Plant Doctor Archive

Problems with slaters

WE have recently shifted and have the challenge of fully landscaping our section. To my horror we share the property with zillions of slaters! I'm desperate to eliminate them before replanting.

SLATERS can be a bit of a problem, especially in damp corners of the garden. They like to hide under old timber, bricks and sacks left on the ground. While they prefer to eat dead or decaying plant matter, they will sometimes attack small seedlings. You can beat them by removing any rotting material that they feed on and also by removing any shelter. If they become a real pest there are suitable insecticides available to rid your garden of these pests. A simple, organic, but not particularly nice, method of slater control is to pour boiling water on them.

Reproduced with permission from the former Weekend Gardener magazine. The views expressed here are not necessarily those of the RNZIH.