RE: slug control

Below is information which I have taken from the University of Minnesota
Extension's website concerning the danger of using Borax, which has been
used around here for creeping charlie with adverse effects.  The Morton
Arboretum Plant Clinic advises against using it for the reasons stated
below.

Eleanor Holt, Northern Illinois
_______
You may have heard about using Borax to control creeping charlie. You
have to use Borax very carefully. Boron, the active ingredient in Borax,
is an essential nutrient, needed in minute quantities for healthy plant
growth. Amounts even slightly over what is needed are toxic to plants.
Borax can be used against creeping charlie because the weed is more
sensitive to boron than grass is. Small amounts can kill creeping
charlie without permanently harming the lawn. (Grass may brown a bit,
but it will grow out of it.) 

The problem is, boron does not dissipate or break down like standard
weed-killers. If it's applied repeatedly or at too strong a rate, you
will end up with an area where you can't grow anything until the boron
leaches out. That may take years. 

The most you should treat your lawn with borax is once each spring for
two years. Here's the formula: 

Dissolve eight ounces of Twenty Mule Team Borax into four ounces of warm
water, then dilute it in 2 1/2 gallons of water. This should be sprayed
evenly over 1,000 square feet of lawn, no more, no less. 




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