Here are some plants that repel slugs and snails.
Isn’t it just amazing to know that there is a much more natural, non-toxic, and magical way of stopping slugs from eating and destroying your plants?
Plants That Deter Slugs And Snails
Take a look at the plants listed below;
- Basil
- Garlic
- Lavender
- Marjoram
- Parsley
- Peony
- Rosemary
- Roses
- Sage
- Scented Geranium
- Thyme
These are slug-resistant plants. To start with, slugs do not enjoy eating vegetables, shrubs, or trees, so they are rarely victims of slug attacks. A slug will only eat one of those if there is nothing else to eat.
So if you have a garden or large plantation and slugs are making a mess of your plants, getting rid of them is as easy as planting any of these herbs- that simple!
Even though there are many ways to eradicate the harmless, fragile-looking pest, I would instead not subscribe to any inhumane means of exterminating them.
For the love of Mother Nature, a slug is such a cute little thing. It just goes about its business, gently moving at its own pace with a determination never to interact with other species. And then, it looks so innocent and adorable in those storybooks about them.
But then, slugs can cause massive damage to the plants and herbs in the garden. They can run through a piece of fruit and render it unfit for consumption. So in the real sense, there is an extent to which we should put up with the mischievous little pest.
There are different methods of getting rid of a slug and snails, but I would not subscribe to the use of chemicals to do the job.
Using insecticide to eliminate slugs is highly toxic and may affect other insects, including bees. If you are not careful with the chemical, it can get into the waterways and then contaminate the water- this is highly dangerous to the fishes and other aquatic animals.
In other words, several other safer means of exterminating the pests. They are;
- You can introduce animals that love eating slugs into your garden. This way, slugs are fleeing from your garden or being eaten by a predator.
- Slugs love beer, so you can set a beer trap to get rid of it
- You can also set a fruit trap by cutting grapefruits into two
- Slugs hate coffee, so you can spread coffee ground around
- You can make tiny copper fences; this will deter them from entering your garden
- Watch out for slugs’ favorite plants in the garden, do not plant them
- You can also make use of plants that repel slug
This last option is my favorite. Planting scented herbs or flowers that slugs hate will protect the other plants and eliminate slugs without killing them.
Some of the herbs that slug will never come near includes;
- Begonia
- Geranium
- Rosemary
- Soapwort
- Tansy
- Wormwood
The plants above can be a deterrent when you plant any of those around your garden, especially if your backyard or a plantation full of slugs’ favorite meals like marigolds, larkspurs, dahlias, and a host of other plants.
Categories of Plants That Deter Slugs
The plants that repel slugs can be grouped into;
- Herbs
Aromatic herbs can deter slugs because of their strong scents. Slugs dislike strong smells, so herbs like parsley, mint, rosemary, thyme, sage, and basil can serve as a repellent.
To keep slugs away, you can plant any of the herbs in a strategic location to ward off the pest. You can also grow the herbs next to the slug’s favorite meal to stop it from destroying the plant.
- Tussock and grass
Those little pests also detest dryness. They love a lot of moisture, and the rain is a blessing. Tussock and grasses are excellent repellents since they lack water and are always super dry.
To eliminate slugs, plant tussock or grasses to protect the other plant by making a border around the plants that slugs take an interest in.
- Scented Flowers
Lavender, roses, and any flower with a strong scent are powerful slug repellents.
So while decorating your garden with some of these flowers, you are inadvertently eliminating the harm that may befall your plants by slug, plus they will fill your garden with beautiful scents.
Factors that Influence Plant Resistance
Some factors are responsible for the resistance of plants to slugs.
Some plant families are resistant, but for some reason, they are eventually eaten by a slug. For example, daylilies or mints are sometimes not consumed, but slugs eat them occasionally.
Some of the factors that influence plant resistance include;
- The plant’s location
- Seasons
- Immunity of plants
- Plants scents
The bottom line is that slugs won’t eat anything that is scented except if it does not have another choice.
Since slugs don’t enjoy eating plants, especially those that have a scent, compiling a list of plants that repel slug is relatively easy.
As expected, the list of herbs and flowers that slugs don’t eat is quite long since they don’t like anything that is scented, and a lot of herbs and most blooms are perceived.
Below is a list in alphabetical order, a list of plants that slugs will rarely eat except if they are weak or young and are left without alternatives.
Slug-Repellent Plants
- Aconite flower
- Alyssum
- Appalachian barren strawberry
- Aquilegia (Columbine)
- Astrantia
- Avens
- Baby’s breath (Gypsophila paniculata)
- Balsam (touch-me-not)
- Begonia
- Bergamot (Oswego tea)
- Bergenia (elephant’s ears)
- Blanket flower
- Bleeding heart (Lyre flower)
- Blue-eyed-Mary (Creeping navelwort)
- Busy Lizzie (Impatiens)
- Campion
- Candytuft
- Carex (Sedges)
- Catnip
- Centranthus
- China aster
- Christmas rose
- Cinquefoils (Barren strawberries)
- Coral bell
- Cotton thistle
- Creeping phlox (Moss pink)
- Curry plant
- Cyclamen
- Daisy
- Dalmatian Bellflower
- Dianthus plumarius (Wild pink)
- Garden Cosmos
- Gazania
- Globe thistles
- Giant onions
- Gladiolus
- Goatsbeards
- Golden starthistle (St. Barnaby’s thistle)
- Goldenrod
- Grape hyacinth
- Heartleaf
- Helipterum (Timeless rose)
- Himalayan meadow primrose
- Honeysuckles
- Houseleeks
- Hydrangea
- Iris
- Jacob’s ladder
- Knapweeds
- Knotweeds
- Lavender
- Lemon ball
- Lovage
- Lobularia maritima (Sweet alyssum)
- Loosestrife
- Pimpinella (burnet
- Mallows
- Marigold
- Maiden Pink
- Marjoram Lily of the valley
- Meadowsweet
- Mint (almost all varieties are safe)
- Moneywort
- Myosotis (Scorpion grasses)
- Narcissus
- Nasturtium
- Nemesia
- Nigella Damascena
- Obedient plant (False dragonhead)
- Origanum (oregano)
- Oriental poppy
- Parsley
- Pasque flower
- Peony
- Periwinkle
- Phlox
- Platycodon grandiflorus (Chinese bellflower)
- Plume-poppy
- Portulaca
- Pot-of-gold (Thread-leaved tickseed)
- Rosemary
- Ragworts
- Rockrose
- Santolina
- Sage
- Saxifrage
- Snapdragons
- Southernwood
- Spurge
- Stonecrops
- Thyme
- Thistles
- Tulips
- Valerian-flower
- Vetches
- Wallflower
- Wild-teasel
- Wild garlic
- Woodruff plants
- Yarrow flower
Plants are living things, and they also feel hurt whenever they are being abused, which is why they have developed defense systems to ward off slugs, snails, and other predators.
For instance, some fruits, especially those found in the berry family like; blackberry, raspberry, gooseberry, currants, or cranberry, will never be consumed by slugs even if that’s the last meal on earth.
Slugs also stay away from olive, lemon, and even nut trees. They stay away from fruits of all kinds as much as possible.
Conclusion
Some plants are more resistant than others; some have found ways of protecting themselves against predators by building defense systems. Some of these plants are more than ‘slug repellent. They are poisonous to slugs, so the pest wouldn’t come near.
These plants have developed a defense mechanism over time. Some of their defenses are;
- They produce toxic ingredients that can harm any slug that tries to feed on them.
- Their leaves have become hard like leather.
- They grow hairy leaves that make eating them feel so uncomfortable
- They become bitter and hard to digest
- They develop thorns and spines on stems
- They develop stinging hairs
One fact about slugs is that they cannot survive an area with no moisture. They have no protective skin and can quickly get dehydrated when there is no rain or when the humidity drops.
The cute little pests love coming at night, and they don’t need a temperature below 5˚C to keep them from freezing and alive.
So once the weather is conducive for slugs to be out, be alert and ready to work your garden by planning the repellants by the side of the plants they love to eat the most.
You can create a barrier by planting flowers that they hate most around the garden or plantation.