I’m a gardening expert – my 5 hacks to stop slugs taking over as UK invasion worsens & why pellets aren’t the answer
PROTECTING your garden from pesky slugs can be easier said than done sometimes.
Luckily, gardening expert David Domoney, 61, has shared his best tips and tricks for keeping them at bay and ensuring your plants can thrive.
David joined chef Phil Vickery in This Morning‘s allotment to show how easy and affordable it can be to prevent slugs damaging your blooms.
Avoid watering at night
David’s first tip is to water in the afternoon or morning rather than late at night.
This is because the moisture will linger, attracting slugs and other unwelcome critters.
He explained: “They like the moisture, so no watering last thing at night.
“If you water late in the afternoon, the sun can dry the ground first and that helps.”
Remove their trails
Slug trails help them find their way back after they’ve left your garden, David explained.
But you can get rid of the trails and making it harder for slugs to return with a cheap kitchen staple.
“Add a little bit of vinegar to the trails to help clear them,” said.
Simply pour the vinegar directly over the trails to help hide them and you should find the snails stop coming back.
Use a beer trap
Beer traps have been a favourite method to stop slugs destroying foliage for years.
You can buy them from most garden centres or online from Amazon – simply put them into the ground and slugs will fall into the trap.
They’re attracted to the strong yeasty scent of the beer, so something like larger is perfect for this hack.
However, the gardening guru noted that if your bury them at ground level other insects that won’t damage your greenery can fall in too.
For that reason, he suggested burying them a couple of centimetres above ground level.
Make barriers
“There are barriers to stop slugs, they move over with a fluid movement…as they glide, so they don’t like grit,” David explained.
There a few different materials you can use for this, but perhaps one of the best methods is crushed eggshells.
Simply spread them around your plants and slugs shouldn’t crawl over them, leaving your garden greenery protected.
Alternatively, you can buy skirting, David explained.
“You can buy little skirts to go round the bottom of the plant… but you can use wool just as much,” he said.
They work the same was as DIY barriers, preventing slugs from accessing your plants because of their texture.
David said: “Copper tape is another one…slugs don’t like crawling on top of that, it gives them an electrocution, or you can buy pads as well.”
Use fragrant plants
For his last piece of advice, David suggested adding a few fragrant plants to your outdoor space.
“The last thing that is really good for slugs are plants with fragrant leaves that slugs don’t really like eating, things like chives, onions, lavender, and rosemary – planting them in the borders do really well,” he said.
“They don’t like eating anything with tough stems or woody leaves,” he added.
Why are there so many slugs in my garden?
ARE you at war with slugs? Are you crying out for help to get rid of them?
Fabulous’ Associate Editor and gardening enthusiast, Rebecca Miller, explores why gardens are overrun with slugs this summer.
“Not only has the lack of sunshine ruined plants, flowers and crops reaching their potential this summer, but the slug invasion is also ruining any chance of success.
“Up and down the country, gardeners are going to war over the army of slugs appearing in their back gardens.
“So why do we have so many slugs this summer? Well, because of the weather – we had a damp spring and arguably the wettest summer on record, which has created a perfect breeding ground for slugs.
“They became ‘active’ earlier in the year, which is why there are so many of them around now.
“As for whether they’re sticking around…that all depends on, yes, you guessed it, the weather!
“We need more sunshine to dry out the ground and soil, and then gardeners need to alter their watering schedules – avoid watering plants at night because the moisture encourages the slimy critters, instead water late in the afternoon, the last few hours of sun sun can dry the top layer of soil.”