Win the war with slugs and snails.

[cheops]

I'm am quite excited at just learning about a great tool in the constant battle against slugs and snails. Has anyone ever tried this method?
Apparently household ammonia diluted to a ratio of four parts water /one part ammonia and put into an empty spray bottle is your sole arsenal. Spray it in early evening on the leaves [underside as well] of your hosta or whatever you wish to protect. It is NOT harmful to your plants - in fact it is beneficial as your plants will appreciate the nitrogen boost. And it gets even better - grab a torchlight and go out at night spraying any slugs or snails you see - it kills them almost instantly. Pouring salt over them is NOT good for your soil.
I wasn't sure what household ammonia was but I see you can get it from Amazon if you can't find it in your local shops. Happy slaughtering folks.
When spraying the ammonia solution, be careful to not get it in your eyes.

[Knight of Albion]

Liquid ammonia???? Are you sure about that?

[cheops]

Yes - easy to google it.

[planetologist]

Liquid ammonia???? Are you sure about that?

Actually, ammonia is a gas, so you're right to be sceptical. If you follow cheops' advice and google it, you'll find that in general usage what is meant is ammonium hydroxide solution, i.e. an aqueous solution of a salt.

[Nicos]

So...how safe is it to the environment generally ?

I seem to have a plague of snugs so far this year....flowers and veg.... Hmm mph

[donksey]

Ammonia is in urine, it is converted by bacteria into to nitrite and then nitrate.
This is then used by plants.

[Knight of Albion]

Ammonia is in urine, it is converted by bacteria into to nitrite and then nitrate.
This is then used by plants.

Which alters the soil pH. What happens if the plant is not suited to a high acid environment?

[Knight of Albion]

So...how safe is it to the environment generally ?

I seem to have a plague of snugs so far this year....flowers and veg.... Hmm mph

As slugs and snails are nocturnal and moisture lovers, have you tried watering in the morning instead of the evening?

There shouldn't be environmental damage, unless water run off feeds into a pond or river, or contaminates drinking water that birds or animals drink from.

Is it good for plants? Open to debate
The Effect of Household Ammonia on Plant Growth | Home Guides | SF Gate

[kathyd]

If you're going to go out with a torch to spray them anyway, why not just pick them off instead and avoid using the spray...?

[Cadalot]

I use the pop bottles and cut them in half, then cut the top off and insert it the wrong way round into the base of the pop bottle. You can staple them together but I use a soldering iron to weld the two bits of plastic together and also melt a hole for a tent peg so they don't roll around in the wind, but you can cover them with soil

Put in the ground with the base lower than the entrance for beer trap, or the base a little higher than the entrance when using blue pellets of death, as water will not flow up hill. The traps benefits are:-

Slugs to get in but they find it hard to get out again, thus you see how effective the pellets are being and wildlife don't eat poisonous slugs
The pop bottle keep the pellets dry
The pop bottle stops the beer getting diluted by rain
The pop bottle protects other wildlife
It's a reuse for the pop bottle.

[Containergardener]

I use scissors on sm ones bug those black ones with ridges and the huge green yellow mottled ones ewwwww

[susieq100]

I can't bring myself to touch slugs - even wearing leather gardening gloves - they give me the heebie jeebies! I might try the spray thing

[Penellype]

As has been said earlier, ammonia (NH3) is a gas which occurs naturally as urine breaks down (the nitrogen in urine is mainly in the form of urea which is a larger molecule than ammonia and also contains carbon and oxygen). Ammonia gas is very soluble in water where it forms an alkaline solution of ammonium hydroxide.

Pure ammonia is horrible stuff, toxic and very smelly. I would be very wary of putting even a dilute solution of ammonia anywhere near my plants. The fact that it kills slugs should act as a warning that it is not the nicest of chemicals.

Always be wary of people who tell you that something occurs naturally so it isn't dangerous. There are plenty of naturally occurring but very nasty chemicals as anyone who has eaten raw kidney beans (as a random example) will tell you.

[Containergardener]

I can't bring myself to touch slugs - even wearing leather gardening gloves - they give me the heebie jeebies! I might try the spray thing

I can't touch them either, if I do accidentally it's a dance on the spot eww eww eww running away.
What is it about slugs n snails.

[Cadalot]

There are times you feel sorry for them