Slug deterent

[KathParticipant]

Hi everyone

I was watching Gardeners’ World recently and Sienna Hosta, an award winning grower of Hosta plants was recommending a garlic wash to deter slugs. I have tried it with some success so thought I would mention it on here in case it was useful to anyone.

1.Take 2 full bulbs of garlic and add them to approximately 2L of water in a saucepan.
2.Boil until soft and squash with the back of a fork to release as much juice as possible.
3.Sieve out skins and bits so you are left with a cloudy liquid concentrate.
4.Dilute approximately 2 tablespoons to 5L of water in a sprayer or watering can.
5.Spray or water over your plants once a week.
6.High dosage and more regular applications may be needed in wet weather.

[GwynlegParticipant]

Thanks Kath that sounds really useful for lots of things! I guess we humans can also be put off by strong garlic smell!

[charlesModerator]

Such a useful tip Kath, thanks.
It’s been around for a while and one thing to be careful of is not to make the garlic concentration any higher than in the recipe give, as it can otherwise singe leaves if watered on them!
Worth trying on ants nests too, with some crushed chilli or chilli powder added to the mix

[JDParticipant]

Anyone know whether it (or anything else) works for flea beetle? They’ve suddenly arrived and I’ve never seen such numbers, probably because of the rape field next door. My swede seedlings in particular are just skeletons even though they were netted with very fine mesh. Might try it anyway.
Jan

[KathParticipant]

Thanks for the comments.
I have also used a slightly stronger solution to water around some young plants (beans and courgettes) which have been attacked by slugs and they do seem to have a fighting chance now.

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