Combating snails without poison: 8 tips that work
The leaves of your hostas are full of holes and many young plants only have a pitiful stem left standing. Snails in the garden can cause quite a bit of havoc. But there are several ways to combat snails – and you certainly don't need snail pellets or poison for that!
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Snails are excellent cleaners of nature, so many species are very useful in the garden. But if there are a lot of them and they nibble on your (often young) plants, then it is good to take action. However, it is not recommended to use snail pellets , because snails are eaten by all kinds of animals. And you want to prevent the pellets from ending up in the stomachs of hedgehogs and birds ...
Here are 8 things that do work well to combat snails:
Plants in pots, such as hostas , are best protected by using copper tape to secure the pot against snails. Snails don't like crawling over this, because they get a shock. For plants in the open ground, you can use copper rings for this.
Snails do not like dry and sharp surfaces. So place pointed eggshells or sharp stones around your plants to create a threshold that will make snails turn around.
Also sprinkling coffee grounds or coffee grounds around your plants can help against snails. Snails hate the grainy texture and caffeine. The effect varies, but that can also be because sometimes there is little caffeine in the sludge. So make sure to make a strong cup!
Another method is to catch the snails. You can do this with beer traps. For this you dig in pots, which you fill with beer. The snails are attracted to this, but then drown in the alcohol. This kills the snails.
Snails are at the bottom of the food chain and therefore have many natural enemies. They all have their own preferences. For example, some species like to eat the hard-to-crack snails (song thrushes!), while other species are good at combating slugs. Famous snail eaters include ground beetles, centipedes, hedgehogs , frogs and toads, slow worms, magpies and crows. So feel free to invite these animals into your garden.
Need a bigger gun? Try nematodes . They are a natural enemy of snails. They seek out snails, penetrate them and after a while the snails will die.
Tip: at Rootsum you can buy nematodes against snails .
For young plants, it is best to create a slug-free zone in your garden. You can go a long way with just a square metre of space. For example, to harden off young plants, place a cold frame (photo) on a hardened surface of gravel or grit. Also place a few beer traps and check regularly (at least once a week) under each pot or container to see if slugs are hiding there. Pick them off by hand if you come across them and put them on the compost heap – or on the lawn for garden birds .
The best way to keep slugs and snails under control is to ensure a healthy ecosystem in your garden. So you need to ensure good biodiversity, so that you attract animals that eat snails. Creating a pond is perhaps the best option. This will attract frogs and toads. With hedges , shrubs and trees you attract blackbirds and thrushes. And hedgehogs also like a tasty snack of snails !
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