Do any pure slug-repellent strategies actually work? I’ve tried out 10 fully fully totally different pure strategies in my yard – correct proper right here’s how I bought on.
My affiliate and I’ve been trying to develop our non-public fruit and greens for about 16 years now.
We began off rising factors on the balcony of our rented flat, before progressing to rising factors all through the small yard of our first flat. We then moved on to allotments – trying out three fully fully totally different allotments. Then we had two children and in no way appeared to have the time or vitality to make the allotment work. We gave up the allotment, and now we develop what we’re going to all through the tiny yard of our cottage.
Irrespective of having many kinds of rising setups over the earlier 18 years, there’s been one mounted. Slugs. Chomping by means of all of our prize greens that we’ve spent hours lovingly tending.
I do know that slugs (and snails) do a fairly essential job in nature. They munch by means of rotting vegetation, which helps to recycle dietary nutritional vitamins as soon as extra into the soil. Nonetheless, it could possibly be fairly annoying when in its place of feasting on a pile of rotting leaves, slugs resolve to gorge in your prize greens or flowers that you simply simply merely’ve spent all season trying to develop.
Fairly than turning to slug pellets, I’ve tried a complete host of pure slug repellents. It is on account of commonplace slug pellets are dangerous to wildlifeas they embrace a poisonous ingredient commonly known as metaldehyde. Whereas wildlife, equal to birds and hedgehogs, are unlikely to eat the pellets they’re normally harmed inside the event that they eat a ineffective snail or slug that has eaten the pellets.
Nonetheless do any of the pure strategies to discourage slugs actually work? I’ve rounded up 10 fully fully totally different strategies that we’ve tried over time – displaying you strategies we bought on.
10 Pure Slug Repellent Strategies We’ve Tried
Correct proper right here’s a round-up of the pure repellents we’ve tried to discourage slugs from our crops. As you might even see it’s been a extremely long-running battle:
Copper
A few of us swear by copper piping and copper rings as a way of pure slug repellent. Apparently copper carries a worth that interferes with the slug’s slime. When slugs and snails might be discovered contact with the copper, it causes a small, nevertheless innocent electric-shock-like response. Because of it’s uncomfortable, the slugs and snails supposedly avoid copper.
Nonetheless does copper work as a deterrent? Accurately, as quickly as we had an earlier gasoline hearth away from our first flat, a load of copper piping obtained proper right here out. Fairly than binning it, I requested the gasoline engineer to handle it for me. Which they did. And I then reused the copper piping, by placing it spherical our vegetable seedlings, very like a fortress.
I felt smug and assured that our treasured seedlings have been going to make it. Nonetheless what I discovered was the inverse. The copper was completely ineffective in repelling slugs. Our crops bought munched to excessive heaven. I even seen slugs and snails sitting on the copper piping, not giving two hoots that they have been sitting on copper. If they might have given me the fingers, then I’m optimistic they might have. The slugs have been that brazen.
Consequence: Slugs 1 – Wendy 0
Eggshells
Completely totally different of us swear by inserting smashed-up eggshells all through the underside of your plant. Apparently, this acts as a pure repellent on account of the shells are sharp and uncomfortable for the slugs to crawl over.
I attempted the eggshell technique repeatedly and nonetheless, my crops bought munched. I seen slugs crawling over the eggshells fairly merrily.
The eggshells must be clear and dry – so the minute the shells contact the soil, you water your crops, or it inevitably rains then your eggs annoyingly not act as a deterrent. I say compost your eggshells in its place – it’s a tons larger use of them.
Consequence: Slugs 2 – Wendy 0
Gravel
As a variation on the eggshell theme, a few of us recommend inserting gravel spherical your crops on account of it’s too uncomfortable for slugs to crawl over. I say save your cash. Our present yard is roofed in gravel – we now develop all our produce in pots – and slugs fortunately crawl over the gravel to get to at the least one issue tasty. We’ve even tried utilizing sharper, finer gravel to prime our pots, and the slugs couldn’t care rather a lot a lot much less that it’s there.
We even get slugs transferring all via the gravel to get to our as soon as extra door, after which squeezing underneath the tiniest of gaps to get into our kitchen. I swear they’ve bought it in for us.
Consequence: Slugs 3 – Wendy 0
Espresso
One totally different prime pure slug-repellent tip I heard of was to position espresso grounds all through the underside of your plant. It is on account of the caffeine in espresso grounds is alleged to be mildly poisonous to slugs, they normally moreover avoid it.
As rapidly as I saved your entire espresso grounds from work (my workmates drank quite a few espresso!). I then carried them house on the bus, unfold them spherical my crops, and nonetheless my crops bought munched.
I think about the issue is that when the espresso grounds get moist – by means of watering or rain – the espresso grounds get washed away. This implies you would want an horrible lot of espresso grounds for this to even stand a tiny likelihood of working. Save your grounds and use them as a mulch.
Consequence: Slugs 4 – Wendy 0
Hay
One totally different technique I attempted was inserting hay spherical my crops. I don’t even know what planet I used to be on to even start to suppose this might work. I discovered utilizing hay as a pure repellent actually made our slug drawback worse. The slugs seemed to be sheltering all through the hay barely than repelling them and have been furthermore perhaps laying their eggs in there. Don’t be as silly as me. Be taught from my errors!
Consequence: Slugs 5 – Wendy 0
Wildlife Ponds
One totally different pure slug administration technique we tried was as pure on account of it may get – encouraging frogs and toads into our yard. Frogs feast on slugs so we thought making a frog-friendly habitat would work wonders.
We constructed a bit wildlife pond in each the yard of our flat and all through the yard of our present house. Each have been frog and toad-friendly nevertheless we in no way seen one frog or toad in it. Truly one amongst our neighbours discovered a frog in her pondless yard (typical!), so she put it in our pond. It didn’t appear to hold about – we in no way seen it as quickly as additional – and nonetheless, the slug inhabitants remained as excessive and aggressive as ever.
Consequence: Slugs 6 – Wendy 0
Rising Indoors
One 12 months we determined to take fairly an organization stance and upped our pure slug-repellent recreation. We began rising our crops indoors till they bought to measurement, all through the hope that they is more likely to be massive ample to withstand a slug assault. Or so we thought. Lower than one week all through the yard and one pea plant was completely and fully decimated by slugs, and one squash plant was very just about a goner.
Consequence: Slugs 7 – Wendy 0
Handbook Assortment
One totally different summer season season, we determined that hardly than trying to repel the slugs, we would beat them at their very private recreation, and manually buy them. My daughter and I’d exit all through the night into the yard with a bucket and do “snail patrol”. This might embody selecting up any slugs and snails after which decanting the dwell slugs and snails all through the woods all via from our residence.
It is on account of going out at evening and selecting off the slugs (and snails) is an environment friendly time to catch them all through the act. Slugs principally feed at evening to handle their moisture ranges up and avoid predators, equal to birds and frogs. Merely choose them off, put them in a bucket and take them pretty far out of your prize greens.
I’ve to confess, I’m a bit squeamish on the subject of dealing with slugs (some unhealthy experiences involving naked ft – I’ll go away it at that!) however I persevered. It didn’t appear to make tons distinction. The greens we didn’t need to be munched nonetheless bought munched. I think about in hindsight we weren’t taking the slugs and snails far ample away. Apparently, they should be taken at least 20 metres out of your yard to stop them from coming as soon as extra.
Outcomes: Slugs 8 – Wendy 0
Beer
One 12 months we gave up on pure slug repellents and turned to beer traps in desperation. Apparently, the candy beer scent is irresistible to the slugs they typically climb in, drink the beer and neglect to climb out as quickly as additional. Which is a pleasing technique of claiming they drown.
I reduce some plastic bottles in half and stuffed them with half beer (most likely essentially the most worth environment friendly nastiest can of lager might uncover in my native retailer – not the nice craft beer!) and half water. I then dug them into the underside, close to my prize greens, with a lip of about 3cm protruding of the soil so beetles and fully totally different creatures didn’t unintentionally fall in. In case one other creatures did fall in, I popped a stick in so they might climb out:
What can I say – even the nuclear various didn’t work. Are you able to see the plant the slugs completely destroyed appropriate subsequent to the beer lure?! There’s nothing bigger than a inexperienced stalk, the place as rapidly as verdant leaves have been!
My conclusion was that every slugs in West Lothian are laborious as nails, or beer traps don’t work. It was merely a waste of implausible beer. Accurately, actually, it wasn’t good beer. Let’s merely say it was merely a waste of time and money!
Consequence: Slugs 9 – Wendy 0
Salt
The traditional pure slug repellent is salt, however I’ve to say I’m reluctant to do this. The salt will greater than possible get washed away when it rains in another case you water your crops. Plus it’d enhance the salinity of your soil, which isn’t too good for crops.
Salt can also be caustic to fully totally different creatures that go to your yard – suppose the tiny paws of hedgehogs – so I’d say this technique is finest averted.
Consequence: Slugs 10 – Wendy 0
So What’s The Reply?
I think about trying to work within the path of nature – and utilizing any type of slug repellent – irrespective of how pure, isn’t going to work. From my dismal nevertheless tenacious makes an attempt to usurp our yard’s slug inhabitants, I’d say that, like that well-known Jurassic Park quote, slugs uncover a method.
I think about embracing additional wildlife-friendly gardening strategies is without doubt one of the easiest methods ahead. We should all the time on a regular basis welcome all creatures into our yard, with the thought being {{{that a}}} healthful ecosystem implies that one creature obtained’t dominate your yard. Creating bee-friendly gardens encourages fully totally different creatures that eat bees and slugs. Encouraging wild birds could also be useful as they eat slugs too.
And whereas our wildlife pond didn’t pay money for its goal, I think about we have been too fast to guage. I think about this stuff take time to settle in and attraction to the wildlife that frogs, toads and newts must survive.
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