Even though we at @helixfarm breed snails, we know that they can be a real nuisance in our gardens or flower beds.
Snails love moisture, shady places and rainy weather. They like to hide, so tall grass or nooks are their hiding places. The effects of their appearance and feeding are large and irregular holes on the leaves - mainly the lower ones. Snails destroy plants and their roots, leaving a characteristic mucus. Sometimes the snail can eat the entire plant, right down to its roots.
The worst thing is when we encounter snails - they unfortunately feed at night, also in the morning, so when drinking morning coffee in the garden, we may be unpleasantly surprised. As the old saying goes, safe is always safe, and this is also the case with snails. We must therefore keep order in our garden: systematically mow the grass, clean up fallen branches, pull out weeds so that snails have nowhere to hide. We especially remove nettles fromour garden. On sunny days, it is worth digging up the flower beds to bring out snail eggs, which will simply dry out and no pest will hatch from them.
Before we reach for chemicals, it is worth using an ecological, home-made method for snails.
So first the beer. It is extremely effective in the fight against too many hungry snails. They are real gourmets of this drink. Where we notice signs of their feeding, it is worth digging a jar or other container below 1 cm of surface, with 1/3 of the content of the amber liquor. The snails, attracted by the smell, unaware of anything, will crawl very close to our trap and fall into it. And they won't get out of it. The jar must be high enough so that its walls prevent the snails from escaping. It is worth emptying the trap every day, and if we have a large area, we should place several such jars.
And now for coffee, which is a good and worthwhile way to get rid of snails. Spray the plants with diluted coffee, the aroma of which is not liked by molluscs.
You can also take advantage of having a natural enemy in your garden. It is a good idea to ensure that birds, toads, mice, hedgehogs and lizards come to our surroundings. It is worth planting plants that will help animals create food in the winter. yourself a canteen, e.g. barberries or single-necked hawthorn.
Another solution will be a trap made of boards - this trap involves arranging old boards to create moist and shaded hiding places for snails under them. Of course, we must leave bait under them, such as lettuce leaves. In such places, snails will look for shelter and start crawling inside. Every day and systematically we select snails from the trap hideout and take them to a place where they will not cause any damage.
And finally, it is worth planting plants in your garden that snails simply cannot stand. Such plants include: onion, garlic, chervil, mustard, sage and marjoram. Let's enrich our flower beds with these plants and keep the snails away.