A gardening enthusiast has shared a ‘genius’ hack on how to keep slugs and snails away from potted plants using a common household item – and fellow green-fingered fans agree
A gardening-savvy grandad has shared his holy grail solution for keeping slugs at bay, turning to a common household spray that’s typically not found in the garden shed.
In an online group full of green-fingered enthusiasts, members have been buzzing about the unconventional use of WD-40 to deter crawly critters from their beloved plants. On the Gardening UK Facebook page, Sandra Cook revealed her personal victory against slug invasions. She advised: “Hi all if you spray outside of pots with WD-40, it saves your plants from slug and snail attack. It acts as the perfect barrier.”
Raving about the tip, Karen Mathers highlighted its multi-purpose benefits: “I spray it onto a soft cloth and wipe around all of my pots, makes them all look clean and new, deters slugs and it’s a water displacement so helps stop watermarks. My dad always did this in his garden.”
Kevin Slater was just as enthusiastic with his input: “Slugs slide right off the plant pots when I use WD-40, amazing.” Meanwhile, Jill Peters added: “I put WD-40 on mine and it didn’t wash off. I reapplied after about 18 months as it had reduced.”, reports the Express.
Demonstrating the love for this hack, Sally Jones posted a photo of the miracle spray, commenting: “It’s genius. They never get to my potted plants now with this stuff.” Even the pros at Nutley’s Kitchen Gardens are on board with this slick idea, stating: “Spraying WD40 on the outside of pots or planters will make them too slippery for slugs to climb.”
“This can be effective for pots and planters that sit on a path or patio, but should be kept away from soil or other plants.” All gardeners need to do is have a can of WD-40 ready by the door after it rains. Slugs typically come outside after rain because they are most active during damp or humid conditions.
So once it becomes wet out, go outside with WD-40 and spray the outside of the pots to make them too slick for the pests to climb. The best place to spray is right in the middle of the pot. Gardeners want the ring of WD-40 to be at least three to four inches wide so slugs can’t cross. This creates an effective barrier and keeps them from climbing forward.
Avoid greasing the lip of the pot because it might eventually dirty you when you brush your leg against it when gardening or walking past. However, there are two negatives to this hack. WD-40 can damage plants if accidentally sprayed on them. What’s more, it won’t work as effectively on soil because slugs and snails aren’t fighting against gravity when trying to cross the dirt.
They are when climbing a planter, though, making the lubricant extra-effective at making them lose their grip.
