It’s been claimed that placing a certain piece of food waste in your garden could help you tackle your slug problem. Head gardener at West Dean Gardens, Tom Brown, has shared tips to help us navigate the changing seasons as we gear up for those rich autumnal colours.
In the BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine piece, four distinct sections outlined how to keep your lawn up to scratch, prepare for the changing weather, tackle “sickly” plants, and deal with seasonal pests. Included in the list were brassica whiteflies, fungus gnats, leek moths and miners, pigeons, red spider mites, rosemary beetles, scale insects, and one prominent pest that can be tackled using three steps. The article read: “Autumn rainfall coupled with mild temperatures can be the perfect conditions for slugs, causing damage to maincrop potatoes in the ground.
It continued “Relatively tricky to get large numbers under control, but persistence pays off. Keep areas tidy around vulnerable crops, removing hiding places for these molluscs during the day.
“Use grapefruit skins and beer traps until November to keep populations manageable. Apply slug-eating nematodes.”
Despite some people’s aversion to slugs and snails, they can actually be beneficial to gardens. The RHS explains that they serve a role in the decomposition process, feeding on dead leaves, dung and even deceased slugs.
They’re a vital food source for other types of wildlife, including birds, hedgehogs, and frogs. Yet, a few species of slugs and snails eat live plants, which is why they’re often viewed as a source of annoyance.
The RHS says it’s “much better” to “learn to live” with slugs and snails, but if you need to safeguard your plants, you can use methods such as traps or biological control.
Traps include the above-mentioned scooped-out grapefruit skins, although you can also use orange or melon. Arrange these cut-side down or use jars partially-filled with beer; sink these into the soil.
Ideally, you should empty these every morning (although regularly will suffice). If you prefer, you can buy traps. Meanwhile, the biological control refers to a specific method that doesn’t impact other wildlife.
Slug-controlling nematode products include microscopic nematode worms (also known as eelworms), which enter the slugs’ bodies and ultimately kill them.
The RHS also warned people against using slug pellets (including the organic types). It explained that they can have a negative impact on other forms of wildlife in your garden.
Instead, it’s recommended that people encourage natural predators or use the tactics described above.
