Yahoo News Gardeners share unusual method to keep slugs away from plants using bathroom cupboard staple
As the spring weather warms up, gardens across the UK are bursting into colour - but this also means more unwanted visitors to our green spaces in search of a leafy feast.
Slugs and snails can prove to be a particular problem at this time of year, munching away at young plants in tubs and beds before they've had a chance to grow and leaving our gardens looking sparse. There are dozens of solutions that gardeners swear by when it comes to deterring these pesky pests - but if you want to avoid pellets, which can harm other wildlife, it can be difficult to find natural solutions that are effective against the persistent slimy visitors.
One gardener took to social media to share her unusual method for keeping slugs and snails at bay - and it involves a product that many of us already have in our bathroom cupboard. TikTok user @tiger_lee_uk explained that she applies a thick layer Vaseline petroleum jelly to the rim of her plant pots, which she said acts as a slippery barrier to stop the pests getting to the shoots inside, the Daily Record reports.
This unconventional hack is backed up by gardeners over on the MoneySavingExpert forum, after one member asked if anyone else had attempted the Vaseline method in their garden. "It would cost a small fortune to get enough copper to surround the pots I have and have read that Vaseline smeared around the pots would stop slugs in their tracks. Has anyone tried this? Does it work?" they asked.
One person who recommended the tip replied: "I use Vaseline every year and it works for me! If I've run out of Vaseline I've been known to use Vicks."
And someone else joked: "I suppose it would be like driving a car over a muddy field - plenty of wheelspin but no traction!"
However, not everyone agreed that the tip was effective. "I've tried it and it didn't work, it's also very messy!" one person responded.
Meanwhile, some fellow MSE forum members suggested other methods to keep slugs and snails away. "Have you tried a couple of drops of eucalyptus or used tea bags and scattering them about the place? That works for me," one gardener advised.
And someone else replied: "I make a circle of 1p and 2p pieces around the stems of the plants that the slugs particularly go for - seems to work well in my slug-infested garden."
