Fighting snails: what really helps?

Slugs can consume large amounts of fruit and vegetables in the garden overnight. All sorts of home remedies, traps and other pesticides are advertised to combat snails. Some make sense, but some are just myths.

Especially in spring, slugs often put an end to freshly emerged plants and make it difficult for us to start the new gardening year. Unfortunately, you have to deal with snails in the garden all year round - we show you how to fight snails and get rid of them successfully.

Fighting snails: How do you recognize an infestation?

Snails have a rasping tongue, also called a radula. They use this to grate off food and leave marks on the infested plants. These are located both on the edge of the leaves and in the middle of them. These tracks tend to be rounded but do not have a well-defined shape. Often only the stems remain. A snail can eat up to 200 square centimeters of lettuce leaves per night – that corresponds to a large, whole lettuce leaf.

In addition to the leaves that have been eaten off, you can always find traces of slime from snails in the garden. The little creatures need enough moisture to move forward – they cover a distance of about ten centimeters per minute. The slime trails are usually shiny silver and easy to see.

Snail eggs also give an indication of the occurrence and an impending infestation. The wet, shiny, white to yellowish egg packets can be found, for example, in cracks in the ground, in burrows, under planters or under stones. They can lie anywhere that is dark and damp. After about two weeks, the new generation hatches and soon begins eating tasty plants.

Which snails are protected?

The Roman Snail (Helix pomatia) is under protection because it is one of the endangered species. Anyone who injures or even kills a protected snail can be sentenced to a high fine. Depending on the federal state, such an administrative offense is punishable by a fine of several thousand euros.

In principle, every animal is protected in Germany. A fight may therefore only be carried out if there is a good reason. Nudibranchs, such as the field slug (Deroceras reticulatum) or slug (Arion spec.), can and may be fought when they attack our vegetables and fruit. In ornamental gardens, however, combating them is not permitted. Which means best protect your vegetables is described below.

Slug Remedies: What Really Helps?

There are some slug repellents available on the market. In addition, numerous tips are distributed. Unfortunately, not all of them are as helpful as expected, and some are even harmful to the environment. There are pesticides against snails, which are also called molluscicides. There is also the possibility of using household remedies and traps to drive away or catch snails. We present the different variants in detail.

Fight snails naturally

Organic slug pellets

Molluscicides that use the active ingredient iron-III-phosphate have repeatedly received the Öko-Test rating of "very good". slug pellets from iron-III-phosphate is also permitted in organic farming. After ingesting this molluscicide, the slugs stop eating, retreat to their hiding place without forming mucus and starve to death after a few days.

Our Plantura organic slug pellets contains exactly this active ingredient and is therefore a beneficial alternative to conventional slug pellets. In addition, the iron-III-phosphate is converted into the plant nutrients iron and phosphate over time and does not pollute the soil. Our slug pellets are more rainproof than other means. Even in light rain, it remains effective for up to two weeks. If it starts to rain heavily, we recommend applying it again after seven days.

How is slug pellets used correctly?

• Application in mild weather
• Early morning or late evening
• water the area beforehand
• Apply evenly around the plants to be protected
• Important: do not lay out in heaps, but distribute in small quantities
• Application rate: 38 grains per square meter
• A maximum of 4 applications at intervals of at least 7 days
• Application range: From April to September
• No waiting until harvest
• Caution: Do not use on Roman snails in the vegetable patch

snail traps

Of course, slugs can be fought, for example, with the help of snail traps. The snails can either be caught alive or rendered harmless directly. Lure baits such as moistened rolled oats or wheat bran are only recommended if the snails are collected regularly. Because it constantly attracts new animals into the garden. It is definitely not advisable to use beer as a lure, as the very intense smell only attracts more snails from the area. You can read about what to look out for and how to build such traps yourself in our article on snail traps.

Home remedies for slugs

All sorts of home remedies against snails are advertised online as helpful, but this is often accompanied by fallacies. This includes the spreading of ashes, sawdust, lime or eggshells. Another method takes advantage of the fact that snails do not like to crawl over dry surfaces. Because these would deprive the animals of water. Virgin wool is sold for this purpose, but it only works to a limited extent. Rock dust or bark mulch are not effective against snail infestations, although both are beneficial to the soil. Coffee grounds against snails however, is a useful method.

Snails can also be driven away with special plants. You can find out what these are in our article snail-repellent plants find out.

Nematodes against snails

Nematodes are living roundworms, some of which are beneficial in biological plant protection. In the fight against snails can nematodes of the genus Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita be used. They are placed in water and then poured or sprayed.

The nematodes invade the snails and infect them with a bacterium. This decomposes the snails, which the nematodes feed on and can multiply in large numbers. The snails stop eating after infection and starve to death.

Many harmful slugs are caused by Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita parasitized, Roman snails, on the other hand, are spared. This nematode genus itself is resistant to some molluscicides.

What must be considered when using nematodes against snails?

• Soil temperature at least 5 °C, preferably 10 to 25 °C
• Do not let the substrate dry out, even 1 to 2 weeks after application
• Application is best 3 to 4 days before sowing or replanting

snail poison

Most of the available pesticides against snails are granulated and spread out. They are known as slug pellets. The slugs eat the grains, which almost always contain metaldehyde, and die as a result. This substance is toxic to animals and small children and can contaminate the groundwater if not applied properly. We therefore advise against using such a remedy. A less harmful alternative slug pellets with ferric phosphate, our Plantura organic slug pellets, is described earlier in the article.

Destroy and dispose of slugs

Dead slugs can be added to the compost in small amounts. Larger quantities belong in the residual waste bin. Anyone who collects live snails should of course not throw them into the neighbour's garden. Even disposal in the forest or on water bodies merely shifts the problem. Instead, the animals can be killed quickly by placing them in boiling water or a vinegar solution mixed with 60% vinegar and 40% water. Simply scalding with hot water or sprinkling with salt, on the other hand, is painful for the animals.

Tip: After consuming our Organic slug pellets the snails retreat to their hiding places without slime formation and are therefore not lying around dead in the garden.

Can you prevent slugs?

If you take a careful look around your garden, you will see that some plants show no signs of being eaten by snails. Because there is a wide variety slug resistant plantsthat can be planted in the garden. These include perennials and ornamental flowers such as the grove violet (Viola riviniana) or the cranesbill (geranium spec.). Certain vegetables, such as garlic (Allium sativum) or lamb's lettuce (Valeriana locusta), will not be attacked by snails.

tip: Since these plants are avoided by snails, they can also be used to plant deterrent strips along beds to keep snails out of the garden.

Furthermore, the garden should not be watered in the evening. The humid climate would lure the snails out of their hiding places. In addition, you should always prepare the seedbeds in a finely crumbly manner and press down sensitive seeds so that snails cannot reach them so easily.

Nematodes are useful garden helpers that are also used effectively against other pests. Fungus gnats may cause you problems in the soil of houseplants - but not for long after you read our article on Control of fungus gnats have read.