Slugs not only damage your plants but can attract fungal diseases to your garden, but there is a simple way to keep them away without resorting to harsh chemical methods. 

If slugs are becoming a problem in your garden then it is important to deal with them quickly as they reproduce rapidly in the summer, and can lay up to 100 eggs in one batch

You should never use harsh chemical solutions to deal with slugs as not only will it damage your soil but will target beneficial insects such as bumblebees, ladybugs and butterflies which can hurt your local environment. 

Instead, Nuria Corbi, a gardener and founder of Sweet Life and Lemons, has shared that there are many sustainable and very effective natural solutions to keep slugs away. 

She said: “I’m not a fan of using pesticides or any kind of toxic poison in the garden unless it is really necessary. Most of the time there are harmless alternatives that can do the trick.”

How to get rid of slugs in your garden 

Beer trap 

Setting up a beer trap is a practical and eco-friendly way to kill slugs to stop them from hurting your plants and only takes five minutes to set up. 

Nuria said: “I have tried this and it was a great success. You fill small traps with beer and sink them into the soil so that the edges are flush with the ground. The snails and slugs are attracted by the beer and fall into the trap, literally.”

Slugs will be attracted to the smell of yeast in beer, particularly darker varieties, and will crawl into the beer-filled container and not be able to get out again. 

The beer trap method is very popular amongst gardeners as not only is it very effective but cheap, quick and easy to implement. 

However, the only downside to this trap is that it needs to be maintained regularly to clean out the drowned slugs and may not be something you wish to do if you are squeamish.  

Nematodes 

Nematodes are microscopic roundworms which you can buy which are harmless to humans, pets and plants but will kill off slugs by poisoning them. 

Nuria said: ”This is one of my preferred methods of slug and snail control. Nematodes are tiny organisms that basically cause the death of slugs by bacterial poisoning and are completely harmless to pets or children.”

This is one of the most effective natural methods to stop slugs from damaging gardens as nematodes will stay in the soil for a long time to work as a pest control. 

The only downside to nematodes is that they can be expensive to buy, especially if you have a big garden that requires a lot of coverage.  

Eggshells

If you do not want to spend money or do not want to clean up dead slugs then sprinkling crushed eggshells around your plants is a great way to keep these pests away. 

The sharp and jagged edges of eggshells make it difficult for slugs to crush over and can harm them, which act as a protective barrier for your plants. 

Nuria said: “This is so far the best method that has worked for me, together with the nematodes. Every time I make an omelette or use eggs, I keep the shells to dry on a container that I keep especially for this purpose.” 

All you have to do is wash out your eggshells so there is no yolk and store them away in a container until they are completely dried out. 

Only when the eggs are completely dry, crush them up using a food processor or place them in a sandwich bag and smash them with a rolling pin. 

Sprinkle the crushed eggshells in a circle around your plants, and not only will it stop slugs but give your plants a calcium nutrient boost to keep your garden healthy and pest-free.