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Strawberry plants are low-growing plants that can be planted in containers, in raised beds, or directly in the ground.
Strawberries are an extremely tempting target for slugs.
If your strawberries aren’t protected, slugs can wreak havoc on your crop, leaving you with no fruit to pick.
Snails are attracted to sweet, tender fruits that they can easily eat.
Also, strawberries grow low to the ground, making them easy prey for slugs.
If you have strawberries in your garden, they are very likely to attract slugs.
With highly effective methods, you will get rid of the threat of snails once and for all.
5 Ways To Protect Strawberries From Slugs
Slugs are attracted to strawberries because of the fruit’s high sugar content.
Slugs are also attracted to ethylene gas, which is a byproduct of most ripening fruit.
Another reason snails chase fruit is because of ethylene gas.
This gas, which is a by-product of fruit ripening, attracts slugs.
Then the snails will hunt many fruits. If snails attack your strawberries, it’s a good idea to protect your other fruit plants as well.
Here are some tips on how to protect strawberries from slugs:
1. Use Diatomaceous Earth
Spread diatomaceous earth around the strawberry plants in a 3-inch circle.
This will kill any slugs trying to penetrate the diatomaceous earth barrier.
The powder dehydrates the snails as they walk. they kill.
Even better, diatomaceous earth is an organic product made from the fossils of single-celled organisms called diatoms.
Spread this diatomaceous earth around strawberry plants to kill crawling slugs.
A 10 cm layer of diatomaceous earth kills the snails as they crawl.
Diatomaceous earth is organic and chemical-free.
Diatomaceous earth is made up of tiny fossils that dry out snails and other insects that crawl through them.
Top up with diatomaceous earth after rain to keep snails away.
Diatom work only works to kill snails when it’s dry, so spread it out in dry soil in a margin around your strawberry plants.
It is best to spread it outside of the pouring area to prevent diatomaceous earth from being washed away.
Also, it’s a good idea to apply more diatomaceous earth once the soil dries up after rain.
2. Employ Slug Traps
You can set up slug traps in your garden to quickly catch and kill slugs.
The bait attracts the snails and they fall into the trap to drown.
As for the snails that are already attacking your strawberry crop, you can eliminate them by using a board to catch them.
To build a simple snail trap, employ some easy steps.
Choose a container for your trap.
Dig a hole in your garden that is as deep as the height of the container.
Place the container on the ground flush with the surrounding soil. Don’t cover it with soil.
Pour 1 inch of beer into the container for bait.
Leave the trap uncovered overnight to catch snails.
If the snails then crawl over the edge of the container and fall in, they can’t get out.
This is an easy way to catch and kill snails.
Read Also:
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3. Eliminate Slug Habitats
One of the best ways to keep slugs away from your strawberry patch is to make the space less attractive to slugs.
Snails love to hide, and without proper hiding places in your crop, they probably won’t linger.
Although mulch is recommended for other crops, mulch provides an ideal hiding place for slugs.
Remove weeds, dead leaves, and debris that slugs could be hiding in.
If you have a slug infestation, it’s also best to rake mulch from strawberries and leave the soil bare.
Slugs like to hide in moist mulch.
Snails thrive in moist, crowded environments. dead plants and debris from your garden.
Rake the mulch away from the strawberries to prevent slugs from hiding in the mulch.
4. Use Snail Killer
To kill snails quickly and effectively, use a pet and wildlife-safe snail killer.
Products containing iron or sodium iron phosphate are deadly to snails and claim to be safe for use around children and pets.
These products work by preventing the slug from eating, which in turn causes it to die.
Most snail-killer products can be spread on the floor.
The best snail killers are rain and moisture-resistant.
This means you don’t have to reapply the snail killer after watering your strawberries.
Use this organic snail killer to kill unwanted pests.
Spread the slug killer on the soil according to the product directions to protect your strawberry plants.
Choose a pet-safe snail remover to avoid poisoning pets and wildlife.
A good snail remover will be waterproof, so you won’t have to reapply it after a light rain.
Although some older slug killers were not safe for pets and other animals, several products on the market today can safely kill slugs.
This means you don’t have to worry about harming your pets or other animals while protecting your strawberries from snails.
5. Citrus Peels as a Distraction
Spreading grapefruit or oranges all over your strawberry crop and around the underside of your plants will attract slugs to the citrus peel instead of the strawberries.
Citrus peels are a good distraction that will keep slugs and slugs away from your strawberry patch.
Make a non-lethal snail trap from orange by following some simple steps.
Cut an orange or grapefruit in half.
Remove most of the pulp for your use, but leave some attached to the inside of the peel.
Place the trays in your garden a few feet from the strawberries.
Leave the shells overnight.
Check the shells in the morning to see how many snails have been attracted to them.
Multiple snails are often attracted to a single citrus peel.
They get into the “pot” of bark and stay there.
If you find the bark full of snails in the morning, you can throw them away with the snails, kill them, or remove the bark from your strawberry patch so those snails can no longer attack your strawberries.
6. Change Watering Frequency
Slugs prefer moist environments, and if the topsoil is usually dry, they will seek a different environment.
Of course, your strawberries still need water to survive, but digging deeper into the soil can preserve your strawberry crop without attracting snails.
Water the strawberries 1-2 times a week instead of daily.
Daily watering is the perfect moist habitat for invasive snails.
It can also be a good idea to change your watering habits to keep snails away from your strawberry patch.
Snails love consistently moist soil, but strawberries benefit most from deep watering 1-2 times per week followed by a period without water.
Proper care not only helps strawberries bear more fruit but also keeps snails and snails away.
Final Thoughts
The most reliable and effective ways to protect strawberries from slugs have been covered in this article.
- Spread diatomaceous earth in a ring around your plants for an organic way to protect your strawberries from slugs.
- Building your snail trap with a plate and some beer is also a great idea.
- Alternatively, there are several organic pet-safe slug killers that you can sprinkle around your strawberries.
- Even citrus peels can be used to attract snails to a spot in your garden for disposal or relocation.
These tactics, combined with a clean, weed-free yard, work together to deter slugs that would otherwise gobble up your strawberries.
