Slugs and snails are troublesome pests in your garden. They belong to the animal kingdom of molluscs, a group that includes oysters and octopuses. The pests are classified as gastropods because of their body. The difference between snails and slugs is that snails have a hard shell while slugs have a softshell. They leave ragged holes in leaves of plants or consume the whole seedling. The slugs and snails feed on a variety of plants, and they move through gliding on foot, leaving a trail of mucus.
What attracts snails and slugs to your garden
Climate conditions: Slugs and snails are not common because they are attracted to warm, moist and humid climate, making them appear during specific seasons. Slugs and snails invade gardens due to their irrigated nature and availability of food. Gardens also provide shelter from the sun and strong winds. They shelter in cold and moist places during sunny and hot summer months and come out at night.
Temperature: Snails and slugs die one week after they get exposed to high temperatures (28 degrees Celsius) and lose their body size by 8% every hour they crawl on the mucus they secrete. Snails survive the hot weather by climbing on trees since that will reduce the heat.
Predators: Lack of predators in your garden. Many animals eat slugs and snails; thus, you should create a conducive environment to attract these animals cobbled bird-bath solar water feature by putting up a space. If you don’t provide such conditions, then your farm will be full of slugs and snails.
Vegetation: There are individual plants that slugs and snails like eating such as cabbage, lettuce that may attract them to your garden. These plants are tasty, and the slugs eat them at any stage of development; thus, it’s vital to protect the plants against slugs and snails.
Microorganisms: Presence of beneficial fungi and bacteria that make your soil healthy for snails and slugs. They use probiotic bacteria in digesting dead leaves, woody plant stems and decaying matter. Watch out for any slug near the compost pit. Snails get attracted to decaying plants because they have high yeast and moisture levels making them juicy.
Soil acidity: Well loamed soils with a neutral soil pH also attract snails and slugs since they provide calcium which aids in the growth of their shells. Use a soil pH testing kit to check the soil pH and improve it to scare away snails.
Pesticides: Use of too many pesticides may also cause slug problems in your farm since slug eating beetles will die, thus enabling snails to thrive.
Inadequate fencing: Improper barrier defences also encourage snails and slugs since they allow them in rather than preventing them from entering the farm.
Plants that slugs and snails love
- Green salads: slug and snails love most green salads such as pickle salad and lettuce.
- Strawberry fruits
- Pepper plants
- Pumpkins mostly young plants
- Small cucumbers
- Zucchini and courgettes
- Shrimp and runner beans
- Celery
- Spinach
- Kohlrabi
- Buckwheat and
- Mustard
Cabbages: they love all types of cabbages, from Chinese cabbage, pointed cabbage, white cabbage, red cabbage, brussels sprouts to savoy cabbages.
These are the most common plants consumed by snails and slugs; they can consume on nearly all plants. Look out for any plants that attract the pests.
Snails and slugs control strategies
- Habitat modification
- Natural enemies
- Physical removal
- Setting traps
- Creating barriers
Remove any hiding places for the snails and slugs such as bricks, excess mulch, plant ground cover and bricks. A less favourable habitat will reduce the volume of slugs and snails in your garden. Also, increase sunlight penetration and air circulation since this will make the animals uncomfortable, thus leaving the garden.
There are plants and animals that slugs and snails don’t like. Some animals such as turtles, toads, beetles and blackbirds feed on slugs and snails while some plants are bitter, thorny with a strong scent that the animals don’t like.
Prefer to pick the animals by hand by carefully follow their trails, pick them and kill them. This might be boring and disgusting, though.
Strategically putting up traps within the farm is another way of doing away with slugs since they will get attracted and killed. The most common pitfall is the use of FIXMAN 545565 beer slug trap pack of 2.
Setting up barriers within the garden will help prevent snails and slugs from accessing your farm. You can fence your farm appropriately and use copper wires or Agralan HA135 copper snail and slug tape to create barriers from the animals.
Conclusion
Snails and slugs may affect your farm negatively; they eat your plants and leave trails made of mucus which might disgust some gardeners. Eliminating them is as important as taking care of your garden.