Snails
There are around 120 species of snail in the UK. These range from 1mm Dot snails (punctum pygmaeum) to the Roman Snail (Helix pomatia) which has a 5cm shell and is good with garlic butter. Some of these species are specific to geographical areas so not all will turn up on your plot. The main one we are interested in is the European Brown Garden Snail (Helix aspersa) – a terrestrial gastropod mollusc. These Gardens Snails have a life span of 2 to 6 year. They can produce up to six batches of eggs in a single year, and each newborn will take one to two years to mature.
Slugs
Snail_slug_on_broom_handle
Slugs evolved from terrestrial snails, they are basically a shell-less snail. A tiny number of species still have a small shell and the remainder have a vestigial shell inside them. There are around 40 species of slugs in the UK. No consolation when they’re eating your lettuce but only a few of these are pests. Many species perform a key role in composting though releasing nutrients back into the ecosystem and helping your plot to grow. A slug can lay between 100-500 eggs in groups of 10-50, generally sheltered in a hole it digs. Slugs can produce up to two generations per year. They live between 9-18 months depending on the species and conditions.
Feeding
Though it may feel like they travel in packs, slugs and snails are lone operators. They feed by licking your veg with a cheese-grater-like radula and can cause a lot of damage while your back is turned.
Ways to control slugs & snails
So we have established that they are a nuisance in the garden and can devastate your veg patch in a very short time but how do we deal with this? There are many ways, some of which involve total eradication. What the gardener should aim for though is control rather than a complete purge. What you are looking for is a balanced ecosystem within your space. Complete obliteration of every slug and snail will take away the good things they do like composting and lead to a vacuum which in time will draw more of them to your plot.
Block slug and snail paths
For both slugs and snails mucus is essential for their movement. A gland situated at the front of the foot secretes mucus which is squeezed below the sole and allows them to slide along leaving the silvery trail we know so well. Because they move like this, putting something in their path to make their progress painful is very effective. So try one of these to make getting to your plants feel like walking on broken glass.
crushed egg shells (bonus that they add calcium to your soil)
used coffee grounds
food-grade diatomaceous earth
sheeps wool round the stems of tender plants
Don’t use salt. It will kill the slugs and snails but will also kill your plants.
