Cannabis Pests: How to Deal With Slugs and Snails

Gardens are home to many creatures, some of which play an important role in the ecosystem. Slugs and snails helpbreak down organic matter and return nutrients to the soil. However, these slimy critters can also wreak havoc on your cannabis plants if their populations get out of control. To protect your crop from being eaten alive, learn how to defend against these hungry pests—and take steps to prevent them from moving into your garden in the first place.

When you’re growing cannabis for the first time outside, reality sets in fast. Though inspiring ideas of Shire-like aesthetics, high energy savings, and a connection to nature may encourage you to plant seeds, you’ll ultimately have to deal with numerous adversaries—both microscopic and apparent—who view your cannabis plants as simply their next meal. Slugs and snails are two of the most harmful creatures that Cannabis plants face. When left on their own, these slimy pests can destroy a cannabis plant’s leaves in a very short time.

It’s easy to feel powerless when you see your beautiful cannabis plants covered in slugs and snails, but don’t worry! In this article, we’ll show you exactly how these critters affect your plants, how to get rid of them quickly, and most importantly, how to keep them from coming back.

How Do Slugs and Snails Affect Cannabis Plants?

Do slugs harm herbe plants? Yes, they do. Do snails eat marijuana plants? They most certainly do! Slugs and snails are gastropods that, along with ocean-dwelling limpets and abalones, belong to the class Gastropoda. The term “gastropod” is derived from Greek and means “stomach foot,” referring to the huge muscular foot that runs down the underside of both slugs and snails.

Snails may travel up to 200 meters in a single day, despite the fact that they lack legs. Slugs and snails share this characteristic, although their huge mouths are missing from herbivorous animals. Both of these creatures have jaws and bands of thousands of tiny teeth-producing rasping movements, they’re able to cut off leaf particles to eat.

Are Slugs and Snails the Same?

There are a few key differences between slugs and snails, the most noticeable being that snails have an exterior shell for protection against predators. Slugs lack this hard outer layer. In general, snail species grow larger than slug species. The shell of the former can reach up to 25cm in length, whereas that of the latter only reaches 15cm. Despite their shell, snails move faster than slugs—at a rate of about one millimetre per second. Beyond these distinctions, both snails and slugs eat vegetative tissue, including cannabis leaves.

Signs of Slug and Snail Damage on Cannabis Plants

It’s easy to identify if slugs and snails have been in your garden. Watch for the following key signs:

The following are all signs that your plants have been visited by slugs: holes in leaves, ragged edges on leaves, slime trails, and the complete disappearance of young plants.

If you’re not careful, slugs and snails can feast on your plants during any season. A hospitable environment for these critters inadvertantly created by gardeners is most likely when they will attack. Older plants have a greater chance of surviving an assault , although there may be some holes in their leaves. Slugs and snails cause the worst destruction early in the season, particularly during springtime , when they can consume whole seedlings.

How to Get Rid of Slugs and Snails on Cannabis Plants

So, if you come across holes and slime trails on your cannabis leaves, how can you eliminate slugs and snails? Thankfully, they’re easier to get rid of than more common pests, such as aphids and mites. Some solutions are simple as picking them up and moving them elsewhere; others require adding other creatures into the garden to eat these gastropods. Below, we list the best options for stopping a slug or snail infestation.

 Remove Them Manually

Many farmers defend their crops by handpicking slugs and snails and releasing them elsewhere, which is most effective if you time it correctly. Snails and slugs don’t usually come out during the day because they don’t enjoy the heat or light. Instead, they’re active at night or early in the morning when they go look for food. If you’re looking to find them, bring a flashlight with you before bedtime or as soon as you wake up in the morning. You may also anticipate slugs and snails by raising pots, bricks, and any other nearby secure locations where they’ll most likely be hiding during the day.

Attract Natural Predators

If you’re struggling with an abundance of slugs or snails, and don’t have the time to constantly remove them yourself, allow nature to take its course. Attracting natural predators will provide significant relief from your originally overpopulated garden pests.

To Win the bug battle in your garden consider the following: dig a small pond to attract toads and frogs, apply mulch to serve as a habitat for ground beetles, put up bird feeders. If you have dense undergrowth and different lengths of grass this will bring in hedgehogs which will help with feeding on slugs and snails. Another insect that feeds on these dangerous pests are slow worms who are attracted by warmer spots such as compost heaps, logs, or rock piles.

 Use Traps to Catch and Release

If you don’t want to put the effort into seeking slugs and snails, there’s a method where they come to you. It involves using live traps, which are more humane than pesticides or poisons, so that you can release them away from your garden in an area where they’re welcome.

A third, more aggressive approach is to employ a substance that attracts people as well: beer. Place a plastic cup in the soil next to your plants so that the lip of the cup sits just above ground level. Fill half of the container with beer. Slugs and snails can’t resist the smell; they’ll fall in, have a bit too much fun, and drown. The only drawback is that other life forms, including those that are beneficial for your garden, will also fall victim to this method if you need to use it badly enough.

Consider Nematodes

There are different types of nematodes, each with their own diet; some eat fungi,others bacteria, and still others target plant roots or slugs. Some speciesof nematode parasitize slugs in order to create an effective biological control for them. Fortunately, there are many products that make it easy to water the Nematodes into your soil.

How to Deter Slugs and Snails on Cannabis Plants

To start combating slugs and snails, you don’t have to wait until your cannabis plants are harmed. Prevention is always preferable to cure, as the old adage goes. Putting physical barriers in place and raising antiscorbutic plants nearby can help keep slugs and snails at bay before they can do any damage to your marijuana plants. Learn more about how to defend yourself against these pests in the sections below.

Build Copper Barriers

Slugs and snails do not react well to contact with copper, experiencing something akin to an electric shock. If you are growing your plants in the ground, consider creating a perimeter around them using copper mesh or wire. For raised beds or containers, purchase some copper sticky tape and apply it to the rim for protection. However, how effective this method is remains debatable.

Cover Soil With Eggshells and Diatomaceous Earth

Shells of cattle and chicken eggs, crushed eggshells (which are also available in a variety of colors), diatomaceous earth, and other sharp materials irritate the soft bellies of slugs and snails, forcing them to seek something else to eat. The most readily available is eggshells. Set aside the shells after cooking an omelette, crush them into a fine powder, and sprinkle it about your plants. Diatomaceous earth, which is composed of silicon skeletons from a certain kind of algae, has a similar function.

 Add Companion Plants to Your Cannabis Garden

Companionship plants, as their name implies, defend cannabis against a slew of pests such as slugs and snails by shielding them. Plants that are higher on the slugs’ and snails’ preferred food list can be viewed as “sacrificial plants.” Varying edibles attract different types of slugs. Planting basil, lettuce, spinach, and cabbage near to your plants will divert hungry vermin. These plants not only take the bullet for you but they’ll also warn you before slugs and snails approach your marijuana crops.

Good Luck, Soldier

Now that you’ve learned how to combat slugs and snails on cannabis plants, as well as prevent them from contacting in the first place, you’re ready for battle. You may now go forth into your garden confident in the knowledge that you can defend your marijuana plants from one of their most dangerous hunters.