Smell of an Oily Rag: Slugs and snails

Photo / 123RF

Oily raggers are getting busy in the garden, and so too are the slugs and snails. A reader has asked for ways to control these blighters, without having to resort to poison.

Trish (Tauranga): "Make a small flat container out of tin foil and put three or four slices of cucumber on it. The cucumber and tin foil together seem to give off an unnoticed smell that slugs and snails don't like. I put a couple of little holes in the bottom so they don't collect rainwater."

Roger says products that are safe for pets and wildlife are available at garden centres.

Julia (Christchurch) spreads wood chips, which slugs and snails won't cross. Anna uses broken egg shells or pine needles.

Canny Scot (Christchurch) dries egg shells in the oven, then crushes and sprinkles them around plants. In time they break down and benefit the soil.

Sawdust, wood shavings, wood ash, coffee grounds and citrus peel are all thought to be effective in keeping away slugs and snails. Sprinkle a ring around plants to create a barrier.

Slugs and snails are also quite easy to trap. Pour some beer into a small tin; the theory is that after a few slurps the inebriated critters will fall in and drown. Another trap can be made by creating a dark environment for them to hide in or under during the day.

Cardboard or newspaper works, but almost anything will do, like a piece of timber or plant pot turned upside down.

It's then just a matter of collecting them during the day while they are having a snooze and disposing of them, perhaps by feeding them to chickens and ducks. Thrushes love them.

Still on gardening, Marion (Auckland) has a natural weed killer recipe. Mix one gallon of white vinegar, half a cup of salt and eight drops of liquid dishwashing soap, then use in a spray bottle. Marion says it will kill weeds in two to three days.

GB: "If planting large seeds like beans, use the inners of toilet rolls; part-fill with seed mix, put in the seed and top up. You can get about 12 of these to stand up in an ice cream container. In due course plant out the whole tube. The plants will not suffer any transplant shock and the cardboard will rot away quickly."

Glenn (Wellington): "I always had a problem composting, till at a night class I was told to wrap peelings, etc, in newspaper and put in the compost. The newspaper provides carbon and so balances the green nitrogenous waste."