Slugs

Editorial diagnosis

Diagnosis overview

Slugs and snails cause serious damage especially to seedlings, salads, herbs, and soft leaves. Damage is often worst after rain, during damp nights, and in dense vegetation.

In gardens, Slugs can occur on plants including Physalis pruinosa, Cynara scolymus, Barbarea vulgaris, Tree spinach. In the available profiles, it is linked mainly with Berries, Cabbages, Cucurbits. Recorded timing or triggers include peak activity March–October, Moist periods in spring and autumn.

The recorded risk level is medium. Immediate action matters most with new sowings and freshly planted seedlings.

Inspect leaf undersides, shoot tips, and the soil around the plant at different times of day. Eggs, larvae, droppings, webbing, or slime trails are often more diagnostic than one damaged leaf.

A common mistake is to treat feeding damage without checking the animal, eggs, larvae, time of activity, and affected plant parts.