Slugs (or nightly gluttons) are also called slugs in another way. From the point of view of zoology, this is the common name for a whole detachment of gastropods, which underwent a reduction or even complete loss of a “house” shell during their evolutionary development.
Slugs are one of the most annoying pests of all gardens. They eat tubers and potato foliage, harm white cabbage and cauliflower, various root crops, young shoots of certain vegetables, seedlings, pea and bean leaves, strawberry, tomato and cucumber fruits, as well as citrus (if any) and grapes! Today we will tell you some secrets on how to deal with slugs in the garden.
Life pests
They cause special harm to winter rye and wheat, devouring seedlings and freshly sown grains. In addition, slugs are the spread of various fungal infections among crops (for example, late blight of potato or spotting cabbage). Gardeners who don’t even think about how to get rid of slugs observe the following picture in the mornings: shameful eaten holes suddenly appear on the best (largest) berries ... But that’s not all! On the fruits and their leaves are visible white dried traces of the mucus of these pests ... It's just awful and not aesthetically pleasing!
How to deal with slugs in the garden
It is interesting that various pesticides against slugs and snails practically do not give any result. The fact is that slugs have a wonderful defense against this: if a solution of chemical reagents gets on a pest, it immediately envelops itself with mucus, freeing itself from this threat. Therefore, in the framework of this article, we will not tell you how to deal with slugs in the garden with chemical means, but we will limit ourselves only to folk. Now you will find out two fairly effective methods that do not require any special costs from you.
Making their life rough!
As you know, slugs and snails do not like rough surfaces. That is why around those plants where gastropod pests have been noticed, something rough should be poured:
- coarse sand ;
- crushed egg (or nut) shell;
- sawdust.
Such protection is quite suitable for seedlings of young flower crops and vegetables. Note that regular care should be taken to ensure that loopholes do not form in the “rough wall” through which the pest can successfully creep to the desired plant.
Big murder binge
If you want to know how to destroy slugs in the garden without the use of special chemicals, then this method is surely for you! According to German gardeners, snails and slugs are true connoisseurs of dark porter beers. And it does not matter whether it is fresh or long gone ... We will use this addiction to our advantage! We fill a few glasses with beer and dig them into the ground flush around our plants. Especially greedy pests go to the bottom, and those that are simpler - "bow their heads" next to the murderous "potion" ...
This is perhaps one of the most original and, most importantly, effective ways to deal with slugs in the garden. Two or three such "feasts" will lead to the destruction of all the slugs on the site. Until the end of the summer season, they definitely will not bother you!