Pest Control for Slugs and Snails
Within every beautiful
garden lies a pest, and more often than not they come in forms of creepy
crawlies known as slugs. These critters do marginally more damage than other
traditional insects, though enacting pest control on them isn't as hard as you'd think it would be. While
commercial slug killers are commonly available and are pretty effective at what
it does, it has the unfortunate side effect of being toxic to other organisms
as well. As such, it would be best to switch to other methods to keep slugs out
of your garden.
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If you're looking into
keeping your local slug population away from the stunning view of the vast
grass fields in your luxury home in
Tagaytay, consider the
following alternative ways you can employ in order to do so.
Salt
Unsurprisingly, the old
cartoons were right - sprinkling salt onto slugs really do irritate them! So
much so that by applying enough they may even get killed from it, but only if
you're able to apply the salt on them directly. You can do this by going out
into your garden at night when the slugs are most active and look for them one
by one, then pour salt on them until they perish. It's not a very efficient way
of controlling your slug population, but it can get the job done in a pinch.
Copper
Slugs are naturally
"allergic" to copper. This is due to two reasons - for one, copper
(and its alloys) is known to be naturally toxic to some organisms as it
possesses antimicrobial properties - this affects all kinds of animals
including slugs. On the other hand, it's also said that once slugs make contact
with the aforementioned metal, it "shocks" them to a minor degree,
thus keeping them from making contact with it as much as possible. However,
it's important to note that it's not too effective a repellent as it tends to
simply deter slugs as opposed to completely keeping it away, so consider other
methods if you want something a little more aggressive.
Diatomaceous earth
More commonly known as
insect dust, this "earth" is made up of a powdery, sharp material
that hurts any who cross it - slugs especially. It works best in dry conditions
so make sure to keep it away from water, but also ensure that you get the
agricultural grade variety as opposed to the pool grade one which is much less
abrasive. Also, remember to wear protective gear when applying it onto your
garden as it may hurt humans as well by irritating the eyes or the lungs.
Garlic-based repellents
A study based on the
University of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne found that garlic was effective in killing
slugs. It's a good choice as it's organic, so look for garlic based insecticide
when slugs are the target.
Gardeners all around the
world know the pain of losing their plants to opportunistic pests such as
slugs, so arm your precious garden with the aforementioned natural repellents
and keep slugs from terrorizing you any further.
Author Biography:
Kimberly Marie Gayeta (Kimmy) is a Communications Degree holder, passionate writer, currently
working as a local Public Relations Officer and an online Marketing
Representative.
Thoroughly
fascinated about travelling, leisure, and living the good life!
Follow her on twitter:
@kimmygayeta
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