THEY ARE a total nuisance when it comes to plants.
So it’s no wonder that gardeners are constantly looking for different ideas and methods to keep slugs out of their green spaces.
One person went to the Mrs Hinch’s Cleaning Tips Group on Facebook to ask for advice and made a point of being as humane as possible when getting rid of the creatures.
“Does anyone know how to keep slugs out of your house and garden without hurting them, please?” she wrote.
And she was quickly inundated with different suggestions, with one standing out above the rest.
“I’m a barber and lately I’ve been receiving some customers asking for bags of hair to place on the outside of tunnels and polyethylene pots, as slugs can’t get through them”, replied one of them.
“I don’t know how practical that is for you, but it certainly stops them!”
“Thank you very much!” the poster responded.
In fact, using hair to deter slugs is a method that has been around for years.
In a Gardening Tips article about Peter Nyssen websitethey wrote: “Make friends with your local barber and ask for the haircuts!
“Spread a thin layer of human, cat or dog hair around your plants and slugs won’t go to them.
“The hair will also add plant-feed nitrogen to the soil as it slowly decomposes.”
If you don’t feel like going to your local hairdresser to request some haircuts, you can get some from your hairbrush or even from your dog’s bed if you have a pet.
There are also other cost-effective ways to keep slugs away, including using grapefruit.
“Eat half a grapefruit for breakfast and then use it as a slug trap,” the professionals continued.
“Drill a few small holes on each side and then turn it upside down.
Keep pests away all summer long
Wasps and hornets – 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 mosses inside and out. Try eucalyptus, lavender, and lemongrass.
“Slugs love grapefruit and will flock to eat it instead of your plants.”
You can then “put the grapefruit, slugs and all, in your compost.”
Epsom salts are another way to deter slugs and also have the added benefit of “preventing magnesium deficiency in your plants.”
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story