Four environmentally friendly ways to protect plants against slugs

Copper rings

Copper rings are an effective way to protect vulnerable plants, but not very costeffective if you have lots of plants to protect.

Beer traps

Beer attracts slugs, they fall into the traps and drown. You need one trap per 1m (3ft 3in). Sink a container into the soil and fill it half full with beer.

Slug barriers

Slugs are reluctant to crawl over sharp, irritating or dehydrating barriers such as egg shells, salty sand, wood shavings or coarse gravel.

Coffee grounds

Some gardeners say that spent, dry coffee grounds deter slugs, but these need to be replenished frequently and after rain.