Alan Titchmarsh shares ‘effective’ solution to deter slugs from garden

Gardeners’ World share ‘quick tip’ for deterring slugs

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Wet or damp soil is the number one thing that attracts slugs to gardens. Slugs tend to dry out very quickly, and they love living in a location that stays consistently moist. Slugs will eat any kind of foliage, but you’ll often find them doing the most damage to the tender leaves and stems of seedling plants. Slugs will also take bites out of vegetables and fruits (particularly soft fruits like strawberries), causing unsightly crops. To prevent UK gardens from being destroyed by slugs, Alan Titchmarsh has shared how gardeners can deter these pests without chemicals.

Sharing his expert tips with Gardeners’ World, the gardening guru advised gardeners to search for “environmentally friendly” ways of controlling pests.

He said: “All pest control is a short-term option – if slug pellets were a final solution, they wouldn’t have to keep selling them. But it makes sense for any gardener to find the most environmentally friendly way of controlling pests – a way that respects nature, even if we are trying to bend her to our will.

“I get as fed up as the next gardener when my plants are eaten or disfigured, but I’m still determined that my plants should not look pristine simply because I have created a sterile environment where only they can survive.

“I’ve been an organic gardener for the best part of 30 years and if anything, I have fewer pest epidemics than I’ve ever had before. But you’ll need patience – a garden that has been run on chemical lines will be imbalanced in terms of natural predators.”

It is estimated the average British garden can contain up to 20,000 of the slimy pests, so gardeners are up against it. Using natural products to deter pests is essential for keeping wildlife and plants protected.

Alan explained that it is common for plants with “succulent leaves” and “soft and sappy” foliage like hosts to be eaten away by slugs. They tend to leave the “midrib” of the leaf alone, due to its hard nature.

The gardening expert explained that slugs tend to attack potatoes and other root vegetables, while snails are the “more common culprits” for plants and crops being destroyed in gardens. Alan noted that they can “demolish plants overnight”.

So how can gardeners stop slugs and snails ruining plants and crops? Alan stated that the “most obvious” and effective solution is to “hand pick” them. He said: “The most obvious (and tedious) solution is hand picking. Slugs and snails hate bright sunshine and hot, dry weather, so the best time to find them is at night with a torch. 

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“If you have only a few plants in pots, this is an effective means of control. Take the pests somewhere else if you don’t want to kill them – but remember, they have a homing instinct, so take them for a car ride.”

Using copper is another “effective” solution for deterring these pests. Alan explained: “Copper collars placed around hostas as their buds push through the surface of the soil in spring are effective, as is copper tape around the rim of pots. 

The gardening pro also noted that some natural methods do not work as well as a “deterrent”. Alan said: “Half grapefruits, crushed grit and eggshells spread around a plant are rarely a deterrent. Beer traps (empty yoghurt pots sunk into the ground and filled with beer) will catch some slugs and snails, but not all.”

Sap-sucking insects are also a problem in UK gardens. These consist of aphids, whitefly, spider mites and mealybugs.

The expert noted the problems that these pests can cause in gardens. He said: “Plants are weakened, foliage is distorted and bleached, and covered in a sticky honeydew on which thick, black sooty mould thrives. Virus diseases are spread by the mouth parts of pests, which often cluster around the growing point of the plants.”

Alan explained that red spider mites can be discouraged by keeping a “moist atmosphere” in the greenhouse as they prefer warm, dry conditions. All greenhouse pests can be kept in check by buying predatory insects (biological controls), which vary depending on the pest.

The expert continued: “Use sticky plastic traps to trap whitefly. Dab scale insects and mealybugs with a tiny paintbrush dipped in methylated spirits or whisky. 

“For greenfly and blackfly, use your fingers to rub them off, or spray them with very mild soapy water, or – on sturdy plants such as roses – squirt them with a powerful jet from a hose. Birds, wasps and ladybirds will do their bit, too.”

Alan also shared how to get rid of leaf-eating larvae. This includes all manner of larvae of butterflies, caterpillars on brassicas and nasturtium, to tortrix moths and sawfly larvae on roses or fruit trees.

Hand picking is the obvious solution for these pests according to Alan, but he also advised gardeners to encourage birds and other natural predators to help by putting up feeders and nest boxes.

He added: “Crop protection netting will protect brassicas by preventing cabbage white butterflies from laying their eggs on the leaves. 

“Moths that damage apples and pears can be caught in sticky pheromone traps hung in the trees. And remember that wasps eat caterpillars.”

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