Snails
Snails
Slugs can wreak havoc in your vegetable garden in a short time. Fight it with our slug control products!
In the blog article below, we list our best tips for you:
🐌 6 ways to keep slugs out of your vegetable garden
Snails can be a major threat to your garden plants, especially during humid periods. Luckily, at Hermie.com you'll find a wide range of slug control products so you can easily protect your garden from these voracious invaders. From slug pellets and bait boxes to natural methods such as copper tape and biological pesticides - we have the solution that suits your garden!
Especially with a warm spring, slugs and snails appear in your garden quite early in the year. Slugs are by far the biggest pest. This is because these slugs feast on everything nice and green. So the crops in your vegetable garden, flowers and bushes become victims. It is important to act quickly then.
Which slug control suits your garden?
✅ Slug pellets - Effective against slugs and snails and safe to dose
✅ Biological control - Environmentally friendly solutions such as nematodes
✅ Snail traps & bait boxes - Draw snails away from your plants
✅ Physical barriers - Copper tape and shell grit as natural defences
Slug pellets: Slug pellets help you quickly and efficiently protect your (vegetable) garden against slug infestation. You scatter these pellets evenly around your plants, after which the pesky snails will eat them. Slug pellets are really impossible for them to resist. Eating the slug pellets will kill the slugs. Most slug pellets are rain and mould resistant, allowing you to use them in all conditions.
Biological control: The most biological solution to fighting slugs and snails in your (vegetable) garden is using nematodes. Using these mini-insects - which themselves are not harmful to your plants or soil - you can quickly get rid of your slug infestation. The nematodes infect the snail, after which the snail becomes ill and dies.
Snail Traps: Setting a snail trap is another way to tackle the snail problem in your garden. You place a snail trap next to plants that snails really like (e.g. lettuce plants, strawberry plants...) and fill the traps with a bait such as cola, beer or a special snail bait. The snails cannot resist this and end up in the trap where they drown. Remember to change the snail traps regularly.
Physical barriers: To protect your potted plants from snails, you can install special snail tape. This is a copper strip that snails cannot/don't cross. In fact, if their slime comes into contact with copper, they receive a small, electric shock, which kills them instantly.
Traditional vs ecological slug pellets
Traditional slug pellets (e.g. Edialux Metarex and Arionex) contain an active ingredient called metaldehyde. The dose varies from type to type. Metaldehyde acts on the slime cells, causing snails to slim down after consuming these pellets.
Ecological slug pellets contain iron phosphate as the active ingredient. This substance is fully degradable and leaves no trace in the soil. The slugs will dry out under the soil, causing them to be digested and absorbed by the soil. Ecological slug pellets are approved for use in organic farming.
Be aware that traditional metaldehyde-based slug pellets are harmful to pets when consumed. Especially when applied incorrectly (scattering in heaps), the risk of a large number of granules being eaten and pets being poisoned lurks around the corner. In that case, contact your vet immediately.
Tips to prevent slugs and snails in your garden
- Make your garden less attractive by removing loose leaves and damp hiding places.
- Create a natural barrier with sharp sand, eggshells or copper tape around your plants.
- Attract natural enemies to your garden. Birds and hedgehogs love snails. By making your garden a pleasant place for birds and hedgehogs, among others, they will be happy to come and visit you. They express their gratitude by helping you with slug control.
- Protect your crops that are highly susceptible to slug infestation by placing strong-smelling plants close to them. Garlic, rosemary, thyme and chives, for example, are plants that snails do not like.
