Protect Your Garden from Slugs and Snails
If you are into gardening, you are definitely on the track with one very useful hobby in your life. You can not only grow beautiful flowers, but also vegetables to use in your cooking efforts. Nothing beats fresh produce straight out of your own garden when it comes to food quality.
Even if you are no expert gardener, you are probably aware of one common problem: snails and slugs. These pests can truly devastate your plants and neglecting them for long will definitely not lead to good results for the produce of your garden. Slugs and snails can thrive even in warmer winters, which is what makes taking adequate measures against them so important. Everyone experienced enough in garden care will tell you that a population explosion of slugs and snails must be controlled early in order to avoid potential problems in the future. You can use the following 30-day action plan to save your produce from pests:
- Beginning of the period - first thing you want to do is stack up on supplies that counter snails and slugs (pellets,barrier tape and product that kills the pests directly). It is wise to acquire some of these, even if you don’t currently have a pest problem, as that will enable you to act quickly in case you have trouble in the future. Next, put your weapon of choice in action. Spread the pellets and place the barrier around the pots of plants. Be on the lookout for young slugs. If you spot any,it would be an indication of a pest problem and will serve as an early warning sign that you must address the issue soon.
- Middle of the period - expert gardeners suggest that you rotovate your soil, which will expose the snails and slugs to predators, such as birds and hedgehogs. Support your gardening efforts at night by walking around your plants and hunting for pests, as that is their most active time. A smart move would be to grease the rim of your pots with Vaseline and introduce salt. It will serve to discourage snails and slugs, as it dehydrates them.
- End of the period - this is when the snails and slugs are most active during the gardening season, which is usually around April and August. Adult snails can gobble up to 40 times their ownweight in food, which is why it is imperative that you remain on a constant lookout for these pests. Even if it is bothersome, you must continue to hunt down the snails at night. Going out at that time will also give you an indication whether or not your countermeasures are effective or not. A clever trap that you can introduce is beer trap. This is basically filling up a container with beer, and burying half of it in the ground. The scent of beer is irresistible to slugs and snails that will climb the container and fall in to their death. It may seem cruel to some, but every expert gardener must be prepared to do this in order to protect their plants.
- Prepare for next year - since slugs and snails lay their eggs to overwinter, you must not discard the possibility that you will have to deal with this pest again next gardening season. The more you are able to deal with now, the less of a trouble you will have with your garden care next season.
This is a possible solution to your snail and slug problem. Be sure to implement this plan whenever you notice pests around your plants.
Even if you are no expert gardener, you are probably aware of one common problem: snails and slugs. These pests can truly devastate your plants and neglecting them for long will definitely not lead to good results for the produce of your garden. Slugs and snails can thrive even in warmer winters, which is what makes taking adequate measures against them so important. Everyone experienced enough in garden care will tell you that a population explosion of slugs and snails must be controlled early in order to avoid potential problems in the future. You can use the following 30-day action plan to save your produce from pests:
- Beginning of the period - first thing you want to do is stack up on supplies that counter snails and slugs (pellets,barrier tape and product that kills the pests directly). It is wise to acquire some of these, even if you don’t currently have a pest problem, as that will enable you to act quickly in case you have trouble in the future. Next, put your weapon of choice in action. Spread the pellets and place the barrier around the pots of plants. Be on the lookout for young slugs. If you spot any,it would be an indication of a pest problem and will serve as an early warning sign that you must address the issue soon.
- Middle of the period - expert gardeners suggest that you rotovate your soil, which will expose the snails and slugs to predators, such as birds and hedgehogs. Support your gardening efforts at night by walking around your plants and hunting for pests, as that is their most active time. A smart move would be to grease the rim of your pots with Vaseline and introduce salt. It will serve to discourage snails and slugs, as it dehydrates them.
- End of the period - this is when the snails and slugs are most active during the gardening season, which is usually around April and August. Adult snails can gobble up to 40 times their ownweight in food, which is why it is imperative that you remain on a constant lookout for these pests. Even if it is bothersome, you must continue to hunt down the snails at night. Going out at that time will also give you an indication whether or not your countermeasures are effective or not. A clever trap that you can introduce is beer trap. This is basically filling up a container with beer, and burying half of it in the ground. The scent of beer is irresistible to slugs and snails that will climb the container and fall in to their death. It may seem cruel to some, but every expert gardener must be prepared to do this in order to protect their plants.
- Prepare for next year - since slugs and snails lay their eggs to overwinter, you must not discard the possibility that you will have to deal with this pest again next gardening season. The more you are able to deal with now, the less of a trouble you will have with your garden care next season.
This is a possible solution to your snail and slug problem. Be sure to implement this plan whenever you notice pests around your plants.