How to get rid of slugs and snails naturally: 36 methods including copper

What are slugs and snails

Theories on how copper works

What the experts think

Video examples

Different ways to use copper

36 alternative ways to control slugs and snails naturally

Frequently asked questions

The Incan irrigation system

Conclusion

A slug definition:

A slug is essentially a stomach on a foot. Having evolved from snails, slugs are snails without shells – but they’re not insects; they’re molluscs. This puts them in the same family as squid, cuttlefish, and octopus – also known as gastropods. They prefer cool or damp surroundings and have a thick layer of slime under their sticky foot to help them move about.

A snail definition:

A snail is a slug that carries its house on its back. For this reason, snails are less likely to burrow underground to sleep (unlike slugs), and you will find them stuck to the side of plant pots or walls during the day to avoid the sun.

Conclusion: As you saw, a snail climbed straight into the pot with no copper barrier, while the same type of snail couldn’t climb the pot with a copper barrier. With that in mind, I would say copper provides some protection against certain slugs and snails.

Conclusion: We watched lots of different kinds of slugs and snails try to climb into pots with copper barriers that were 5mm, 10mm, 15mm, 20mm, 25mm, 30mm, 35mm, 40mm and 45mm wide (left to right). While several attempts were made, only one snail successfully crossed the thinnest barrier. This tells me, if a copper barrier is too thin, a large slug or snail can arch up and pass without touching the copper tape.

Conclusion: While the actions of a single snail can’t speak for all living gastropods, I’d like to draw your attention to the snail that zig-zagged between the two pots. It started on the normal copper, then slithered to the tarnished copper and spent a significant amount of time attempting to cross this oxidised barrier. This leads me to believe, the more tarnished a piece of copper becomes the easier it is to cross. And with that in mind, I recommend keeping copper barriers clean and shiny.

Conclusion: This video compares copper tape, shiny copper pennies and tarnished copper pennies (left to right). After the previous video, I had assumed the tarnished pennies may be passable but the shiny pennies would not. However, after the minor technical hitch (I forgot to press ‘record’), you can see a snail easily mounting the shiny pennies, followed by a cautious slug. So, while some people recommend creating a protective barrier with pennies, I do not.

Conclusion: This time, I used copper barrier tape on the left, old copper coins (dated 1928-1962*) in the middle, and new copper coins (dated 2010-2019) on the right. I was surprised to see how easily slugs and snails managed to cross these copper coin barriers. And although several attempts were made to cross the copper tape barrier, none were successful.

It’s also worth noting, that a snail turned 180° on reaching the top of the middle pot and slithered straight onto the pot wrapped in copper barrier tape. So, if you’re planning to use copper to protect your plants, remember to place it far enough away from objects that could aid slugs or snails.

* Knowing that pennies made after 1983 were mainly zinc, I used older coins in this experiment.

Conclusion: We’ve already learned that shiny copper is most effective against slugs and snails, so I experimented with a copper barrier that has a PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) film across the surface to stop it from tarnishing (the pot on the right). However, as you saw, those that tried to climb the PET-coated copper succeeded. This must be because they are no longer in direct contact with raw copper, and the PET coating is a protective buffer. And again, we saw that if two pots are place too close together,

Slug and snail beer traps

Place a deep container or the bottom half a bottle in the ground and fill it with unwanted beer. If you speak nicely to your local landlord, they may let you take their barrel dregs or drip trays.

Wool pellets

In a similar vein, you can buy wool pellets that biodegrade over time and protect plants from slugs and snails.

Ash

If you have a summer BBQ or winter log burning stove, save your ashes and scatter them around the base of your seedlings in a nice, wide barrier.

Holly leaves

Collect the spiky leaves and arrange them around your plants to make it difficult for slimy critters to pass.

Eggshell barrier

Collect unwanted eggshells from your kitchen and scatter round the base of plants as a natural slug repellent. While the sharp edges keep beasties at bay, they’ll also give your green babies a healthy dose of calcium.

Fur, fleece or hair

Here’s an interesting fact: slugs and snails find it difficult to move over hair. So, if you have a pet dog that malts or live near a sheep field where you can pull unwanted wool off a fence, save it and lay it around the base of your plants. It makes for a brilliant organic slug and snail repellent.

Coffee grounds

Most coffee shops offer their unwanted coffee grounds for free, while big chains like Costa and Starbucks even pre-bag them. If you want to get rid of slugs and snails, scatter your grounds around the base of your plants as a natural repellent.

Grit or sharp sand

The harsh, dry surface can be difficult for slimy critters to cross and dries out their sticky foot.

Upturned plant pots

If you have a spare plant pot or bucket in your shed, flip it over near your juiciest plants and create a daytime shelter. This way, you can get rid of slugs and snails in your own time.

Grapefruit

Grapefruit halves are a great natural slug and snail bait. It might sound counter-productive creating a nice, sheltered spot for slugs to hide during the day, but you can flip them over at a time to suit you then remove, kill or drop them into your compost heap.

Rocks

If you don’t like eating grapefruits enough to have them in your house, position some large rocks in such a way that slimy critters take shelter during the day – and you can get rid of slugs when you’re ready.

Nematodes

These environmentally-friendly micro-organisms can be bought and watered into your garden to control slug populations. They’re a natural slug and snail killer, but are most effective at eliminating slugs since they burrow into the soil – where nematodes thrive.

Oats

Slugs and snails will gorge themselves on oats if you scatter them around the base of plants, and leave your plants in peace.

Sacrificial planting

If you know where slugs will go, outsmart them by planting an irresistible distraction.

Companion planting

There are plenty of plants that deter slimy bugs – like marigolds, foxgloves, aquilegia and coneflower. Create a floral barrier that is naturally bug repellent to get rid of slug.

Move your plants

If you plant the same delicious crops in the same place each year, they’ll always be found. If they’re in pots, move them regularly. If they’re in the ground, consider digging them up and moving to a new spot?

Garden birds

Most birds eat slugs and snails, so use bird food or a birdbath to entice natural predators (like thrushes and blackbirds) into your space.

Ducks

If you’re lucky enough to live near a river or pond, ducks may waddle into your garden and get rid of slugs and snails for you.

Hedgehogs

Hedgehogs love eating slugs and snails, but they can’t climb over walls or through fences. If you want to encourage them into your garden, create a small 13cm x 13cm hole in your boundary to help them pass.

Badgers

These guys eat pretty much anything, and their powerful front paws are perfectly designed for digging earth to find critters.

Pet chickens

If you’ve got chickens, then put them to work! I once saw a vegetable patch surrounded by a specially designed chicken tunnel, and the chickens ate anything that passed through.

Slowworms

The charity Froglife, recommends placing “A short strip of carpet or roofing felt down at the edges of the garden. It gets very warm under there, and [slowworms] love it.”

Frogs

Frogs eat slugs and snails, so encourage them into your garden by creating a pond (or a bucket of water with a few well-angled stones) for them to breed.

Garlic spray

This recipe has helped me to get rid of slugs in the UK. Combine two big cloves of garlic per pint of water; mince your garlic, boil for 10 minutes, cool, strain, pour into a spray bottle and reapply every week or so – especially if it rains.

Toads

Toads also eat slugs and snails, so entice them into your space with a water feature.

Newts

If they’re living on the land (as opposed to in a pond during breeding season), newts will eat land snails.

Beetles

Create a rockery to encourage Ground Beetles into your garden.

Centipedes

Make (or buy) an insect hotel with plenty of different shaped holes for carnivorous insects like centipedes to bed down in.

Diatomaceous earth

Also called ‘insect dust’, this powder is safe for humans and animals, but feels sharp to the soft bellies of slugs and snails. Remember to get untreated, food-graded earth for your garden.

Wash away slime trails

Did you know some slugs and snails follow slime trails, assuming there will be food at the end? If you remove them, they can’t be followed.

Petroleum jelly

A smear of vaseline around the sides of your plant pots will make it incredibly hard for a slug or snail to climb.

Rhubarb leaves

Rhubarb leaves are toxic for molluscs (and humans if ingested). So pick some leaves, and arrange them around any plants you wish to protect.

Move them

Pull on your marigolds and head outside after the sun goes down to collect them. While slugs and snails aren’t poisonous to touch, some do feed on faeces and carry parasites that could be harmful if ingested. Remember to move them at least 20 meters away from your garden to disrupt their natural homing instinct.

Research

Understand your enemy – not all slugs and snails are bad. For example, the black gloss snail is a carnivore.

Seaweed

Leave seaweed to dry in the sun, then place it around your plants as protection. Because of the salt, slugs and snails will avoid it at all costs.

Copper

Copper is a natural slug repellent. As a metal slug defence, it gives on-going protection and is safe to use around humans, dogs, cats, rabbits and local wildlife like birds, squirrels, hedgehogs, badgers and foxes

Does mulch deter slugs?

Yes, a thin, wide layer of mulch will dry out the sticky foot of a slug or snail. However, mulch is only effective in dry weather.

Is copper good for tomatoes?

Yes, in fact, many fungicides and bactericides include copper sulphate. Copper is safe when used around plants and can kill or prevent fungal diseases.

Are slug pellets harmful to humans?

Yes, slug pellets are made from toxic chemicals that can poison humans, pets and local wildlife. If you choose to use them, avoid scattering them around fruits, vegetables or herbs that you plan to consume as chemicals may linger.

What is copper slug tape?

Copper slug tape is a piece of self-adhesive copper, which can be applied to any surface you wish to prevent gastropods from crossing. When a slug or snail touches it, the slime from their sticky foot creates a small electric charge. To see how it works, scroll up to watch our demonstration videos.