic, crush and place in a saucepan. Add 2 pints of water and boil for around 10-15 minutes. Please be aware that this does produce quite a pungent smell so if possible you may want to do this outside on either a camping stove or similar.

Deer, rabbits, groundhogs, even wild turkey are also often responsible for hosta damage. I would suggest a green wire cage over the area. Make it just large enough to allow the hostas to get off to a good start.

Growing French marigolds are an excellent solution to get rid of slugs. This beautiful ornamental plant can act as a trap because it attracts slugs to infest on their leaves and new buds. Once slugs gather on the flower, you can then handpick and remove them from your garden.

Salt: Pouring salt around your veg will keep the slugs away indeed, but unless your plants like maritime conditions they will die too! Seashells: The sharp edges deter slugs from crossing, but they don't decay like eggshells and can be a serious nuisance when weeding for many years to come.

The chartreuse border on each leaf brightens to creamy white in the summer. It's a bright note that lights up a forgotten corner beautifully. Earth Angel's large leaves are heavily corrugated and thick, which is less attractive to slugs.

'Fire and Ice' forms a rather compact, upright mound of leaves that grows 1 to 1.5 ft. tall and 1 to 2 ft. wide.

Mini hostas grow less than 5 inches tall and have leaves about the size of a pinky fingernail. These hostas are not good candidates for beds or borders as they are too small to be appreciated there and would be overwhelmed by other plants. They perform best in containers and crevices.

What is eating my hostas and how do I stop it? ›

Slugs and snails are the creatures that most often eat the hostas. To protect the hosta from being eaten by slugs and snails, use iron phosphate granules and traps. Against other pests, use fences and repellents.

Mix 2 tablespoons of Epsom salt in 1 gallon of water and spray once a month on the foliage in the rapid growth period. When growth slows, reduce the quantity to 1 tablespoon. The foliar application will keep your hostas lush and healthy.

Garden Pests That Eat Hostas

Before you declare war on slugs, confirm they're the ones making holes in your hosta leaves. Besides hail, cutworms could also be the culprits; their signature is chewing the soft parts of the leaves and avoiding the veins. Slugs will munch anywhere on the leaves, right through the veins.

Collect Pennies

Fun fact: Copper can help repel pesky slugs. Today's pennies are made mostly of zinc whereas pennies made prior to 1983 contain a larger amount of copper.

While Hydrangeas require more water than most plants, especially when grown in pots, they are still one of the easiest plants to grow, and slugs and snails don't eat them.

Lavender is a fantastic slug-proof plant, bearing blue-green, fragrant leaves and purple, nectar-rich flowers.

Yes, Epsom salt can be used to deter slugs in the same way normal table or kosher salt can be used to deter them. Epsom salt is a natural insecticide that can be used in gardens. Epsom salt enters the slug's skin and causes damage to it. The salt dries out the slugs, dehydrating them and killing them eventually.

If slugs have chewed the plant, especially bedding plants, many of which they relish, dig up and put into a pot. Place somewhere safe, such as a greenhouse, under glass, where you can keep an eye on it and give it two /three weeks in a recovery and it will regrow.

Crushed egg shells are little and sharp. You might think they would work to cut up a snail's soft body, or at least make that snail think twice about crossing over the egg shell barrier. In reality, egg shells don't deter snails or even slugs, for that matter.

Slugs and snails hide in damp places during the day. They stay under logs and stones or under ground cover. They also hide under planters and low decks.

What animal eats slugs? ›

Vertebrate predators of snails and slugs include shrews, mice, squirrels, and other small mammals; salamanders, toads and turtles, including the uncommon Blandings Turtle Emydoidea blandingii; and birds, especially ground-foragers such as thrushes, grouse, blackbirds, and wild turkey.

You will find snails and slugs in greatest abundance after rains and after you water your plants. Snails and slugs need protection from winter cold. Although most of the slugs and snails you will find in your garden can survive a few degrees of frost, extreme winter cold will kill them.

Use garlic to deter slugs

A home-made garlic spray can be effective in deterring slugs and snails from your plants, but only if you spray your plants regularly. Take two full bulbs of garlic and add them a saucepan containing two litres of water.

It improves drainage and provides nutrients for the plants. Use eggshells to prevent slug on the hosta. When you see hosta plants start growing new shoots in the spring after winter dormant, spread some crushed eggshells around the hosta crown on the soil surface.

Using a soil drench made with safe, all-natural parasitic nematodes is the most effective method of control for these grubs. You can find parasitic nematodes at most home and garden centers or order them directly from suppliers. Hostas are hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 3 through 8.

Yes, chilli powder does deter slugs. They dislike the texture of the powder which sticks to the body. They also dislike the smell.

Environmentally friendly gardeners who attempt to deter slugs and snails from devouring their vegetables with eggshells or copper tape are wasting their time, according to a study by the Royal Horticultural Society.

Here are some solutions: Slugs avoid crawling over anything dry, dusty or scratchy, such as lime, diatomaceous earth, cinders, coarse sawdust, gravel or sand. These make great barriers to keep out slugs.

Some, such as foxgloves and euphorbias, have toxic leaves, while others, such as stachys and pulmonarias, have developed thick or hairy foliage, which slugs and snails appear not to like. Swollen, succulent foliage such as those of sedums and sempervivums can deter slugs, too.

One of the most effective ways to keep slugs off the most vulnerable plants is to create barriers with slug repellent material. What is this? Surrounding the hostas with abrasive material such as crushed eggshells, dry sand, diatomaceous earth, wood shavings or coffee grounds can effectively keep slugs at bay.

Why are my hostas being eaten? ›

Garden Pests That Eat Hostas

Besides hail, cutworms could also be the culprits; their signature is chewing the soft parts of the leaves and avoiding the veins. Slugs will munch anywhere on the leaves, right through the veins. Deer and rabbits will eat hostas, too, but they don't leave holes behind.

Slugs dislike plants with heavily fragranced foliage, like many common herbs. They also dislike plants with fuzzy or furry foliage. Slugs are a favorite food of many different predators. Encourage birds, snakes, lizards, toads, frogs, ground beetles, and other natural predators to make a home in your garden.

Diluting brewed coffee with an equal part water is plenty to do the job. Coffee grounds have been recommended in the past as an organic method to keep slugs and snails out of your flower and vegetable beds. Grounds will repel slugs, but the USDA research team confirms that a caffeine solution is more effective.

While Hydrangeas require more water than most plants, especially when grown in pots, they are still one of the easiest plants to grow, and slugs and snails don't eat them.

Yes, vaseline can stop slugs from attacking plants and, in particular, prevent slugs from climbing up pots and containers. It can surprise some people, but Vaseline is excellent at keeping slugs away and protecting your potted plants. Slugs are excellent climbers, which is why most plants fall victim to them.

A spray bottle filled with plain white vinegar is a great cure for slugs that aren't on plants. An extremely effective mollusk dissolver, vinegar is also an herbicide-so don't spritz the salvia.

If you have been taking good care of your hostas and are located in the right environment, they are likely to recover successfully and grow back. Moreover, there is a good chance that your hostas will recover if you tend to them after the first slug attack.

Application of Epsom salt in hostas reduces the stunted growth, makes their leaves greener and thicker as it boosts chlorophyll levels. It also facilitates bushier plant growth and their resistance to diseases and pests.

You can make homemade horticultural oil simply by adding vegetable oil to the insecticidal soap mixture. The oil helps the pesticide cling to the hosta's foliage and stems longer, making it more effective at killing insects present on the plant.

What kind of animal eats hostas? ›

However, constant feeding can be attributed to a variety of animals. Deer, rabbits, groundhogs, even wild turkey are also often responsible for hosta damage.

Collect Pennies

Fun fact: Copper can help repel pesky slugs. Today's pennies are made mostly of zinc whereas pennies made prior to 1983 contain a larger amount of copper.

Garlic, Lawn Chamomile, chives. Some plants repel most slugs and snails and these may have a deterrent effect when planted alongside or used to make an extract. Many gardeners swear by garlic as a natural pest control. Some say chives are effective it the leaves are tied around vulnerable plants; sounds fiddly.

Slugs can't fly but they know how to find shortcuts. Egg shells: The sharp edges of eggshells help as a deterrent, but only when they are clean and dry. When peeling an egg, try to remove the inner membrane and rinse if needed. Be aware that rain quickly makes the eggshells lose their effectiveness.