PROTECTING your garden from pesky slugs can sometimes be easier said than done.
Luckily, gardening expert David Domoney, 61, has shared his best tips and tricks for keeping them at bay and ensuring your plants can thrive.
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David joined chef Phil Vickery on This Morning to show how easy and affordable it can be to prevent slugs from damaging your flowers.
Avoid watering at night
David’s first tip is to water in the afternoon or morning, not late at night.
This is because the moisture will remain, attracting slugs and other undesirable creatures.
He explained: “They like humidity, so no watering at night.
“If you water in the late afternoon, the sun can dry the soil first and that helps.”
Remove your tracks
Slug trails help them find their way back after they leave the garden, David explained.
But you can get rid of the trails and make it harder for the slugs to return with an inexpensive kitchen staple.
“Add a little vinegar to the trails to help clean them,” he said.
Simply pour the vinegar directly onto the trails to help hide them and you will see the snails stop coming back.
Use a beer trap
Beer traps have been a favorite method of stopping slugs from destroying foliage for years.
You can buy them at most garden centers or online at Amazon – just place them in the ground and the slugs will fall into the trap.
They are attracted to the strong yeasty smell of beer, so something larger is perfect for this trick.
However, the gardening guru noted that if you bury them at ground level, other insects that won’t damage your vegetation may also fall in.
For this reason, he suggested burying them a few centimeters above the ground.
Make barriers
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“There are barriers to stop the slugs, they move with a fluid motion… as they slide, that’s why they don’t like sand,” David explained.
There are a few different materials you can use for this, but perhaps one of the best methods is to crush eggshells.
Just spread them over the plants and the slugs shouldn’t crawl on them, leaving your garden vegetation protected.
Alternatively, you can buy skirting boards, explained David.
“You can buy little skirts to go around the bottom of the plant… but you can also use wool,” he said.
They work in the same way as DIY barriers, preventing slugs from accessing your plants due to their texture.
David said: “Copper tape is another one… slugs don’t like crawling on it, it gives them electrocution, or you can also buy pads.”
Use fragrant plants
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As a final piece of advice, David suggested adding some fragrant plants to your outdoor space.
“The last thing that’s really good for slugs are plants with scented leaves that slugs don’t really like to eat, things like chives, onions, lavender and rosemary – planting them around borders does really well,” he said.
“They don’t like to eat 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 infested with slugs this summer.
“Not only has the lack of sunlight ruined the plants, flowers and crops that reached their potential this summer, but the slug invasion is also ruining any chance of success.
“Across the country, gardeners are up in arms over the army of slugs appearing in their yards.
“So why do we have so many slugs this summer? Well, because of the weather – we had a wet spring and arguably the wettest summer on record, which created a perfect breeding ground for slugs.
“They became ‘active’ at the beginning of the year, which is why there are so many of them around now.
“As for whether they’ll stick around…it all depends on, yes, you guessed it, the weather!
“We need more sunlight to dry out the soil and soil, and so gardeners need to alter their watering schedules – avoid watering plants at night because the humidity encourages the slimy creatures, instead water in the late afternoon, in the late afternoon. hours of sunshine. can dry out the top layer of soil.”
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
