Fight slugs with nematodes, expert suggests

16:43 25th February 2011

A greenhouse and gardening expert in Reading has revealed how she enlisted some natural help in her fight against slugs.

In an article for the Wokingham Times, Linda Fort said she ordered a pack of nematodes to drench over her vegetables.

When added to soil in large numbers, these microscopic round worms can "alter the odds in the war against slugs," she explained.

"There are also nematodes willing to attack codling moth, chafer grubs and leather jackets, and another kind that makes ants feel so uncomfortable they move away," the expert added.

She went on to remark that these creatures are safe for children, pets, wildlife and bees - just not for slugs.

"I am beginning to feel a bit sorry for them already," she commented.

A liberal sprinkling of mulch can help revitalize the soil in any garden and provide vital moisture, Helen Yemm wrote recently in the Daily Telegraph.