A GARDENING expert has revealed a £2.80 hack that will make sure your garden is slug-free this summer – and looks stunning too.
With temperatures soaring again this weekend and another bank holiday on the horizon, many of us are likely planning on heading out into the garden to get some jobs done.
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However, warm days and humid nights are the perfect conditions for slugs to emerge and wreak havoc on your prize vegetables.
The unwelcome visitors love nibbling on tasty leaves and seedlings, and if you’re not careful, could leave you with nothing come harvest season.
“The biggest concern is the emergence of young slugs,” Tom Clamp, head of technical at Doff Portland – a leading manufacturer of premium garden care products said.
“They’re particularly hungry and are indiscriminate feeders, meaning they can quickly decimate tender crops like vegetable seedlings, strawberries and bedding plants while potatoes are also vulnerable.”
The critters often feed at night, and can consume a whopping 40 times their body weight, often leaving a nasty surprise for gardeners in the morning.
With this in mind, an expert has shared a £2.80 hack to keep then at bay.
According to experts at the Royal Horticultural Society, floxgloves are a natural pest deterrent.
The stunning flowers are said the be easy to grow, so are the perfect plant for those who want to keep slugs at bay, but may not be experienced gardeners.
The purple flowers contain toxic compounds such as digitalis glycosides, which can be very harmful for slugs.
Therefore, it is a good idea to plant foxgloves close to plants that slugs find tasty, such as leafy greens.
Foxgloves can be picked up from B&Q for just £2.80, making the gorgeous blooms very penny pincher friendly.
And these aren’t the only plants that can keep invertebrates at bay.
Daffodils are one of the key symbols of spring, and many avid gardeners love planting them in pots and flower beds to brighten up their gardens.
However, not only are they beautiful, their alkaloid content also deters certain pests like slugs.
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.”
Another simple method you can use to banish slugs from your garden, is to bury a small container of beer in the garden.
“Bury a small container at soil level, half-filled with beer, to attract and trap slugs overnight,” Tom said.
The slugs will be attracted to the smell of the beer and will climb inside the container, before drowning in the liquid.
Make sure to check the container every night, and remove any dead slugs.
Waitrose are currently selling a pack of 12 beers for £13.50, meaning that each drink costs just £1.12 each, so this hack will be sure not to break the bank.
