A GARDENING whizz has revealed how to finally banish slugs from your back yard – and it's completely free.
Pest control expert Simon Mann listed a number of ways to save your plants from hungry slugs or snails.
First, it's worth either buying transplants instead of seeds or planting seeds deeper in the ground – as plants are more likely to survive slug attacks if they are already growing.
Digging up or ploughing the soil when your garden is dormant will expose pests to lethal dry air.
Writing on his website, Simon added: "Invite slug predators into your garden.
"Install a bird bath. Dig a pond for frogs and toads. If you live where there are hedgehogs, leave out hedgehog fodder."
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In the spring, it is best to appease the slugs by scattering by scattering leaves for them to eat – so that they are too full to eat your plants.
But in winter you should stop feeding slugs, lest they lay eggs or hibernate in your garden.
Slugs are repelled by the scent of artemisia, bleeding heart, chives, coriander, fennel, forget-me-nnot, foxglove, fuschia, garlic, geraniums, hydrangea, lavender, nasturtium, mint, peony, tulip and wallflower.
Plant these seeds at the edges of your planting beds as a kind of border wall – but a truly ravenous slug might still try their luck.
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An alternative one-inch-tall earth wall strewn with eggshells, gravel or grit to needle slugs' sensitive tummies.
The slimy pests will also be deterred by copper sheets, a copper and lime mix sealed with latex paint, or anti-slug tape from a garden centre.
Beer traps made with a yeasty brew like Budweiser will lure slugs to a boozy grave – with yeast and sugar water a teetotal alternative.
Coffee and cola make slugs so jittery they die from muscle spasms or dehydration.
You can also trap slugs with a half-eaten grapefruit or wilting cabbage – just plonk it in the middle of your garden and collect it after slugs have burrowed into it.
Simon said: "Make your own traps and collect snails and slugs by hand.
"Alternatively, you will have to work at night with a flashlight.
"You will have to collect the critters every night for a couple of weeks to make a substantial difference. The only expense is your time."
Another pest expert has revealed five easy ways to stop slugs from "wreaking havoc" in your garden.
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