Do you get annoyed every time you go outside to enjoy your garden only to find that your favorite plants have holes all over their leaves? You probably have a snail infestation, as these critters like to feed on the leaves of almost all plants in the garden. This means a lot of damage to your crops. Whether they nibble on heads of lettuce or destroy young seedlings, they can wreak havoc on a wide range of ornamental plants and vegetables in the spring. So if you are wondering how to prevent the snail plague in May 2023, take a look at our article.
Snail plague in May 2023: What helps against it?
Snails are actually active all year round, but because they prefer the warm and humid weather of spring, we are more likely to notice activity in our gardens in spring. We have put together the best methods to get rid of snails naturally and without harsh pesticides.
Water your garden in the morning
Snails need a moist environment to survive and lay their eggs. This is why they are more active at night when temperatures drop and the ground becomes moist.
To easily keep them out of your garden, water the plants thoroughly, but not as often and preferably in the morning. This will ensure that they and the soil are dried out by the evening when the snails are most active. However, the dry conditions of your garden will no longer attract them.
Drive away the snails with plants
Another method you can take to combat the voracious garden creatures is to harness the power of some plants thatwho simply don't like snails.
Aromatic plants such as garlic, rosemary, fennel, anise and basil are unpleasant for the snails and help keep them away from the beds.
Another plant that garden experts recommend is the poisonous foxglove. Plant it around your beds or at the garden entrance to ensure that the critters do not enter your garden.
Snail plague in May 2023: attracting predators to the garden
Controlling snails is often a time-consuming and difficult task, but experts recommend reducing their population by attracting hedgehogs, birds, frogs and toads to combat the pest naturally.
Spring is the perfect time to make your garden more attractive to piebald natural enemies. Create your own garden pond, build bird feeders and waterers and plant plants that naturally attract them.
Get rid of the snails with eggshells
Snails, and especially slugs, which do not have shells, prefer flat, smooth surfaces where they can move easily. Therefore they are very sensitive to sharp and prickly objects.
The sharp-edged eggshells are a very effective method if you scatter them around the plants as a barrier, as the snails can injure themselves if they try to crawl on them.
And the best part about this method is that the eggshells eventually decompose and provide nutrients to the soil. So use them in the garden instead of throwing them away.
You can also make a sharp barrier using pine needles, crushed seashells or walnut shells, and other prickly organic materials.
An environmentally friendly method to combat the snail infestation is to spray the plants with a mixture of liverwort extract, which is available commercially, and water. A study by Jahn-Peter Frahm and Klaus Kirchhoff at the Botanical Institute of the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn proves that the reptiles avoid the treated plants, even if they have no other food sources available. The effectiveness of the moss is that it contains very strong defenses against snails. And the best thing about this method is that it doesn't harm or kill piebalds, it just keeps them away from the plants.
Mix 5 ml of liverwort extract with one liter of water and spray the plants with this solution weekly. You can increase the dosage as needed, although an overdose is not possible.
Keep the critters away with coffee
Coffee grounds were once recommended as a natural way to keep slugs away from the garden. OneUSDA research team studybut proves that a caffeine solution is much more effective. Low concentrations keep the critters away, while larger concentrations could be fatal.
Follow these steps to properly use coffee against the snail infestation.
Brew coffee using twice the amount of coffee grounds than usual and allow it to cool.
Then pour the coffee into a spray bottle and generously mist the plants and soil in the garden. Pay special attention to the places where you noticed snails or traces of slime.
Repeat the process 2-3 times weekly or as needed.
Finally, in order not to harm the plants in your garden, we recommend that you always use natural control methods and avoid harsh pesticides.
