Slugs and snails
Slugs and snails feed at night and in damp weather, grazing seedlings to the ground and holing leaves, fruit and tubers. They are part of a healthy garden, and the aim is to protect young and vulnerable plants rather than eliminate them.
Pests
What it looks like
The trails give them away.
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Ragged holes Irregular holes in the leaf, often from the edge. -
Vanished seedlings Rows of seedlings grazed to stumps overnight. -
Slime trails Silvery trails on leaves and soil in the morning. -
Holes in fruit Strawberries and tomatoes near the ground hollowed out.
How to confirm it
Go out after dark.
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Torch patrol
Look with a torch an hour after dark on a damp evening.
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Morning trails
Silvery slime on leaves and pots.
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Hiding places
Check under pots, boards and leaf litter.
What to do
Protect the vulnerable plants; accept some damage elsewhere.
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Hand-pick
Collect them by torchlight and move them far away.
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Grow on first
Raise seedlings in pots until they are big enough to shrug off grazing.
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Barriers and traps
Beer traps and copper tape help locally; grit and wool are less reliable.
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Nematodes
Water on slug-killing nematodes in spring and autumn when the soil is warm and moist.
Prevent it next time
- Encourage frogs, toads, birds and ground beetles.
- Water in the morning, not the evening.
- Keep strawberries off the soil with straw or mats.
What not to do
Do not use slug pellets freely; any that are used should be ferric phosphate, sparingly, and never metaldehyde.
In the growing guides
Where the guides mention it, with plant-specific advice.
Sources
- Slugs and snails, Royal Horticultural Society
- Slugs and snails on vegetables, University of Maryland Extension