Can snails be easily removed from the vegetable garden?
Of course, without killing them, that goes without saying… Because whoever claims to be a gardener is a friend of nature.
However, you may also want to protect your salads, no!
So how?
That’s the question I asked Paul, the gardener and nurseryman in my town.
He gave me all his tips for keeping these gastropods away from the vegetable patch.
Since I apply his valuable advice, no more salads nibbled in my garden.
Here are 7 home remedies to repel snails naturally. Look :
Why do I have so many snails in my garden?
Well, actually, that’s pretty good news.
For what ?
Because that means that it is well vegetated, natural and offers perfect living conditions for all small animals.
They’re not crazy, if it wasn’t ideal they wouldn’t come.
Well, your plantations will agree with me less, because they tend to make pretty carnage without moderation.
And that’s kinda hateful.
However, there is no need to bring out the heavy artillery to fight against slugs and snails.
Here are our little easy and natural tips:
1. Create a natural barrier against snails
So, no, it’s not about building a 2m high wall around the garden.
But rather to use natural weapons. I named: plants with very pronounced scents.
Oh yes ! Snails hate strong smells.
So, draw mint, sage, fennel, garlic, comfrey, columbine and violets !
Plant them all around your vegetable patch to create a natural scent barrier. A solution of organic repellents which costs nothing, which does not pollute and which beautifies the garden.
Who says better ?
Well it also works against slugs!
Now, no more excuses to adopt these plants quickly, well done.
2. Attract snails to another space in the garden
While some plants repel snails, others attract them.
The idea is therefore to attract the “enemy” away from the place they want the most: your seedlings.
And for that, it is necessary to privilege certain species of plants of which they are fond.
By planting meadow chamomile, hosta, mustard or dahlias at the other end of the vegetable garden, you’re done!
You will see them go first to these plants. A bit like us when we have the choice between steamed broccoli or our favorite dish.
In addition, they are beautiful and produce pretty flowers.
Another good natural solution to move the invasion.
To be used without deprivation, because it does no harm to anyone.
3. Install a copper barrier to repel them
Slugs and snails hate contact with copper.
It is a metal on which they do not venture.
So, we can imagine a copper barrier around the vegetable garden… provided that it is wide enough (at least 7cm). Otherwise, they will manage to pass anyway.
I tested this little net around my plants. It is placed vertically, held by stakes around most fragile plantations. Here is my return:
I must admit that it was super effective! No snail crossed it.
On the other hand, it has a cost: around 39 € for the complete kit with 10 m copper net and stakes.
Some gardeners electrify this mini fence.
Quite useless and dangerous according to Paul, the nurseryman.
Because most animals could take an electric shock for nothing (even your cat, your dog or your children).
4. Protect seedlings from snails
Snails are gastropods, that is, they move on their stomachs.
And what could be more uncomfortable than dragging on rough ground?
So here’s an old trick confirmed by Paul, the gardener.
Sprinkle around your seedlings with eggshells, coffee grounds or wood shavings at least 15 cm wide.
The edge of the shells is sharp, which makes moving these animals very difficult.
The consequences are simple: they do not venture to a place where they risk injury.
Likewise, they won’t go on coffee grounds which are smelly and rough.
These are natural barriers that are easy to put in place.
No more damage in the garden!
And it is safe for nature or for the wallet.
5. Spray garlic
Slugs and snails hate strong smells, we already know that.
But gardeners have an extra little secret: garlic.
And garlic, it stinks, we all agree with that!
So, to fight an invasion of gastropods, two solutions.
Either we sprinkle the feet of the seedlings with garlic powder.
Either we prepare an infusion of water and garlic that we spray on the ground and on the leaves of the salads.
Having tested this method on my planters which were the target of snails, the results are really good.
6. Arrange sun shelters
Our friends the snails come out with the rain or on spring nights when there is dew.
But when temperatures rise and the land dries out, they need shelter.
And that’s where you have to be smart!
Place half a grapefruit, emptied of its contents, upside down in the garden. They will come and take refuge below to find shade during the day.
All you have to do is turn the grapefruit peel over to pick up these slobbery little critters.
And what do we do with it now?
Well, we put them in a box and we’ll release them in the meadows far from the gardens.
This trick also works with melon rind, orange rind or just an old plank.
7. Attract snail predators
Fighting snails is not easy.
They are everywhere and have an inordinate appetite for the young shoots of vegetables or flowers in the garden.
Without arriving at radical methods by putting pesticides everywhere, there is a slightly less “friendly” solution.
This is to attract predatory animals of the snail like for example the hedgehog or the toad.
They never mind a little slug or snail snack.
Arrange pleasant places for these predators: fed up, hiding places… and of course a little food.
And let nature take its course!
Should we put snail traps?
If the trap is not intended to kill the animal, then why not.
But, for my part, it is unthinkable to skin dozens of slugs and snails just to protect my small crops.
So I avoid using destructive techniques.
For example, the famous beer trap is great if used well. That is, if the animals do not drown in it.
Put a little beer in a saucer, just enough to attract them without drowning them. Because they love the smell of beer.
However, beware! If the snails do not drown there, other species can find themselves trapped there, in particular insects. And there is the carnage.
This is why Paul, the gardener, is not in favor of these methods.
Your turn…
Have you tried these tricks to scare away snails without killing them? Comment in the comments to find out if it worked for you. We can’t wait to read you!
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Also to discover:
13 Natural Slug Control Tricks That Really Work.
9 Animals That Protect Your Vegetable Garden From Pests.
