WITH the weekend finally here and the weather heating up, if you want to ensure your garden is guest-ready, you’ve come to the right place.
There’s nothing more irritating than spending days looking after your garden, in particular your plants, only to find pesky slugs crawling all over them.
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And if your plants have been chewed by the slimy creatures, don’t worry, we’ve got just the thing.
These soft-bodied molluscs can quickly become a gardener’s nightmare, leaving ragged holes in leaves and causing significant damage to plants.
But luckily for you, there’s a really simple Victorian-era trick that will work a treat.
Not only is it quick and easy, but you may already have the secret in your recycling bin, making this hack perfect for those on a budget.
This handy gardening hack has been used since the 1800s and according to experts, it works to keep slugs out of your garden.
Lena Wren teamed up with Heat Pump Covers to share the clever hack and recommended that homeowners bury open top glass bottles in their gardens – yes, you heard that correctly.
While it might seem rather random to some, this is a trick that has been proven to be effective for generations of gardeners.
Lena explained that doing so produces a humming sound that turns the slugs away.
And fear not, while us humans would barely notice it, creatures under the ground certainly will.
Lena shared: “It creates a subtle vibration through the soil. Moles and even slugs pick up on it and move away.
“It unsettles them without doing any harm.”
Lena advised that gardeners can use any kind of glass bottle that has a narrow neck, such as a lemonade bottle or a wine bottle.
Why are there so many slugs in my garden?
ARE you at war with slugs? Are you crying out for help to get rid of them?
Fabulous’ Associate Editor and gardening enthusiast, Rebecca Miller, explores why gardens are overrun with slugs this summer.
“Not only has the lack of sunshine ruined plants, flowers and crops reaching their potential this summer, but the slug invasion is also ruining any chance of success.
“Up and down the country, gardeners are going to war over the army of slugs appearing in their back gardens.
“So why do we have so many slugs this summer? Well, because of the weather – we had a damp spring and arguably the wettest summer on record, which has created a perfect breeding ground for slugs.
“They became ‘active’ earlier in the year, which is why there are so many of them around now.
“As for whether they’re sticking around…that all depends on, yes, you guessed it, the weather!
“We need more sunshine to dry out the ground and soil, and then gardeners need to alter their watering schedules – avoid watering plants at night because the moisture encourages the slimy critters, instead water late in the afternoon, the last few hours of sun sun can dry the top layer of soil.”
She advised people to bury bottles halfway into the ground, ideally near areas under threat from these pests.
But that’s not all, along with this hack, Lena shared a few more suggestions for gardeners when it comes to keeping pests away from their plants.
It’s about creating an environment that tells pests: you’re not welcome here
Lena Wren
Another one of her top tips is to use onion peels or coffee grounds to throw off pests’ sense of smell, which attracts them to your garden plants.
Not only this, but she also suggested planting crown imperial flowers, which are known for their strong scent.
Lauren acknowledged: “It’s about creating an environment that tells pests: you’re not welcome here.”
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Why having slugs in your garden is a good thing
Yes, they chomp your precious plants, but having slugs in your garden should be celebrated.
Rebecca Miller, Associate Editor for Fabulous, and novice gardener, believes we should work in harmony with slugs and not try to get rid of them altogether.
“We’ve been conditioned as a society to believe we must have gardens with straight edges, short lawns with pretty stripes and perfect borders with flowers constantly blooming.
But unruly hedgerows, abundance of tall wildflowers buzzing with insects, and bugs and slugs galore in flowerbeds is totally natural – and necessary.
I understand that your plants might be very precious to you, but we need slugs and snails. They provide food for all sorts of mammals, birds, slow worms, earthworms, insects – and they are part of the natural balance.
By removing them, we upset the ecosystem and can do a lot of harm – thrushes in particular thrive on them!
It is said British Gardeners use some 650 billion slug pellets per year! Please find a natural alternative – the poison from slug pellets enters the food chain and can kill hedgehogs, who consider slugs and snails as a tasty treat.
If you’re truly desperate, consider using Diatomaceous Earth – it is a naturally occurring compound approved for organic use, that can be used for pest control.
And while you’re at it, challenge yourself to grow “sacrificial plants”.
Sacrificial planting, commonly known as trap cropping, is the deliberate act of growing plants to attract pests. Pick a slugs favourite vegetable or ornamental plant for them to nibble on, and they will leave your more precious plants alone.”