Gardeners ‘swear by’ powerful deterrent to stop snails invading their gardens

Gardeners ‘swear by’ powerful deterrent to stop snails invading their gardens

11/01/2023

Slugs can become particularly problematic during autumn because they thrive in cool and wet conditions, as they are most active in the dark.

What’s more, the garden pests are notoriously voracious and will wipe out entry beds of seedlings overnight when present in great numbers.

The Royal Horticultural Society explains: “Reproduction occurs mainly in autumn and spring when clusters of spherical, yellowish-white eggs can be found under logs, stones, and pots.

Fortunately, a large variety of solutions are available to us in nature.

Garlic, along with lawn chamomile and chives, is believed to be one of the best natural repellents for slugs because of the plant’s compounds.

Learning with experts explains: “Some plants repel most slugs and snails and these may have a deterrent effect with planted alongside or used to make an extract.

“Many gardeners swear by garlic as a natural pest control.”

Not only does garlic work as a powerful pest repellent, but it can also eliminate powdery mildew on foliage. The principal defense compound created by garlic bulbs – which repel and kill snails – is allicin.

One of the best ways to use the repelling against slugs is to peel the cloves from a whole heart of garlic, add it to a food processor, and blend with 235 ml of water.

Leave the mixture to sit for several minutes so that the chemical reaction that creates allicin has time to complete. Pass the mixture through a sieve to remove the solids and pour the remaining liquid into a spray bottle.

While the solution should work on its own, some gardeners choose to combine it with other potent spices like fennel for further effect.

“Slugs seems […[ to be put off by the strong scene of Foeniculum vulgare (fennel). There are so many plants that slugs […] can’t stomach,” explains David Domoney’s website.

This is the case for most plants that emit an unpleasant smell or taste bitter, such as rosemary and lavender.

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