'Five defence' method to keep slugs away from plants

As the warmer spring days approach, many of us are eagerly anticipating spending quality time in our back gardens - but we won't be alone.

As any gardening enthusiast knows, slugs have a notorious reputation for feasting on beautiful plants. Therefore, it's crucial to safeguard your plants from these roaming pests to ensure they remain in prime condition throughout the summer.

A clever gardener has shared her 'five defence' method to keep slugs at bay from any enticing leaves and foliage. Amy, known as The Lockdown Gardener on TikTok, posted an informative video guiding followers through her detailed defence strategy.

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The caption read: "My five defence system for protecting plants from slugs: put in a pot, raise up on a metal stand, slather Vaseline on the stand and rim on the pot, copper scouring pads around the base of the plant and lastly some garlic spray! Five defenses! I hope there's none living in the soil already as I will have just trapped them forever."

In the video, Amy was seen potting her Hostas into a container on a metal stand, then liberally applying Vaseline around the rim and legs of the stand, and placing copper scouring pads at the base, reports the Mirror. She also misted the Hostas with garlic spray, adding: "I personally don't think it works on its own, there's too much rain where I live. But, together with the other defences, it seems to work quite well."

You can snag a tub of Vaseline for just 99p from Weldricks Pharmacy or for £1 at Poundland, making this tip a real bargain for those gardening on a shoestring. Several of Amy's followers pledged to test out the hack themselves, fed up with slugs feasting on their plants.

Another savvy gardener suggested: "An inch of crushed eggshells keeps them away.... I collect throughout the year Bake in oven and crush.". Meanwhile, another follower quipped humorously: "Me smiling at the mental image of Vaseline-coated slugs sliding around your garden uncontrollably."

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