Nature's Way

with Alan Hayes

Keeping slugs and snails away

'With her electric torch she prowls, Scaring the nightjars and the owls, And if she sees a slug or snail she sugar-tongs him, by the tail.' - Reginald Arkell, "The Lady With The Lamp," 1934.

Most of us love the outdoors, so its only natural that our gardens form an important part of our lives. Among other things, our gardens can provide a personal oasis away from the pressures of work and give a place to relax and entertain. But at times they can almost become a battlefield as we try to combat the invasion of numerous pests that can quickly decimate those favourite plants.

Snails and slugs, in particular, can do an enormous amount of damage as they chomp away, unseen, during the night. There are a number of natural measures that are safe and effective and can be used to control both snails and slugs. However, you should first take a look at the health of your garden; snails tend to attack sick plants first. So fertilise any damage plants with a seaweed fertiliser - you can make your own if you have access to seaweed or buy one of the proprietary brands now available.

To make your fertiliser, add sufficient seaweed to about one-fifth of a drum or large garbage bin, rinsing away thoroughly all traces of salt before using. Cover with water and allow to steep for 3 weeks, then dilute with two parts of fresh water and strain. Spray onto foliage of plants or apply at soil level. The leftover seaweed can be used as a mulch or added to your compost.

Like snails, slugs dislike crossing coarse textured materials, so create barriers using sawdust, crushed egg shells, sand or wood ash. Another excellent snail barrier can be made by mixing equal parts of garden lime, wood ash and bran together and then sprinkling it around the edges of garden beds.

Salt sprinkled around garden plants, particularly young ones, will make short work of snails and slugs. Salt can also be sprinkled on any of the other barriers.

Discourage slugs by placing newspaper barriers in their paths. Fold several sheets of paper, slightly dampened, and lay in rows between young seedlings. Slugs are attracted to the paper and hide between folded sheets. Check daily, dispose of slugs, and paper to compost.

Beer traps also work extremely well: snails and are attracted to the beer and then die happy. Make the traps by sinking small dishes of stale beer or sweetened water in to garden beds flush with the ground. This type of trap works best on damp nights and if it is easy for snails to get to it.

Small circular rounds of mosquito netting placed over young seedlings will protect them from snails and slugs. You can make a simple semicircular hoop from rigid wire, then attach the netting.

Of course if you are the adventurous type, you could always try eating your enemy. It's not as silly as it may sound.

A friend collects the snails from her organic garden, and then feeds them for two weeks on parsley before they are cooked.

Alan on the Web - www.itssonatural.com