To prevent slimy pests from wreaking havoc in the vegetable garden, countless eco-friendly tips exist to eliminate them or simply keep them away from plants and flowers, without resorting to chemical products, particularly pesticides. In other words, by using preventive tips (such as installing a slug barrier for example), we can fight against slugs and snails effectively and economically. Let’s explore some practical advice in this post to ensure slugs and snails no longer invade your garden.
Prevent the invasion of slugs and snails
Indeed, very few plants escape the nibbling of slugs and snails. These pests can be extremely numerous when it is very hot. Moreover, to escape the heat of the soil, these slimy pests climb to the tips of the plants. Very specific due to their white agglutinations, they eventually cover the entire tip of the branches, preventing the development of buds. At this stage, detecting their presence will be easy. But once spotted, the question is how to drive these gastropods away from your plants, flowers? For that, several simple and natural tips allow you to keep these pests at bay.
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Embrace grandmother’s tricks
Generally speaking, slugs need moisture to move. To this end, the installation of drying ground cover barriers such as wood chips, diatomaceous earth, ash, coffee grounds can keep them away for a while. So, a preventive method to recycle after each rain. The use of pine needle mulch also has a certain effect on these slimy creatures.
Additionally, it is also necessary to keep away from your plants: compost heaps, extensive grasslands, and other possible shelters for slugs and snails (notably, wood or stone piles, etc.). Finally, don’t forget to plant a number of repellent plants such as parsley, chervil, comfrey, nasturtium, begonia, clover. Known for their ability to repel insects, nematodes, or other pests, they can deter slugs and/or snails and thus protect your crops.
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Eliminate slugs without products
Other complementary tips to those mentioned above include setting up slug traps. Indeed, to effectively collect slugs, it is first necessary to gather them for later elimination. For this, place on the ground close to your plants: boards, flower pots, or overturned crates. They create numerous hideouts where slugs and snails take refuge during the day. Also, use containers filled with beer. They attract slugs that drown in it. However, it is important to cover these containers to prevent rain from diluting the beer. Young lettuce leaves can also serve as bait for these gastropods.
Treat with eco-friendly solutions
In case these preventive methods are not enough to eliminate snails and slugs, using a non-toxic slug treatment can be another solution. Indeed, there is a powder containing a microscopic worm to dilute in water, an exclusive predator of slugs. This nematode called Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita seeks out slugs in the soil and kills them after a few days by multiplying and preventing them from feeding. Apply by spraying or watering, one packet can treat about 30 m2. But how? These Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita remain active for 6 weeks, provided that the soil remains moist for an average of 15 days and that the temperature of the treated soil is between 5 and 20 °C. These pests disappear when there are no more prey, which proves that this treatment leaves no waste.