it’s official – never has the store sold so many slug killer pellets! This year has been a bumper one for crop destruction and we are hitting back. Few of us like using slug pellets, but are driven to them by lack of alternatives. So here are some options you may like to try…
Cucumber
Snails particularly seem to love cucumber. Pieces of cucumber placed around your crop will end up looking like the picture here – and the honey trap is complete. Pick them up and dispose kindly…
Thank you Georgina
Bran
A ring of bran (possibly flakes?) around your crop will attract slugs. They eat themselves silly with it, apparently, and lie there while you pick them up. Bran interferes with the mollusc’s digestion and it desiccates and and sometimes dies. This has the advantage that nothing further up the food chain that consumes the slug will be poisoned, but it does need reapplication frequently in wet weather. Again, dispose…..
Thank you Sally
Garlic Wash
Seen on Gardener’s World, this tip from a Hosta Grower at Chelsea – with a complete stand of hole-free hostas! Spray on the leaves of your crop – and make them very undesirable to pests. You may notice a smell of garlic, though…..
Recipe- with thanks to Sienna Hostas
- Take 2 full bulbs of garlic and add them to approximately 2L of water in a saucepan.
- Boil until soft and squash with the back of a fork to release as much juice as possible.
- Sieve out skins and bits so you are left with a cloudy liquid concentrate.
- Dilute approximately 2 tablespoons to 5L of water in a sprayer or watering can.
- Spray or water over your plants once a week February-October.
- Store in a cool place or fridge
- Use throughout the season – make a fresh batch every year.
- High dosage and more regular applications may be needed in wet weather.
