‘The cheapest you can get’ gardening fan reveals 5p hack to protect plants from pesky slugs – that takes seconds to do
AS the weather is warming up, many green-fingered Brits are planting gorgeous flowers – but all the hard work can oftentimes be destroyed by pesky slugs.
Thankfully, a savvy gardening enthusiast has come to rescue with an easy – and purse-friendly – solution, which takes just seconds to do.
Between the early spring and summer, the slimy creatures are making their annual return, wreaking havoc on your plants by munching on them, especially during nighttime.
What’s more, slugs and snails also have an impressively rapid reproduction rate, with adult snails laying up to a staggering 100 eggs per month.
Luckily, if you’re currently waking up to destroyed plants thanks to hungry gastropods, gardening enthusiast only known as Billie took to TikTok to share his remedy.
According to the whizz, who posts under the username @bilgemehmet23, the answer is simple and requires just two common items you most likely already have in your home.
This involves using some Vaseline, as well as table salt – and there’s no need to fork out for a fancy one either.
In the now-viral video, which has been viewed a whopping 2.1million times in just two days, the gardening super fan first applied a thick layer of the petroleum jelly around the nursery pots outside his green garden.
Once the top section was covered in the popular beauty essential, the man then started sprinkling table salt around the rim of the pot, adding you could even use ”the cheapest salt” from the supermarket.
With the bottom of the plastic pot removed, he was able to use the nursery pot as a cover around the delicate plants.
”This actually works guys. If we don’t put it on there, by the morning we’ve got a slug problem again,” the woman in the background could be heard praising the cost-effective hack.
”They just don’t go near it.”
Why does salt kill slugs and snails?
Why does this trick work like a charm every single time? As explained by Dr Gordon Port, senior lecturer at Newcastle University, the cooking essential dehydrated slugs’ slimy exterior, BBC reported.
“Salt essentially draws the water out of their skin – an osmosis effect – and they die within minutes of dehydration,” the guru said.
“Slugs and snails are extremely dependent on a high water content in their bodies. They constantly need water to replenish any the lose.
“We don’t know how much pain they feel when in contact with salt, but a slug or snail caught in granules will try to wiggle away while exuding a lot of mucus to clean their skin.”
‘This worked for us’
According to Billie, ”people laugh” at him when it comes to this salt and Vaseline hack – but after coming up with the savvy idea, he was amazed to see it had worked wonders.
He added that even when it rains, the salt trick should work – as the tiny granules will stick to Vaseline and stay in place.
More than a whopping 2k people flocked to comments to thank the gardening fan, as well as share their favourite remedies for the common issue.
Keep pests out all summer
Hornets and wasps – hate the smell of peppermint oil so spraying this liberally around your patio or balcony can help to keep them at bay.
Moths – acidic household white vinegar is effective for deterring moths. Soak some kitchen roll in vinegar and leave it in your wardrobe as a deterrent.
Flying ants – herbs and spices, such as cinnamon, mint, chilli pepper, black pepper, cayenne pepper, cloves, or garlic act as deterrents.
Mosquitoes – plants, herbs and essential oil fragrances can help deter mossies inside and out. Try eucalyptus, lavender and lemongrass.
One said: ”I cut up cucumber & leave it in the same place every evening, they eat until they’re full & never touch my plants/veg.”
Another chimed in: ”I put vicks round the top of my pots.”
Someone else penned: ”I make something similar. I heat the Vaseline first and mix in lots of table salt and peppermint oil.
”Works a charm. Easier to apply this way.”
”I live by the beach, so essentially I’ll put beach sand around my veggie bed,” another TikTok user wrote.