Buyers’ Guide to slug controls

Stop hungry molluscs munching through your precious plants! Geoff Hodge reveals the latest products to keep them at bay

Stop hungry molluscs munching through your precious plants!

Slugs and snails are two of our most voracious plant pests. Just one cubic metre of garden contains up to 200 of them, on average. There’s nothing more discouraging than seeing a healthy batch of seedlings or young plants razed to the ground by an attack from a slug’s 27,000 teeth. Slugs and snails are voracious feeders – consuming twice their own bodyweight every day – and any plant with tasty young growth can be on the menu. Luckily, there are numerous ways to protect your plants from attack, deter these pests or simply bump them off. Where you have serious slug infestations, you may need to adopt a ‘belt and braces’ approach, using more than one type of control. They’re all compatible with each other. Whatever method(s) you use, get them in place early. It’s far better to prepare for an attack, rather than suffer the damage and debris afterwards.

Potted plants tend to be less vulnerable than those in the ground – and a pot makes them easier to protect. But remember to keep pots away from walls and fences and don’t let the plants touch these surfaces – both slugs and snails are excellent climbers.

If you’re not a fan of pellets, barriers are available to put on the soil around susceptible plants. Many are based on gritty or rough materials, but be aware that these gastropod molluscs are covered in thick mucus, which acts as a slimy shield. Also, many of the worst culprits are the smaller slugs that can sneak up inside your barrier, rendering them ineffective. ➤

Whatever methods you use, get them in place early