How do I stop slugs from eating hosta plants?
Q Every year from when my hostas start showing around February time they always end up with masses of holes in them despite this. How can I stop slugs eating hosta plants?
Barbie
A There are a few ways to stop slugs eating your hostas. You can surround them with a ring of crushed eggshells, which are too sharp for the slugs to crawl over.
You can bury beer traps too. Fill some small containers with beer and bury them in the soil, so they are level with the surface. Slugs are attracted to the smell, and crawl in and drown.
Most gardeners swear by going out in the garden in the evening, just after it gets dark, with a flashlight. Pick off all the slugs you can find and dispose of them.
The best way to keep hostas safe is to employ more than one of these methods.
Unfortunately, the damp spring we had this year meant that slug populations have been really strong this year. Let’s hope for a cold winter that will kill them off!
Hope this information helps you, and good luck.
David Domoney is a Chartered Horticulturalist, Broadcaster, and Author. David has worked with a number of the UK’s leading garden retailers as a plant buyer and strategic consultant. With more than 30 years experience, in horticulture, David is as passionate about plants now as he was when he bought his first plant at a village fete.
There must be something I can buy that will kill off those slugs