Slugs can be a real nuisance and if you’re fed up with them crawling all over your plants, have no fear, you’ve come to the right place.
The end of summer usually means slugs are busy searching gardens for tasty plants to feast on.
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While it can be frustrating for many gardening enthusiasts, a professional gardener has revealed the best way to deal with them.
This hack is not only natural, but also incredibly affordable—and you might already have the secret in your closet.
While scattering crushed eggshells around plants as a barrier is a very popular gardening method for keeping slugs away, Matt Peskett, gardener and founder of Grow up like grandpa shared what to do instead.
According to Matt, using eggshells didn’t work for him and instead there is a better way to keep slugs out of your garden for good.
Matt explained: “If I had a pound for every time I heard someone recommend crushed eggshells as a barrier against slugs and snails, I’d be rich.
“The problem is that it’s mostly a bunch of old cobblers that never gave my plants any kind of protection.”
Instead, Matt ran a series of experiments in his garden to see what works best to stop slugs from eating plants.
He discovered that it is best to combine a dry, powdery substance with rose thorns.
The green-fingered guru pointed out: “In my tests, snails won’t get through a barrier of dry, powdery ‘stuff.’
“It’s pretty obvious that it sticks to them, they can’t get any traction to get over it, but the granules must be small.”
So if you want to try this trick, you can use a variety of items, many of which you may already have in your closet.
But the cheapest hack will cost just 45p – yes, you heard that correctly, thanks to a bag of plain flour from Sainsbury’s.
Common Garden Pests
Common garden pests don’t need to be a cause for alarm. If you can identify them, you can work to get rid of them and prevent them from returning.
Aphids (green fly, black fly)
Aphids are extremely common and can affect plant growth. They have tiny, soft, pear-shaped bodies and are usually green or black. You may spot them clustered on the stems of tender shoots – look under the leaves in particular – or you may find a sticky substance on your plants that reveals the aphids have been there sucking the sap.
White fly
These small, white-winged insects are related to aphids, only 1 or 2 mm long, and look very similar to white moths as adults. They can be found on the underside of the leaves, preferring younger, fresher leaves. They fly away in groups when you disturb them. Its life cycle lasts just three weeks, which means an infestation can occur very quickly.
Slugs
An unmissable body with a soft appearance, as well as small sensory tentacles on the head. Slugs move on a muscular foot. Its scale ranges from surprisingly small to terrifyingly large; Limax cinereoniger species can comfortably grow beyond 20 cm in length.
Cabbage moth caterpillar
Cabbage moth caterpillars happily enter the hearts of vegetables. The caterpillars are distinguished by shades of yellow or brownish green, without hair.
Cochineal
Scale insects are small, oval-shaped insects that have a white, powdery wax coating. There are several different species, many of which have what appear to be legs coming out of their sides and back. In the initial phase of life, it is perfectly possible to confuse them with fungi and not even recognize them as insects.
Matt stated that you can use flour, coffee grounds, talcum powder, soot, wood ash or oatmeal or gypsum.
All you need to do is place a two-inch barrier of your chosen powder product around the plants and the slugs won’t be able to reach them.
Not only will the slugs have difficulty crawling after being coated in the substance, but the dry substance will also absorb the slugs’ moisture, which will disrupt their movement.
Keep pests away all summer long
IF you want to ensure your home is pest-free this summer, here’s what you need to know.
Wasps and hornets – I hate the smell of peppermint oil, so spraying it liberally on your patio or porch can help keep them away.
Moths – Acidic household white vinegar is effective in deterring moths. Soak some kitchen paper in vinegar and leave it in the closet as a deterrent.
flying ants – herbs and spices such as cinnamon, mint, chili pepper, black pepper, cayenne pepper, cloves or garlic act as deterrents.
Mosquitoes – Plants, herbs, and essential oil fragrances can help deter mosquitoes inside and out. Try eucalyptus, lavender, and lemongrass.
Additionally, you can also save rose thorns and use them as a barrier around your plants.
Matt continued: “It turns out that a wall of short horizontal spines is neither edible nor passable.
“Believe me, I’ve watched snails with their little mouths try to demolish spines and fail.”
Tips for Keeping Pests in Your Garden
- Plant companion plants, such as peppermint, to repel mice.
- Place Garden Netting Pest Barrierover your flower beds.
- Fill open containers with beer and place in the soil to repel slugs.
- Spray plants with Neem Oilto repel ants, flies and spiders.
- Sprinkle your flowerbeds with diatomaceous earth.
- Mix 1 tablespoon of dish soap, 10 drops of peppermint oil and 4 cups of water and spray on flower beds.
- Place eggshells around plants to protect them from slugs and snails.
He advised: “Wearing thick gloves, cut them into short, straight, leafless stems and build complete barriers around the base of your plants, the snails will not be able to cross them.”
According to Matt, he found that the best solution to keeping slugs out of his garden and stopping them from coming back was to use rose thorns and a dry substance around his plants.
The gardening genius shared: “I favor a two-pronged approach to plant protection using a powdered substance AND blackberry stems.”
According to Matt, this will be the “perfect gastropod plant protector” as after many tests, he found it to be the most effective natural gardening method for stopping slugs from eating plants.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
