Snails like to eat the fruits of our garden work and they can be very troublesome in this. But the biggest threat is slugs and their insatiable appetite. They came to us from western-northern Europe. They used to be encountered here sporadically. Unfortunately, for several years their population has been increasing dramatically. They like damp and shady areas , they don’t have shells, so nothing protects them from the sun. To survive, they have to hide in the dark, close to a source of food. Gardens and vegetable gardens are the perfect place for them. They hide under leaves, in the grass and between weeds, when they get hungry, they start to eat vegetables from our garden. Their feeding places can be identified by the holes in the leaves, which are particularly visible on lettuce.
What do you need to know about slugs?
First of all, you need to be aware that they take on various, non-uniform colors, most often dark, such as brown or black. You can also find mixed colors. The largest grow up to 20 cm , an encounter with such a specimen can scare many people. It is worth knowing that they are long-lived, living up to 5 years. In the winter, they hide under stones, in wet areas or in the ground with rotting vegetables. It seems that things can’t get any worse. Unfortunately, we don’t have good news. They have no natural enemies, which is a real nightmare for gardeners, so they can calmly fulfill their mission of devouring everything they encounter in their path.
Slugs don’t like certain plants – sage is the top
Slugs, regardless of whether they have a shell or not, don’t like certain plants. And they are bothered by both the intense smell, and the soft structure of the leaves, with a distinct fuzz. These include sage , which we can plant between plants or make a ‘wall’ of them around vegetables, which will scare off snails.Just remember, sage does not like very sunny areas and prefers soft, permeable areas. If this method does not work, you can also plant: nasturtium (it likes the sun), phlox (panicaceae), common yarrow, lavender, garden daylily, evening primrose, soft lady’s mantle, myrtle euphorbia and magnificent geranium (snails cannot break through its leaves). All these plants have in common a very strong, sometimes even irritating smell, and leaves that do not have a smooth surface. This method can be supplemented with other methods.
Are we completely helpless against slugs?
It seems that the situation is really hopeless. Fortunately, there are a few methods worth testing:
- Natural, ecological crops that do not use pesticides have the advantage. Thanks to this, we will protect the firefly larvae , for which the young slugs are a real delicacy.
- A simple method with beer – just pour it into several containers, stable and relatively strong. The smell of the golden liquid wafts in the air, the snails fall inside. Then you have to pull them out and burn them. To avoid a massacre, we move them to another place, very far from our plot.
- They do not like to climb on irregular surfaces, so the plants can be covered with wool. They can’t climb it, they are cut off from food, and eventually they realize that there is no place for them here.
- If possible, let’s try to influence reducing the humidity of the area. In such a case, hay and straw are not suitable as bedding, as well as pieces of wood, which create a fairly dense layer. Let’s postpone watering until early morning, while the sun shines on the plants, they don’t lean out, and the water dries by evening.
