Snail & Slug Prevention: Pesticide-Free Tips
Snail and slug season has started in San Diego, and these little buggers will eat almost anything! Since they mostly feast at night, it can be hard to spot them, but holes in your plants are a sure sign they've entered your garden. They can ruin young plants, threaten root crops, and prevent new seeds or bulbs from growing.
So, how do you prevent them from ruining your landscape? If you don't want to use chemical pesticides, here are 8 tips to control their invasion.
1. Remove Their Daytime Hiding Places
Snails and slugs feed at night and rest during the day in damp, shady areas. By cleaning up your garden area and removing hiding places, you can discourage them from hanging out in your garden. Make sure to remove or manage:
Boards and bricks on the ground
Unused flower pots
Weeds
Untrimmed grass
2. Add Bark, Gravel, or Wood Chips to Your Garden Beds
Snails and slugs need ground covers they can easily slide over to get to your garden. Surround your plants with a layer of uneven ground cover. The texture will naturally repel them and reduce the chances of your plants being eaten. You can even sprinkle broken eggshells around your garden for a similar effect.
3. Water Plants in the Morning
Snails and slug have difficulty moving on dry soil and love moist soils. Since they like to venture out at night to feed, you'll want to water early in the morning, so your top layer of soil is drier by nighttime.
4. Remove Them by Hand
If you're okay with touching them, removing them by hand is simple and doesn't require any products. You can also set up traps that mimic their hiding places to concentrate them in one area for easy removal. When searching for snails or slugs during the day, check their common hiding places, including:
Spaces between the boards and soil in raised beds
Low ledges on fences
Areas around water meters
5. Attract Birds to Your Garden
Sometimes you can let nature take its course and attract birds that eat snails and slugs to your garden. While this does kill the snails and slugs, it's more humane and quicker than if you used chemicals. You can set up bird feeders or birdbaths to attract songbirds, such as bluebirds, or even invest in some backyard chickens.
6. Sprinkle Coffee Grounds
Snails and slugs don't like caffeine. They also dislike the smell of coffee and don't enjoy crawling over the grounds. Sprinkling them around your garden can help slow them down and prevent them from ruining your plants. Another benefit? Coffee grounds are a great way to add nutrients to your soil.
7. Plant Trap Plants
Trap plants, also known as sacrificial plants, are plants you plant to attract snails and slugs and keep them away from the ones you are protecting. For example, you can plant lettuce or marigolds away from your garden. They prefer the taste of lettuce and marigolds and are more likely to feast on these plants and leave your main garden alone.
8. Add Herbs to Your Garden
Snails and slugs don't like the strong smell of herbs, so you'll want to plant them along the border of your garden or near plants you want to protect. They are also nice additions when cooking in your kitchen. While lavender is a popular choice because of its strong smell, you can also plant:
Sage
Rosemary
Parsley
Mint
Creeping thyme
Make sure your outdoor space is easy to manage and repel pests like snails and slugs. At Right Way, we are experienced in designing and installing the ideal landscape, including setting up your irrigation system. Contact us today to request your free job walk and estimate.
