Have a garden or flower bed? If so, you’ve probably seen a lot of little holes in your plants’ leaves this year. Why? Because slugs and snails are currently in their heyday. For the last two years, these little mollusks have been thriving and subsequently wreaking havoc on people’s plants.
Snails are especially prevalent in the spring and summer. Snails will eat just about any of your plants, especially the young, leafy ones. When they eat, they make visible holes in your plants and, with enough effort, kill them.
If you don’t want your plants torn apart or dead, follow the steps below.
Note: All suggestions below are non-toxic to and safe for wildlife, pets, and children.
How to Deter Snails:
- Put rough materials on the ground. Sand, sharp rocks, and eggshells make for great options. Snails do not like moving over these materials because they cut them.
- Spray your plants with cold coffee or put coffee grounds on the dirt. Snails can be killed by caffeine, so use only a little bit if you only want to deter the mollusks.
- Hunt for snails. Go outside in the evening or early morning to catch them. You’ll have better luck if you set out food like cut up produce for them to be attracted to.
- Protect your plants with a mesh fence. Slugs will have a harder time getting into your garden if there is a fence in their way that they can’t climb on.
- Plant some snail-repellent plants around the borders of your garden to deter the mollusks. Rosemary, ferns, and lavender all are easy to add to your garden and are all effective for warding off snails.
- Spread an organic slug and snail bait like Sluggo around the plants that the snails are eating.
- Call us and schedule for us to come to your property to rid it of any pests you have!
Sources:
https://www.capitalgardens.co.uk/blog/driven-mad-slugs-snails-7-plants-hate/