The eco‑warrior's guide to snail control in your garden

Snails, though seemingly innocent, can quickly become a real problem for gardeners. Their voracious appetite for plants can undo weeks of hard work and maintenance in the garden.

It's beneficial to employ effective and natural methods to deal with these tiny intruders. A snail trap is one of the simplest and most effective solutions.

Snails are herbivores that prefer feasting on a variety of plant species, especially those with soft leaves and shoots. They can devastate young seedlings, gnaw through plant stems, and sometimes leave nothing but bare stalks behind.

They reproduce quickly. A single snail can lay several eggs, leading to a swift increase in population in the garden. Many snail species are nocturnal, acting unnoticed during the day and only revealing the extent of their damage after sunset.

Constructing a snail trap doesn't require expert DIY skills. You need a few boards to join them to form a panel roughly 90x90 cm.

The trap should be placed on moist soil to stay about 2.5-3 cm above the ground. Stones or thin pieces of wood can serve as supports.

Cutting back tall grasses and removing debris from the area is vital, making the wooden trap more enticing to snails seeking shelter.

The trap will become their sanctuary. After several days, you can expect to find many snails underneath the boards. Then, it's simply a matter of catching and relocating them as far from the garden as feasible.

What other options are there to protect against snails? Creating natural barriers to impede their movement and feeding is another effective strategy.

Surrounding plants with wood ash, sand, or crushed eggshells can significantly restrict snails' access to plants. Their soft bodies do not appreciate obstacles like these, which can act as effective deterrents.

Ground coffee beans, cinnamon, ground oak bark, or citrus pits are also useful barriers. Snails dislike the strong odours of these substances and will avoid areas where they are spread.