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OF ALL the gardener鈥檚 enemies, slugs and snails are among the most hated. Feasting on the soft new growth of plants, they can reduce prized blooms to rags or demolish an entire row of tender seedlings overnight. They regularly top the list of pests that are most enquired about via the UK鈥檚 Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) helpline, says RHS entomologist Hayley Jones.

There are many possible weapons against slugs and snails, and they have different pros and cons. I used to rely on slug pellets, which leave satisfying numbers of dead bodies, but can also poison wildlife. The UK is set the most deadly kind, based on metaldehyde, from March 2022.

Other slug pellets, like those that contain ferric phosphate, are less harmful, especially when scattered thinly as per the instructions. Research by shows these work nearly as well as metaldehyde. Alternative tactics include covering plants with cloches while they are small and vulnerable, but these can be pricey. A common DIY approach is to surround them with sharp material like grit or eggshells, but Jones has found that this 鈥� hardly surprising, as slugs and snails can release thick mucus to protect their undersides. They can even crawl over razor blades.

Copper products like copper adhesive tapes can also deter them, although the reason why is unclear. There is mixed evidence for copper, perhaps because it is sometimes laminated, but I have found that putting copper tape around my patio containers works well. It is very satisfying to watch slugs advancing up the pots, intent on my sweet peas, only to be thwarted by the tape. But make sure not to let the protected plants be reached via other overhanging leaves.

As well as using physical and chemical weapons, you can go biological by buying microscopic worms called nematodes. Applied as a fine powder added to water, these worms seek out slugs and kill them. These work well in trials, but home gardeners report mixed results, perhaps because they aren鈥檛 following the instructions exactly, says Jones. A common mistake is to let the powder clump at the bottom of a watering can when sprinkling onto the soil. Ideally, nematodes should be applied every six weeks from spring onwards. So in the northern hemisphere, it is time to order your worms by post.

I now have a dual strategy. For my precious vegetable seedlings at the allotment, I go all-out with copper tape, cloches 鈥� home-made from juice bottles 鈥� and the odd slug pellet. But in the garden, I have given up on , like dahlias and hostas and stick to those that are relatively resistant, but even these may get somewhat munched.

Jones thinks the secret may be to reach a truce. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e never going to get to zero damage,鈥� she says. 鈥淭he question is how much can you turn a blind eye to?鈥�