How do I control slugs and snails?

From a gardeners perspective there can be little more annoying that finding your carefully nurtured seedlings, plants and cuttings have either been munched voraciously or have simply disappeared.

Getting Proof

First you need to be sure that it is slugs or snails eating your plants. You can catch them in the act at night or on damp days when you will find them slithering over fresh shoots and munching them from the outside in. Plants with holes in the middle of their leaves are more likely to have been eaten by caterpillars or some other pest. The other tell tale sign is a silvery track that runs up to and around your plants and may also be evident on any part of the plant that is left. You can also gauge your attacker by the type of plant that has been eaten, generally slugs and snails do not eat furry or hairy leaves plants unless their juvenile growth is very soft and they don’t tend to eat the leaves of established plants. They love fresh shoots, leafy veg, seedlings and bedding plants and seem to leave most weeds alone.

Integrated approach

Once you’ve decided it is slugs and snails you need to act fast.

Your first plan of action is to make your garden more wildlife friendly attracting birds, frogs, toads, reptiles and hedgehogs by creating suitable shelter, nesting sites and a source of food. These creatures all eat slugs and snails and can make huge inroads into your pest problem.

For the very best results you need to have a few more weapons in your armoury to work alongside the wildlife. Traps are an effective way of keeping the slug population smaller. You can make your own and use cheap beer as an attractant or take advantage of the many traps and baits now available to gardeners.

Alongside traps you can create barriers around susceptible plants using a variety of materials that deter these slippery fiends. Generally these are sharp angular materials that slugs and snails prefer to avoid or there are also sticky pastes and copper bands that can be used.

Nematode controls are extremely effective in free draining moist soils and many gardens open to the public choose to use this child, pet and wildlife friendly control.

Some gardeners advocate the use of poison baits and practically cover their flower and vegetable beds in these bright blue granules. This is illegal, though PC Plod is very unlikely to step in and arrest you. Every pesticide has to be used according to the instructions on the label, which means using them very sparingly. Some slug pellets can be fatal if ingested, making them an unwise choice if your garden is used by small children, pets or frequented by wildlife. Fortunately there are a few safer alternatives. Organic slug pellets based on Ferric Phosphate have been shown to be as effective as the Metaldehyde based baits, which is great news for everyone.

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