A UK-based gardener has shared a simple kitchen remedy to keep snails away from plants, suggesting a garlic solution instead of vinegar or salt.
Snails become more active in autumn because the cooler, wetter weather provides ideal conditions for feeding and moving around. Many gardeners turn to familiar remedies such as vinegar or salt, but the gardener, known as Chris (@gardenbychris) on YouTube, recommends using garlic.
Why garlic works against snails
Chris explained: "Slugs and snails hate garlic. [It] contains allicin and sulfur, compounds which they hate." He advises using a concentrated solution to pour onto plants.
In his video, Chris chops garlic cloves and boils them in water for about 20 minutes. He then lets it cool before straining the liquid into a watering can. Finally, he waters his plants and the soil directly with the solution.
How to apply the garlic solution
Chris shared: "Your plants will take up the solution and make them distasteful to the slimy vandals. You can also add grated garlic directly to the beds for a similar result." He also notes that chives contain the same compounds as garlic and can be used on plants to deter snails.
Other natural deterrents
Slugs and snails also dislike wool, according to Chris, as the rough textures deter the pests. However, a garden writer for Martha Stewart’s blog cautions that using wool may work but there’s no guarantee. Some evidence suggests that these pests dislike the coarse, scratchy fibres of natural wool and may change direction rather than cross it.
Wool pellets designed for garden use could be worth exploring. According to Chimney Sheep, using wool can benefit plants in other ways: when wool gradually decomposes, it releases valuable nutrients into the soil. Its moisture-retaining properties help keep plants hydrated, and the wool layer blocks out light, helping to suppress weeds.
