Autumn strategies: Defending your garden from a snail attack
Are you struggling with a snail invasion in your garden? These small but incredibly voracious creatures can quickly destroy our carefully tended plants. Although autumn may seem like a break for gardeners, now is the time to take action to protect our gardens from snails for the next season.
2 November 2024 19:19
Autumn is a key moment to secure the garden against unwanted guests properly. Snails remain active with the rain and cooler days, and their eggs peacefully overwinter in the soil. Now is the best time to effectively prevent their spring assault on our plants. Snails can cause significant damage, ruining painstakingly cared-for flowers or vegetables. Explore how to protect your crops with simple, natural methods.
Why is autumn crucial in the fight against snails?
Although temperatures are dropping and the days are getting shorter, snails are still active. Moreover, autumn is the ideal time for them to lay eggs that will survive the winter and hatch in spring. That's why it's so important to take action now.
Snail trap – Beer as a natural bait
A beer trap is one of the simplest and most effective ways to eliminate snails. The smell of yeast and other fermentation products in beer is extremely attractive to snails. As a result, it lures them into the container, where they drown in the liquid.
How to make a snail trap?
- You can use a plastic cup, jar, or shallow bowl.
- A few centimetres of beer fill the bottom of the container.
- Set traps where you often see snails, such as under plants, shaded corners, or near the compost heap.
- Empty the traps and refill the beer every few days.
Homemade snail spray – Garlic as a natural repellent
In addition to beer traps, it's also worth trying a homemade garlic spray. Garlic, with its intense smell, repels snails and is safe for plants and pets.
How to prepare a garlic spray?
- Crush a few cloves of garlic.
- Pour boiling water over the crushed garlic.
- Cool the mixture and pour it into a spray bottle.
- Spray the plants and soil around them.
The garlic spray is best applied in the evening when snails are most active. Repeat the procedure every few days, especially after rain.
Fighting snails requires consistent effort and using several methods simultaneously. Combining beer traps and garlic spray with regular garden maintenance will enable you to effectively reduce the population of these pests and enjoy healthy plants throughout the next season.
