Slugs can be a nuisance when you’re trying to cultivate a beautiful garden, but using chemical deterrents can be harmful for wildlife. Garden designer and TikTok creator Ish shared a ‘last-minute defence’ using one vegetable that can ward off pests while keeping your plants safe.
Ish praised garlic for its ability to deter slugs in a TikTok video from May. Ish wrote in the caption: “If slugs are getting to your plants still then this is you final line of defence – today’s gardening tips for beginner gardeners is to make the plants taste unpleasant to the slugs! Garlic spray contains an amazing compound that slugs detest the smell and taste of – which should protect your plants from them.”
Ish explained that garlic can be used to deter slugs as a “last-minute defence” if you’re in need of a quick fix. Garlic works particularly well if you want to protect leaves which hang close to the ground and are still within reach of slugs.
He said: “Garlic spray has a very interesting ingredient that makes the plant taste absolutely disgusting, and as a result, not only will they stay away from it, but they won’t eat them either.”
To whip up your own homemade garlic spray, fill a jug with 200ml of water and add three to four gloves of crushed garlic. The garlic can also be diced.
Leave the garlic to soak in the water for a day or two. Ish said: “This now has a compound in it known as allicin, which is the sulphuric taste and smell you would expect from garlic that slugs absolutely hate.”
To dilute the smell of the garlic, you can add some more water to measure around one litre after the solution has steeped. Once made, strain away the garlic and pour the solution into a spray bottle.
Lightly mist your plants all over, including those which are vulnerable to slugs. This process should be conducted at least once a week.
This will help to create a film over the plant which will taste repulsive for slugs. Ish continued: “Remember, you’ve always got to water this down to around about a litre afterwards, because even though allicin is quite strong, it can have a little bit of an effect on your plants. So watering that right down and diluting it, it makes it much more safer for your plants but not too fun for the slugs.”
Slugs dislike garlic due to the compound allicin, which is released when garlic is crushed or chopped. Allicin has a strong, pungent odor and taste that slugs find repellent and irritating to their skin and mucous membranes.
This causes them to avoid garlic and any plants treated with it.
