How to stop snails in the garden?

Jessie Lum
by Jessie Lum
  4 answers
  • Linda Rankin Linda Rankin on Jun 19, 2019

    Salt barrier.

  • Lynn Sorrell Lynn Sorrell on Jun 19, 2019

    This is an interesting one and popular in some parts of the world. Diatomaceous earth is the finely ground fossil remains of freshwater prehistoric diatoms. It is used in various grades to kill bedbugs, cockroaches and food grade DE is used to kill internal parasites. As an abrasive powder inhalation is to be avoided. Slugs can’t cross it but it does need to be replaced after rainSmall piles or rings of wheat bran or corn bran are eaten by slugs and snails and they cause desiccation and death. Totally organic and if wildlife eat the corpses they are getting extra nutrition. This method has had great following. Disadvantage: you need to replenish regularly in rainy weather. Advantage: buy it from the health food store. Biological control of slugs and snails is effective in small gardens if carried out with care early in the season. Basically you water on a solution of nematodes (microscopic worm). These penetrate the slug, infect it and kill it: not a pleasant thought but organic and effective. You usually buy from mail order and storage and usage instructions must be followed if it is going to work.Shoddy, wool waste is a by-product of the wool manufacturing process. This is turned into pellets that you spread around the plants as a barrier. They swell up and reveal nasty little fibres that are irritant to slugs. Over a period of time the pellets degrade and act as a plant food. I’ve used this one and it is effective when protecting newly planted seedlings and emerging perennials. Garlic, Lawn Chamomile, chives. Some plants repel most slugs and snails and these may have a deterrent effect when planted alongside or used to make an extract. Many gardeners swear by garlic as a natural pest control. Some say chives are effective it the leaves are tied around vulnerable plants; sounds fiddly. You can of course plant something that is more attractive to slugs and snails. Lawn chamomile seedlings are reputed to be irresistible. The slugs go for them and you wait in ambush, pop them in a jar and deport them. Slugs and Snails: 4 Facts and Myths

    by Farmers' Almanac Staff

    Here are 4 popular facts and myths about slugs and snails.1. Slugs are attracted to beer.

    FACT: Leave out a dish, or bury a cup halfway in the dirt, and snails and slugs drown themselves in pure pleasure. This method gets varied results, though; some gardeners report escapees. For optimal results, don’t change the beer daily (the nasty things are attracted to the bloated bodies of their own kind).2. The caffeine in used coffee grinds is what kills slugs and snails.

    MYTH: High doses of caffeine are fatal to slugs and snails, but there is little caffeine in used grounds; the water leaches it out. Spreading fresh grounds won’t work either. There’s not enough caffeine in the grounds, and it could affect your soil pH.3. Copper deters slugs and snails.

    FACT: Their slime reacts with the copper to create an unpleasant sensation. Organic gardeners have used copper wire around plants and it has worked for them.4. Diatomaceous earth is the best way to rid a garden of snails and slugs.

    FACT AND MYTH: Diatomaceous earth sprinkled around garden beds will kill snails. The diatomaceous earth contains silica, which works its way under the snail’s shell, separating the snail from the shell and causing it to dehydrate. While it’s unpleasant for the snail it isn’t fatal. Lime, ashes, and sawdust act as a deterrent, but they lose their effectiveness when wet and can damage your soil. If you want to go the irritant route, try eggshell fragments.


  • William William on Jun 19, 2019

    Sink a few bowls or plates in the ground level with the surface. Fill the bowls/plates with (cheap) beer. The yeast attracts the slugs. They drink their fill and drown. Not their sorrows


    Anything you can make it uncomfortable for the slugs/snails to crawl on will deter them. A combination of solutions from everyone here should take care of them.


    Broken nutshells work in the same way as egg shells when getting rid of slugs. Break up the nutshells into small pieces, and create a protective barrier around your plants. Any slugs that come near your vegetables will soon turn the other way.


    Crushed egg shells work as a great home remedy of slugs. This is because slugs don’t like moving across sharp objects, although it isn’t not impossible for them to do, they just prefer not to. Break up the empty egg shells into small(ish) pieces and place around the flowers, plants, vegetables, and fruits you want to keep safe from slug damage.


    Ash and Cinders make a rough protective barrier, and the fine ash also acts as a desiccant that dries the slug out. Wood ash and cinders are preferable. Avoid direct contact with plants.


    Grit and Gravel. The sharp rasping edges of finely crushed ‘horticultural grit’ makes an excellent slug barrier. Coarser gravel is largely ineffective, other than for decorative purposes.


    Sandpaper. Cut rings of sandpaper and slip them round the stems of vulnerable plants.


    Sawdust makes a good coarse barrier around tender plants, also acting as a desiccant that dries the slug out. Hardwood sawdust is most effective, and some people recommend cedar or oak.


    Copper Rings or Discs. Solid copper rings/discs of various diameter, used to encircle single or small groups of plants to inflict a mild electric shock on the unsuspecting slug. Look for rings that clip together. These are easy to slip round established plant stems, or join together to form a larger barrier.

  • Have you tried beer in a sunken tuna can? Bury it level with the ground, they love the stuff, climb in and drown! I now have predatory snails that eat the regular garden snails. Thought I had another type moving in and started stepping on them! Finally had time to research, no more smashing!!