Wendy Graham offers some tips on eco-friendly ways to keep slugs from the garden.
Deter Slugs Naturally
SLUGS and snails do a pretty important job in nature. Chomping through rotting vegetation helps to recycle nutrients back into the soil.
It can be pretty annoying when instead of feasting on a pile of rotting leaves, slugs decide to gorge on your prize vegetables or flowers that you’ve spent all season trying to grow.
While we should welcome all creatures into our garden, with the idea being that a healthy ecosystem means that one creature won’t dominate your garden, reaching that state takes time.
In the meantime, if you are looking for eco-friendly ways to control the number of slugs in your garden then there are several green alternatives you can turn to.
One of the eco-friendliest ways is to go out into your garden in the evening and manually collect any slugs you find.
Slugs mainly feed at night to keep their moisture levels up and avoid predators, such as birds and frogs, so it’s easy to catch them in the act.
Just pick them up, put them in a bucket and decant them far away from your prize vegetables.
If you’re looking for a less hands-on approach, try creating a thick barrier of sand or sharp gravel around the plants you are looking to protect.
Slugs dislike sliding over anything sharp or rough, as it’s uncomfortable on their soft bodies, so this can help to deter them from your best plants.
Another eco alternative is seaweed. Next time you find yourself on a beach, try collecting a small amount.
You can then mulch the seaweed around your beds, making sure the seaweed is not in direct contact with your plants.
This helps to deter slugs, whilst adding vital nutrients to your soil.
Finally, if you’d like to bring more balance to your garden, why not consider adding a small wildlife pond to your space?
Frogs, toads and newts will eat small slugs.
Alternatively, try encouraging birds and hedgehogs to your garden.
These creatures will devour any slugs they come across without damaging your plants. ■
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