When you have a flourishing garden, it’s only natural that you’ll face a few pest problems. One common issue is snails – they chew at leaves, roots and vegetables to no end, turning a thriving plant into a wilted, damaged one. It isn’t ideal for the plants, or us, so we have a number of tips on how to get rid of snails, including how to kill them, repel them, and lure them out of hiding.
11 tips on how to get rid of snails permanently
How to kill snails:
1. Beer trap
You read that right, you can use your favourite beer to lure snails out of your garden beds permanently.
Place a container filled with beer in your garden bed and the yeasty aroma will draw them in. The beer will either drown or kill them from alcohol poisoning, but beware this strategy will attract snails from a few feet away so we recommend placing the beer trap away from your prized plants and somewhere you don’t mind them crawling to.
Alternatively, a mixture of sugar, water, and yeast is just as effective if you don’t have beer in your home. The con of beer traps is they only work within a few feet and must be replenished daily to make a large impact.
2. Apply organic bait
There are a variety of organic snail baits that are animal-friendly and non-toxic. Avoid any chemical baits which contain metaldehyde as this is a poison which can be toxic to people and pets. Take care to apply these late in the afternoon when snails are most active.
3. Bring in predators
Consider getting chickens or ducks if you have the time, space, knowledge and money to look after them. They will scavenge through the plants for you to find and eat the snails. Alternatively, you can create a moist environment or build a pond to attract natural predators like frogs or toads, or if you happen to have a possum, they may help with your snail problem, too.
How to repel snails:
4. Add snail fences
One surefire way to stop snails from getting into your plants is by setting up a mesh fence on the perimeter of the garden bed that’s laced with copper metal. The proteins and irons in the snail’s slime react negatively to the ions in copper metal, repelling them.
5. Add rough barriers
Look no further than your own pantry or garage for snail-repelling barriers. Next time you use eggs, keep the shells and break them up into smaller pieces. They’ll be sharp and abrasive, so if you scatter them on the soil, it could irritate their bodies and stop them from climbing to your prized plants. If you have a gravel driveway, take some gravel and spread it around your plants, or alternatively, find rough wood chips to deter them.
6. Switch to drip irrigation
Snails love moisture so using a drip irrigation system is a good way to prevent water from pooling on the leaves of your plants. Always water your plants early morning to ensure that the soil has time to dry out by evening, which is when snails are most active. Selecting drought-tolerant plants which require little watering is another option.
7. Plant unfavourable varieties
If you grow plants you know snails dislike amongst the ones they do like, it can act as a deterrent. Snails generally don’t like herbs with highly aromatic leaves such as rosemary, lavender, and sage, as well as ornamental grasses, woody plants and leathery, fuzzy or prickly plants.
8. Keep good habits
Keep your garden clean and tidy, and know what snails like and don’t like. Snails enjoy hiding in bricks with holes, in the underside of plant pots and underneath planks, so with that in mind, fill any holes up with sand or soil so they don’t have any hiding spaces, and don’t leave planks lying around (unless it’s a trap).
9. Get hunting
Have you ever wondered, how can I get rid of snails while ensuring no harm will come to them? If so, we recommend taking it into your own hands. Troll through your garden, identify the snails, and pick them out gently yourself. You can then find a new home for them where they can eat as many leaves as they like, without destroying your garden.
10. Fruit trap
If you’re after a more humane way to lure snails, place grapefruit or melon rinds under a wooden plank. Ensure there is space beneath the plank for them to crawl through, and when you lift the board, you should find snails enjoying the shady retreat. From here, you can safely remove them to a new home.
11. Decoy plants
Alternatively, plant their favourites such as basil, beans, marigold, or dahlias, as decoys on the edge of your garden bed to catch them.
How to detect snails in your garden
Now that you’ve learnt how to get rid of snails in the garden, the most important thing is making sure they don’t reappear after time. To do this, inspect your garden beds daily for critters. They are most active at night or during cold, wet weather, so check low-growing foliage and soil beneath the plants for snails, particularly in shady, rocky garden areas where they may be hiding. Another sign is their silvery slime trail.
