Slug traps require some form of bait – beer is popular! To make your own, use a shallow container (plastic coleslaw or yoghurt pot) and insert it into the soil. Tape is useful around pots and legs of greenhouse staging
![slug vs snail slug vs snail](https://static.diffen.com/tnimgs/hashtree/2/25/25f8e2.jpg)
Copper tape/rings - copper gives a natural electric charge that repels both slugs and snails.Especially useful in hard-to-protect-places like greenhouse window frames. Spray repellent - made from yucca plant extract, spray on to surfaces and around vulnerable plants.But you need to renew daily, especially in damp weather. Put a thick layer round the plant, slugs will eat it, swell up and become easy picking for birds. Grit or Granules - natural mineral products that either form a sharp, gritty repellent barrier or that suck the moisture from the slime that slugs and snails exude as they move.Slug collars - plastic rings with a lip to make crossing it difficult, placed around individual plants such as lettuce.Bottle cloches - cut the bottom off a clear plastic bottle and firm it into the soil around a vulnerable seedling/plant.These are all hiding places for slugs and snails.īarriers and traps to catch slugs and snails Barriers can be either home-made or commercial products. Tidy up or remove any piles of rubble or stones close to cultivated areas, as well as stacks of flowerpots, and piles of plant debris.Make your garden a friendly place for these beneficial creatures by avoiding harmful sprays and creating a variety of wildlife habitats and nesting boxes. Ground beetles, frogs, toads, hedgehogs and birds all feed on slugs.Potato varieties such as Ambo, Cara, Desiree, Romano, Sante and Valor have shown resistance to slugs.So wait to plant out seedlings until they are mature and resistant. See below for a list of flowers not so high on their menu. Slugs and snails love hostas and delphiniums. Here are some other ways to confound them: The chemicals in slug pellets can cause problems for earthworms. Only use pellets certified as suitable for organic growing (check the logo) and use sparingly. These are expensive to buy, so make sure you follow the instructions re soil temperature, watering etc carefully. Dispose of them as you wish – ideally putting them in a suitable natural habitat away from any cultivated land.Ĥ. Go out after dark and pick up every slug and snail (use tongs or gloves if squeamish). Put down a flat slate on the soil near your plants and check underneath it every day to remove the slugs and snails which have congregated in the dark and damp.ģ. Keep checking daily – especially after wet or damp weather. Create barriers with slug collars, grit, wool pellets, cloches made from plastic bottles. Here’s a five point plan to get rid of these hungry molluscs.ġ. Slugs and snails are the number one enemy of organic growers.