4 Things that Attract Slugs & Snails to Your Yard

Are you frustrated by the number of slugs and snails that munch away at the plants in your yard? The best way to deal with the infestation is to get rid of what was attracting the slug and snails in the first place. Here are four things to look out for.

What Attracts Slugs & Snails

1. Wet Soil
Slugs love wet soil as they are highly vulnerable to dehydration. Wet soil provides a favorable condition for slugs and snails to retain body moisture.

Check how often you are watering your yard and lower the watering frequency if you find that the soil is too damp throughout the day. This can easily happen if your yard consists of a type of soil that doesn’t drain well such as clay soil.

2. Wooden Logs & Stones
In addition to wet soil, wooden logs and large stones may also attract slugs and snails as they make ideal shelters. Look around your yard and get rid of any debris where snails and slugs have congregated in the past.

You should also rake up the dead leaves in your garden if you are dealing with a major slug infestation. In general, dead leaves are good for the soil but they are too good of a good hiding space for the garden pests.

3. Tall Grass & Shrubs
Tall grass also provides plenty of hiding space for slugs and snails. Keep the lawn grass short by mowing it on a regular basis. You should also clear out any unwanted vegetation that may have made its way into your yard like wild shrubs and bushes. This is a good prevention step for getting rid of slugs in the yard.

4. Nutrient-Dense Plants
Snails and slugs favor plants with fleshy foliage and stem. That’s why it’s common to see them hanging around plants like lettuce, marigold, and cauliflower. This doesn’t mean you should stop growing such plants in your yard.

One thing you could try to keep the slugs and snails away from your precious plants is to follow a method called companion planting. In the context of snails and slugs, you would be placing plants the pests don’t like next to your cabbages, marigolds etc. Highly-scented plants like lavender and rosemary may help deter slugs and snails.

Having a few slugs and snails in your yard isn’t necessarily a bad thing as they could help attract a variety of interesting wildlife like birds and frogs. An infestation, however, is a whole different story and should be dealt with as soon as it’s identified.