If you've recently taken up gardening, you've likely encountered a new nuisance - slugs and snails.
It's rare to find a gardener who hasn't dealt with these troublesome creatures. Fortunately, there are numerous ways to address the issue and regain control of your garden beds.
Snails and slugs are primarily active at night, making it difficult to catch them in the act during the day. This may leave you wondering who's been feasting on your vegetables.
Slugs have a particular fondness for cabbages, lettuces, strawberries, and young seedlings. Therefore, extra precautions are necessary to safeguard these vulnerable plants.
While there are various methods for dealing with slugs, I will share the ones that have proven effective for me.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
How To Get Rid Of Slugs - The Manual Way
The Best Way To Get Rid Of Snails And Slugs
Keeping Slugs Away With Eggshells
So What Works Best? Final Thoughts
How To Get Rid Of Slugs
The Manual Way Although not a long-term solution, if you find yourself without other methods and in need of a quick fix, slug hunting at night with a flashlight and gloves can be surprisingly effective. You'll be astonished by the number of these pesky creatures you can find. While it may not be the most enjoyable task, it can save your seedlings until you acquire materials for more sophisticated methods.
The Best Way To Get Rid Of Snails And Slugs
Protect Your Plants With Copper Tape When I first learned about this technique, I was sceptical. However, after trying it myself, it quickly became my favourite way to safeguard my vegetables.
Did you know that slugs (and snails) cannot crawl over copper?
It may sound unbelievable, but it turns out that the static electricity in copper acts as a deterrent, giving them small electric shocks and deterring them from approaching. It's like an electric fence but for snails/slugs! Technically, you're not eliminating them, but simply keeping them away from your precious plants.
Based on my experience, I mainly use two approaches:
For outdoor seedlings, I create a circle of copper tape around their base, ensuring it's not too tight to allow room for stem growth. It's crucial to ensure that the seedling's leaves do not touch the ground outside the tape. If the seedling appears droopy, it's advisable to provide support so it stays off the ground (It is a good idea to wrap copper tape around the support as well).
Another effective method is to wrap the entire rim of the planter pot with copper tape.Noting that this only works with small planter pots with fresh new soil and is not an option when planting directly into the raised beds. Although it requires more resources (copper tape), it provides a secure and long-lasting solution, rendering your seedling pots slug-proof for many seasons.
Keeping Slugs Away With Eggshells
Another highly regarded method involves the use of eggshells.
This approach came highly recommended by a gardening enthusiast friend of mine who swore by its effectiveness. So I gave it a go and was very surprised!
Here is the method - Grind up eggshells into tiny shards and place them around your plants. The sharp edges act as a deterrent to slugs and snails, discouraging them from crawling over this circle of "death."
Additionally, eggshells are readily available and easily collected. Simply save them until you have enough to grind up, which can be done using a regular coffee grinder or the old fashioned way.
One added benefit is that eggshells contribute to the soil's health, enriching it with calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, zinc, iron, and copper. They become an integral part of your garden, nourishing both the soil and your vegetables.
Final Thoughts
While there are numerous other methods for addressing slugs in your garden, I prefer to stick with these two in tandem as they have been fairly effective and personally tested by myself and trusted friends.
I appreciate that these approaches do not involve actively "killing" the slugs but rather guiding them away from your plants. Happy growing!