No matter the size of your garden, snails can be a problem and all kind of solutions to help you get rid of snails are welcome.
You can get rid of snails with all kinds of synthetic chemicals but obviously, are toxic and aren’t recommended for the garden around the house, where everyone wants a clean and healthy environment. On the other hand snails can be a big problem because they destroy both vegetable and flowers.
Snails, especially slugs are the most common pests from your garden and their attacks can be devastating.
The strategy to get rid of snails is to prevent and destroy them. Mowing the grass, removing areas where water and compost gather is the first step to take. Always you have to keep away compost from the vegetable and flowers area.
The second part involves combating and preventing snails to conquer the garden and it involves making a thorny barrier from organic or inorganic materials. The best are sawdust, eggshells and nuts, and sand. Circle the flower area with a sand barrier or finely chopped straw. Snails can’t get past these barriers. Graded and sharp edges are also a good solution. Mowing grass to remain rough and sharp prevent it from snails.
Some strong-smelling substances can keep the snails away from flowers and crops. The most effective are coffee grounds, cinnamon and pepper mixed with sand. Chili tea is also a good solution. Prepare a concentrate tea with chili and water (5-6 chopped chilies per liter of water). Tea will simmer with a lid on the pot for about 5 minutes. After it’s cooled poor it in a spray bottle and sprinkle around the placed you want to protect from snails. Cover your nose and mouth with a mask and wear goggles. It‘s preferable to do this operation if it doesn’t rain. It seems to be effective lavender tea (very concentrated), ginger and horseradish (raw, chopped and scattered among flowers).
Another solution to get rid of snails is pine needles mixed with sawdust or sand.
Some say that wood ash, slaked lime and mulch made from stems and leaves of strong smelling plants, like wormwood and mint keeps snails away.
All these “treatments” are repeated from time to time alternative, especially after the rain when snails are most active. Obviously, victims must be collected and discarded.
Also as a preventive measure you can use copper strips, put in the path of snails, but also copper wires, coiled around the plants threatened.
Ants, garden snakes, birds, turtles and hedgehogs garden are natural enemies of snails and their presence in the garden can help you get rid of snails. Especially birds are a trusted ally.
