Bridie Pearson-Jones Mailonline 19 July 2024 16:59, updated 19 July 2024 17:00
Monty Don has shared three simple ways to rid your garden of “destructive” slugs and snails which are sweeping the UK.
The nation's favourite gardener told BBC's Gardeners World magazine that slugs are “invaluable” and help keep gardens healthy.
However, many gardeners consider them “pests,” and taking simple measures to keep them away can help keep your garden healthy.
“Many gardeners see slugs and snails as destructive pests with no real redeeming features, but they are actually a valuable part of the recycling system that keeps gardens healthy.”
“They eat decomposing material, digest it and return it to the soil, increasing the organic matter content and facilitating further digestion by bacteria. That's why we need them.”
Popular gardening expert Monty Don (pictured) has shared his tips for keeping slugs and snails out of your garden.
Firstly, Monti also spoke about gardening tasks that should be done in July, saying the best step is to cultivate healthy plants.
He explained that slugs and snails are likely to attack weaker plants first and are more likely to eat “rotting leaves” than “juicy young lettuce”.
To avoid this, he recommended growing plants as “hard” as possible, meaning not over-fertilizing or “spoiling” them.
Other ways that can damage your plants include improper handling, transplanting, over- or under-watering, etc. Weather can also have a negative effect on your plants and cause damage.
Monti says you should avoid over-fertilizing your plants: He says you should view plant fertilizer as a supplement, not a plant's main food, and only use soil or potting mix.
“This will help prevent a surge of soft, juicy growth that slugs love,” Monti explained. “Plants need to be hardy and able to withstand hardship, but they shouldn't become diseased or weak.”
The second tip is to “promote” and “maintain” a healthy, balanced ecosystem in your garden.
Monty says he has achieved this by attracting “loads” of creatures to his garden, including frogs, toads, centipedes, beetles, thrushes and other animals that eat slugs and snails.
Many gardeners across the UK are currently discovering large numbers of slugs (pictured) and snails in their gardens.
Remember that if you want to attract these creatures to your garden, you need to avoid using toxic chemicals such as slug repellents and ensure there are plenty of hiding places.
Another thing to be aware of with this tip, Monti says, is that your garden could suffer from “collateral damage” from other creatures.
His last tip is super easy and only requires a little bit of your time.
All you need to do is designate a specific area in your garden to check daily to make sure it is *mostly* snail and slug-free.
Monti added that this area should be used for young plants and those that are not yet very hardy and need to be monitored.
