How to protect your plants from pests

Dig up beds

Many snails overwinter in the egg stage. A clutch can consist of more than 100 eggs. These are located where there is a warm, humid microclimate. Dig up your beds in late autumn after the first frosts so that the egg clusters are exposed. Repeat the measure in the spring after the soil has warmed up. This is how they are Snail eggs easy prey for birds and amphibians.

Proper pouring

Plants that are particularly endangered by snail damage should not be watered in the evening. Extensive watering of entire beds is also suboptimal, as it increases in humid conditions Snails in the garden to settle. You will find an optimally accessible living space here. Water the plants individually and thoroughly in the early morning every two to three days.

Collecting

The Spanish slug does not allow itself to be affected by drought and has hardly any predators due to its strong mucus secretion. To get rid of these unwanted visitors, consider using humid retreats for attraction. Check the hiding places in the evening and morning and collect the snails. Also look for the voracious molluscs under the large leaves of rhubarb and pumpkins.

These are ideal hiding spots:

• old wooden slats
• upturned flower pots
• Halves of orange peel
• broken roof tiles

Does coffee help?

In 2002, researchers from the US Department of Agriculture carried out a study in which the effects of coffee on snails were examined. They came to the conclusion that coffee solutions with a minimum content of 0.1 percent caffeine had a deterrent effect on the molluscs. This corresponds roughly to the caffeine content of an espresso. This solution was sprayed directly onto the plants. Many animals were nevertheless unimpressed. Only 20 times the dose successfully keeps them away from salads and vegetables.