By far the worst pests to the vegetable grower is the slug & the snail, it doesn’t matter what you grow or where you grow it the slug is waiting to devour the crop before you do. They are not fussy eaters but they do prefer young seedlings. Now there has been a national ban on slug pellets containing metaldehyde Below are some remedies for slug & snail prevention.
- A container half buried in the ground and half filled with beer. The slug is lured by the scent & tumbles to its death .
- Self adhesive copper tape around pots & planters deters the slug & snail & gives them a small electric shock when attempting to cross it.
- Eggs shells is an old favorite. to put around your vulnerable plants.
- Grit & gravel – the finely crushed horticultural grit makes a good barrier as it has sharp edges.
- Nut shells – the sharp edges make good barriers- around vulnerable plants.
- You can also trap them under grapefruit or orange skins the slug likes to hide away from predatory birds in the day time
Blog by Mark Burton (Allotment Secretary)
