THE NATURAL WAY TO KEEP SLUGS AT BAY
If you’ve followed me for a while you’ll know that last year, Nick and I took on “Project Veg Patch” where, at the start of the first lockdown, we threw ourselves into growing myriad vegetables along with our usual herbs. Not only was it an opportunity to connect with nature and have a positive focus during this time, but it also meant we could be partially self-sufficient and have a direct relationship with the food we were eating. With the arrival of a new baby, the veg patch hasn’t had as much love this year thus far (I’ve only just managed to throw a few garden centre seedlings into the ground last weekend) but we’re still reaping the rewards of some of the hard work we put in last year, namely chard, winter herbs, leeks and parsnips. While growing food on a small scale is relatively simple, there are a few critters you have to watch out for. We lost a fair few shoots, seedlings and leafy greens that we’d lovingly nurtured by not putting the right pest controls in place. Pest control can be a bit of a minefield, as there are plenty of options available but most involve harsh chemicals that work in direct opposition to my ethos around food and nature — no one knowingly wants that kind of food contamination! I was so pleased to recently discover Ladybird Plantcare, which is owned by Tessa Cobley, who believes in working with our natural environment rather than introducing chemical pesticides and poisons which may have unintended consequences. She instead suggests using (and sells!) biological pest controls which are all about introducing natural predators and parasites to keep garden pests in check. In a natural ecosystem nearly every creature is food for something else and “biological pest control” is the act of boosting the population of a pest’s naturally occurring predators. Tessa has kindly agreed to share her expertise with us so we can make better decisions when it comes to how we approach pests in our own gardens and homes. First up we’re talking leaf-munching, fruit-eating and stem-devouring slugs…
So you’ve spent time, energy and a good dose of love planting and tending your veg patch, then there’s a dawn raid and they are gone! No, Peter Rabbit hasn’t moved in over the fence, the slug army is here.
Slugs are the biggest plant pest in the UK, they grow in numbers extremely quickly and have huge appetites. Slugs eat leaves, stems and roots of plants, weakening them and often causing them to die.
They leave slimy trails over plants and soil, and are particularly devastating to seedlings and cuttings. Slugs leave their own individual scent trails so they can find their way home. There are other creatures (like caterpillars) who make big holes in leaves, but if you see the telltale slime, then slugs are the culprit!
Slugs come in many shapes and sizes and are commonplace around the garden, particularly in damp conditions. Infestations are less serious in dry weather but tend to become a problem during prolonged rainy weather. An individual grey field slug has the potential to produce 90,000 grandchildren and has approximately 27,000 teeth! That’s a whole lot of lettuce munching! One cubic metre of garden will on average contain up to 200 slugs. 95% of those live underground.
Slugs also pose a threat to dogs as they can carry Lungworm, which you can read more about here.
So how do you stop slugs from eating all your homegrown goods before you get a chance to?
Historically gardeners have reached for slug pellets containing Metaldehyde to deal with the problem but, quite rightly, these have now been banned for sale in the UK (as of March 2021). These slug pellets were dangerous to other wildlife, including pets and birds. If you do have some left over in your shed, speak to your local garden centre or council to find out the safest way of disposing of them.
The good news is that there is a 100% natural alternative that’s even more effective: you can introduce the slug’s natural predator, nematodes. Nematodes are microscopic eelworms, and there are many species of them. The one that kills slugs is safe for other wildlife and for your plants. They are really easy to use — you just water them on. They work by infecting the slug when it’s underground, so you won’t actually see dead slugs in and around the garden. Because they work underground they don’t affect snails in the same way but this treatment still works as a natural deterrent as both slugs and snails often avoid areas treated with nematodes.
If you want to find out more about how nematodes work, there’s a great video here. At a cost of £18.95 per 40sqm, nematodes should be used at six-week intervals. They have a fairly short shelf life and need to be used before the use by date on the pack and kept in the fridge until the day you are using them — so don’t buy all your packs at the same time and choose instead to have them delivered six weeks apart. Depending on the weather, using nematodes every six weeks from March to September will usually keep the slugs at bay!
You may have also heard of, or tried, natural products that act as barriers to stop slugs and snails getting to your plants. Most of these don’t work because your prized veggies are too much of a draw! The only effective barrier is copper, but it has to be solid copper, not tape. So for ultimate protection for your most vulnerable plants you can also use Slug Rings, which will stop the hungry slimy critters in their tracks. A set of 6 rings (3 large and 3 small) is £26.95. Copper is quite an expensive material, but these do last a lifetime and can be looked after with a quick soapy water wash in the spring.
100% chemical-free, natural pest control
In a natural ecosystem, nearly every creature is food for something else and biological pest control is the act of boosting the population of a pest’s naturally occurring predators. You see, by boosting the plant population you are boosting the slug population, and this in turn can be reduced through boosting the predator (nematode) numbers!
And if it’s something else making your plants sick either in the garden or indoors then start your journey to finding a natural solution here.
You can follow Tessa on Instagram @ladybirdplantcare and contact her on plantcare@ladybirdplantcare.co.uk if you’re really struggling! Stay tuned for her next blog post where she’ll be sharing her top tips for dealing with flower pests.
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