Slugs can be pesky little guys that try your patience. Here are some natural ways to keep Slugs at bay.
There’s the ever popular beer method. Place a pie tin full of beer near the plants they are bothering. That works for some but not all. Garlic is a wonder when it comes to Slugs. They have an acute sense of smell and they hate garlic in any shape or form. Try putting garlic cloves around the edge of your garden. The French add a tablespoon of crushed garlic to a watering can and water the area the Slugs are bothering the most. Another deterent is sprinkling wood ashes around the base of the plants that the Slugs are intent upon. Also the use of essential oils seems to really help.
The following are all good oils to use to deter them. Cedarwood, Garlic, Hyssop, Patchouli, Pine, and Sassafras. You can make a spray of 4 – 8 drops essential oil per gallon of water for your flowers,vegetables, or fruit and just spray it on. The other method is to dig a hole and put a empty yogurt container or some other small container in it that it’s ground level. Then place 4 drops of essential oil in the container. Just renew the oil as needed.
The best essential oils for this method are peppermint, spearmint, thyme, or eucalyptus as they have an extremely strong scent that deters the Slugs along with mice too. Also if you place a barrier of pine needles, holly, or oak mulch around your plants that helps. The Slugs don’t like to go over sharp objects with their tender little tummies. Try planting herbs like pennyroyal, fennel, garlic, hyssop, and rosemary close to your gardens as they are natual insect repellents.
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