"Beer traps are legit too—I've used them before with decent results. I agree it's kind of painful pouring good beer into little dishes for slugs (I usually sacrifice whatever cheap stuff someone left behind at a BBQ)."
Haha, same here—I always end up using whatever random cans someone forgot in the fridge. But honestly, I've found crushed eggshells around my plants to be pretty effective too. Slugs hate crawling over sharp edges, and it's a good way to reuse kitchen waste. Just rinse and dry the shells, crush them up roughly, and sprinkle around the base of your plants. Bonus: they slowly add calcium back into the soil.
As for moss between pavers, baking soda's decent, but I've had even better luck with boiling water. Just pour it directly onto the mossy spots—kills it off quickly without chemicals. Only downside is lugging around pots of hot water can get tedious if you've got a big patio area...
Speaking of patios, anyone tried sealing their pavers with eco-friendly sealants? Curious if they're actually worth the effort or just another gimmick.
"Just pour it directly onto the mossy spots—kills it off quickly without chemicals."
Yeah, boiling water works surprisingly well, but I gotta admit, it's a bit of a hassle if you've got a larger area. I've had decent luck with vinegar diluted in water too—spray it on and let it sit for a day or two. As for eco-friendly sealants, tried one last summer... honestly didn't notice much difference. Maybe I picked the wrong brand though, who knows.
I've done the boiling water thing too, and yeah... hauling pots of boiling water across the yard isn't exactly my idea of a relaxing weekend. Vinegar's decent, but I swear by baking soda sprinkled directly onto the mossy patches. Let it sit overnight, then scrub it off with a stiff broom—works wonders and gives you a bit of a workout too. Tried one of those eco sealants once, but honestly, felt like I was just spraying expensive water around. Maybe I'm just cynical though, haha.
"Tried one of those eco sealants once, but honestly, felt like I was just spraying expensive water around."
Haha, exactly my experience too. Those products always seem promising in theory, but rarely deliver in practice. Baking soda’s a solid tip—cheap and effective. I've also found that letting sunlight do its thing helps quite a bit; trimming back nearby bushes or branches to get more direct sun onto the patio can really cut down on moss buildup naturally. Just something else to consider if you haven't already...
I've had mixed results with baking soda, honestly. It works okay for smaller patches, but for larger areas, it can get messy and tedious pretty quickly. One thing I've found surprisingly effective is diluted white vinegar—cheap, readily available, and does a decent job at killing moss and algae. Just be careful around plants you actually want to keep alive... learned that the hard way, unfortunately.