How to Get Rid of Slugs and Snails on Cannabis Plants

The simplest way to get rid of slugs and snails on cannabis is to pick them off by hand at night or at dawn, then keep them out with beer traps, copper wire, crushed eggshells or diatomaceous earth around your plants. It's a pain, but it's not hard, as long as you move fast, because these pests can do damage your plants won't recover from. They're the reason an outdoor grow can sometimes turn into a total disaster instead of the amazing experience it's supposed to be.

Before learning how to get rid of slugs and snails, it helps to know exactly what they are and how they operate. Both belong to the same group, the gastropods, and the main difference between the two is pretty obvious: snails have shells and slugs don't. There's also a difference between land snails and water snails.

They tend to be most active at night, though you'll spot some during the day. They usually go dormant in the fall and come back out after the first spring rain, which happens to be right around when cannabis gets planted outdoors.

What damage do slugs do to cannabis plants?

If slugs or snails find a cannabis plant, chances are they'll chew on its leaves until they can't eat any more. Cannabis leaves are packed with nutrients like calcium, a big part of a snail's diet since its shell is made almost entirely of calcium.

Slugs and snails can do anything from barely any damage to wiping out entire plants, depending on how big the plant is and how many of them show up. They tend to leave huge holes in the leaves, so an infestation is pretty easy to spot.

If just one snail moves into your cannabis plant, it'll probably take a few bites but it won't kill it. However, a freshly sprouted seedling can easily be wrecked by a single snail because of the holes it leaves in the leaves.

Bigger plants hold up a lot better. A few snails will do a bit more damage and may leave slime trails behind. But if there are more than a few, you could have a problem on your hands. The plant can lose entire branches, and in severe cases they can eat the whole thing.

A few tips:

If you're planning an outdoor grow, take a few precautions to keep slugs and snails away from your containers:

• Set jars, cups or rags soaked in beer around your plants.
• Lay copper wire on the ground around your plants.
• Make a ring of salt around the plants
• Avoid watering or misting at night
• Leave piles of other leaves near your plants so they go there instead of to your cannabis
• Clean up around your plants and make sure there are no fallen leaves
• Check the container, growing medium and surrounding area every day
• Fennel or basil plants can work as a repellent, since they naturally put snails off.

On top of that, you can inspect your plants up close at night and in the morning, when you're most likely to spot them, and pick them off by hand. That's the simplest method. You can also dust your plants with diatomaceous earth.

And as we always say, the best way to keep your plants healthy is to check on them every day, especially at night and in the morning, when most infestations, and slugs and snails in particular, are easiest to see.

How do you get rid of slugs in your garden?

Slugs can be a destructive pest, but there are several effective ways to fight them. Some options:

1. Hand-pick them: you can collect them and remove them from your grow by hand at night, when they're most active.
2. Physical barriers: you can surround your plants with barriers like crushed eggshells, sawdust, straw or tree bark to keep slugs from getting close.
3. Slug traps: you can set traps at ground level using containers filled with beer or a mix of yeast, water and sugar to lure the slugs in.
4. Natural pesticides: there are several natural products you can use against slugs, like diatomaceous earth, neem oil or insecticidal soap.

Keep in mind that some chemical slug killers can be toxic to other animals and plants, so use them with care.

What do slugs do to plants?

They mainly eat the leaves, stems, flowers and fruit of plants. Slugs get around at night and hide during the day in damp, shady spots, like under leaves or in the soil. As they feed, they can leave holes and marks on the leaves and can also damage the roots, which slows growth and cuts yields. Slugs can also spread diseases to plants. That's why it's important to control them and get them out of your grow to keep your plants healthy.

How to get rid of slugs and snails naturally

1. Attract natural predators: you can bring animals that eat slugs and snails into your garden, like ducks, birds, hedgehogs and toads.
2. Traps: you can make beer traps by setting a container of beer near the affected plants. Slugs and snails are drawn in by the smell and fall into the container.
3. Physical barriers: you can build a physical barrier around your plants with materials like crushed eggshells, sawdust or wood ash, among others.
4. Water early: slugs and snails are most active at night, so watering your plants early in the morning keeps them from being drawn in by damp conditions after dark.
5. Essential oils: you can use essential oils, like peppermint or eucalyptus, and apply them where slugs and snails tend to hang out.

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