Prevent Damage from Snails with These Helpful Tips

Do you have a garden? If so, you know what hard work it can be. Even if you do everything right, maintain your plants, and watch it grow, there are some unforeseen obstacles you may have to deal with. One of these is snails.

While they may seem innocent at first, they aren’t. If you don’t take action to protect your plants and hard work from snails, you may encounter devastating damage. Keep reading for some helpful tips on how to get (and keep) snails out of your garden.

The Snail is going to look for new plant growth. What this means is that your developing garden is a prime target for their food of choice. Even though the damage they cause to these plants is pretty obvious, you may not be aware that snails also eat the fruits, stems, and roots of your plants.

Because snails are nocturnal creatures and they eat at night, you may not even notice the damage they cause in your garden until you see it on your plants. It is going to be most obvious when you notice ragged, large holes on the leaves of your plants.

Most snails are especially active when feeding during the early months of spring when new growth is most prevalent. Another sign of a snail problem is if there are mucous trails in your garden.

Before you jump right into using pesticides and repellents (which can be dangerous) you can begin the process of getting rid of snails by making changes to the way you garden. This means making your garden less appealing to the snails.

There are certain materials, such as woodchips and gravel that are very difficult for the average snail to climb over. This makes them a great protective barrier in and all around your garden.

The proper placement of certain plants in the garden and regular trimming will also help to eliminate some of the snail’s favorite hiding places. After all, during the day, these critters want somewhere moist and dark to hang out. If you remove these locations, you can also begin to remove the snails.

Fighting the battle against snails isn’t easy, but there are some safe and natural methods you can use. After all, if you want to eat the vegetables and fruits that are in your garden, chances are you want to use snail repellents that aren’t going to contaminate them.

One option is to use diatomaceous earth. It is a food-grade, non-toxic pest control item that will kill all the snails in your grade. It is made out of the fossils of aquatic organisms. There isn’t anything that is more natural than this. The only issue with this method is that the material must be kept dry for it to actually be effective.

Another option is coffee. While it’s a temporary solution, it is an all-natural option. You can sprinkle your coffee grounds on the soil around your plants, or they can be sprayed on your plants, the soil, and the snails themselves. If the coffee isn’t effective, maybe turn to drinking it instead.

Have you been saving eggshells for a compost pile? Now they have another use – to get rid of snails. The sharp edges of the shells are something snails want to avoid, because they may injure their bodies.

When it comes to getting rid of snails, there are more than a few things to keep in mind. The methods here will help you get started, but if the DIY treatment options don’t work, it may be time to call in the pros for help.

They can evaluate your snail problem and recommend the best solution to get rid of these slimy pests for good and to ensure they don’t come back later on.