A Wisconsin no-tiller recently posted in the No-Till Farmer Discussion Group and asked what other no-tillers do to control slugs. Check out the responses below and if you'd like to respond with your own tips for controlling slugs in no-till systems, click here to join the discussion. 

I use a silica product from NTS called Dia Life. It works great and it’s a non toxic approach. I had great success with it in soys last year. 28% will work, but every time it rains you have to reapply which gets expensive. Slugs can be a nightmare.

-James McNichol, Ont., CAN. 

We have had a lot of slugs over the past 3-4 years in no-till fields, even those with green covers and tillage/daikon radish. We make sure the slot is closed well and we scout for slugs around emergence, especially in shaded areas and lower areas which stay wetter, as those areas seem to have the worst pressure. Once we find the first measurable feeding on corn or beans, we either apply slug pellets to the lower/shaded areas, or the whole field (depending on slug pressure). Deadline slug pellets is what we use, at +\- 10 pounds per acre with an electric spinner spreader on a 4 wheeler. It spreads 40 inches. We have experimented with treated vs. non treated beans for 2 years and have seen no difference so far in slug damage.

-Phil Needham, Calhoun, Ky.

I get good results spreading crystalline (not granules) of sulphate of ammonia (ammonium…