SLUGS – five letters to spread a chill down any gardener's spine.
Slimy, tenacious and all consuming, they can cause absolute havoc in an outside space.
Some believe we should live in harmony with the greedy gastropods – as ultimately, they’re an important part of our ecosystem – feeding birds, hedgehogs, frogs, toads and beetles.
But on the flip side – there’s around 50 -100 slugs per square metre in our outside space – and walking up to a decimated garden is really soul destroying – so what can we do to stop them?
Here's TEN easy ways of dealing with the critters.
BEER TRAPS
Bury a glass jar in the ground with just the rim showing – and fill with Slugs are drawn to it – particularly the yeast smell, so will fall in and drown.
TORCHLIGHT HUNTING
Slugs are most active at night – so go out in the dark with a torch – and pick off all the unsuspecting critters one by one.
Whether you drop them in water, take them away for slice them in half – it's up to you.
SALT
Put a ring of around your favourite plants – it kills the slugs so technically they should avoid – although don’t put too much salt in as it will damage your soil.
COPPER TAPE
I find success with this varies – but worth a shot. Just wrap it round your pots. The idea is that the slug gets a mild shock – so will turn round and head off instead of eating your plants for dinner.
COPPER RINGS/MESH
You can also use copper rings which are nicer looking but more expensive – either put them in the ground round your plants, or round pots.
New on the market is also copper mesh to put around your plants.
SLUG PELLETS
It's now a crime to use old Metadehyde pellets which might be lying around – as they were banned in March 2022.
Also try to avoid any with iron phosphate – they can be toxic to other animales, including the birds that eat the slugs, earthworms – and dogs.
Wool pellets which absorb liquid to form a felt-like mat that irritates the slugs foot and more environmentally friendly products are out there.
NEMATODES
Beneficial nematode products contain millions of microscopic worms that naturally occur in the soil and will seek out and kill specific target pests. All you do is water them in.
ENCOURAGE NATURAL PREDATORS
Thrushes, blackbirds, starlings, robins and owls love eating slugs.
So create , bird baths and boxes. Invite hedgehogs with under fence highways and leave piles of leaves for them to shelter under.
NATURAL DEFENCES
Some swear by around the plant – to create a sharp surface the slugs can’t slither over. Or .
Worth remembering that slugs come up through the soil, they won’t necessarily slide along the top.
HOMEMADE GARLIC AND CHILLI SPRAY
A lot of my fellow maintenance gardeners swear by this – just remember that it stinks for a day or so.
To make it: take six garlic cloves, and add them to one litre of water.
Asda is currently selling four bulbs for 93p and a packet of four fresh chillies for 56p. If you separate six bulbs and one chilli – that comes to around 12p per bottle of spray.
Add in a few sliced fresh chillis and a tablespoon of biodegradable washing dishwasher liquid – one like Ecover is best.
Then boil until soft. Mash the bulbs and chilli then sieve to remove the lumps.
Fill a spray bottle with the solution and spray in early evening when the slugs are most active.
This MUST be done regularly and after rain.
You can also buy garlic spray ready made from the shops, but seems an expensive waste of money.
MY RECOMMENDATIONS
COPPER RINGSfrom Copper & Green. Handmade and last for years – from £6.
COPPER TAPE– ASelected Copper Tape Slug Repellent has the best reviews on Amazon – £6.99
SLUG PELLETSGreen fingers 2-in-1 barrier from Robert Dyas promises to keep slug and snails away – but crucially – has no harmful chemicals and doesn’t hurt nature. £5.79
NEMATODES– I’ve used Nemaslug from Nematodes Direct, which works to reduce slug populations from garden beds, planters, and pots. £15.99
SLUG MESHGreen Gardeners have flexible slug and snail mesh for £14.99
