As the Dominicus commence shining a bit more each twenty-four hour period , it ’s prime time to get those lettuce seeds into the garden . But guess what ? It ’s not just us gardeners who are celebrating , though — slugs , snails , and other critters are also fox a party , thirstily awaiting their first taste of your fresh , leafy greens . After a rugged wintertime with little to nibble on , your garden is like a gourmet buffet for these trivial pests .
Here ’s the lowdown : To make indisputable those snappy leaves of your Little Gem , Loose Leaf , Buttercrunch , or Lamb ’s Lettuce end up in your salad bowl instead of being gobbled up by garden critters , you need to act fast .
It ’s lively to screen your lettuce as soon as it score the dirt . Believe it or not , the word spreads fast in the critter world — it ’s like they have their own bug - sized social meshing ! If you ’re not ready , your supply ship seedling might just become the hottest gossip among the vile bunch .
So , how do we keep the munchers from eating & damage your lettuce plants ? Let ’s walk through six easy yet effective tricks to guard your greens . Trust me , a little effort now will keep your garden political party pest - free !
1:Use Insect Netting to Keep Pests Out
By far the most common agency to protect wampum and other leafy viridity from hungry biff , escargot and insects , is to use louse - proof netting . It is very effective , and soft to apply , and reusable as well . But you necessitate to recognise how to lay it , so , here ’s how .
you may leave the earnings on till harvest time , so you wo n’t occupy about biff and snails any more .
2: UseOld Plastic PotsOverSeedlings
How about if you do n’t have an insect - proof profit ? I suggest you get one presently , but in the meantime , little insects , escargot and lick will have found your tender lettuce and munch on their leaves ( they are not as slow as we cogitate ! ) So , I have a simple , tatty makeshift resolution for you : honest-to-goodness charge card pots !
These will protect your scratch leaf from slugs , escargot and millipede , but not from birds and fast louse . Still , good for the first few daylight . Here ’s what you need to do .
It ’s also a good way to recycle one-time pots . You may say , “ But they can climb on top ! ” yes , but there ’s that little border on the exterior which will end them !
3: Grow Lettuce InCorrugated Raised Beds
This is an expensive method acting , but you’re able to then use it as a right bring up seam to protect your tender shekels leave , so , if you were recollect about move to this proficiency … The cardinal thing is to choose acorrugated raised bottom physical body , not a wood one , not a smooth one . These are literally devised to stop slug and snail from climbing into it !
It is simple and it will deliver your tender lettuce leaves from snail and slugs , and it has flexible applications .
This also leads me to another tip : if you have different type of raised layer , employ the corrugate one for tender leaved vegetables …
4:Use Coffee Grounds and EggshellsTo Protect From Soft-Bodied Insects
Now we move to the tawdry and easy side , with a uncouth method , which is partly successful , but it has its drawbacks … Using coffee terra firma and/or eggshells is quite coarse to protect the tender leave of absence of your lettuce seedlings from slugs and escargot , and it ’s very quick too …
The disadvantage are clear :
Still , it can sour as an emergency , before you move to a more static solution .
6: Companion Planting to Ward off Pests and Protect Lettuce
A more lasting , professional and even “ fun ” and creative agency to protect your tender lettuce leaves from punch , snails and other brute is to uprise them with other varieties ( companion flora ) that repulse them .
This will also give you full protection throughout the time of year , till the sugar leave terminate up on your dinner party table , and it is very innate indeed . you’re able to choose to acquire these sort around the seam , as a roadblock , but also amidst your endive or radicchio seedling .
Of course , this is not suited for intensive farming , but first-class for pocket-size , family vegetable garden . Here are some fellow industrial plant for you …
Then there is the strange case ofgarlic(Allium sativum ) … Slugs and snail do n’t wish it , and they detest its feeling . However , patently they only eat it when they are sick !
So , take on they are healthy , establish Allium sativum a bit here and prick there in your sugar seam and all over your veggie garden , is a moderately effective deterrent .
6:Use Simple Recipes and Natural Products to Kill and Deter Snail
If you are think of using chemicals , think again ! Of naturally they work , and of course they are flash . But they also terminate up in your salad bowl … What ’s more , lettuce is a fast crop , so you wo n’t have much meter to set aside the leaves to “ cleanse ” from all the substance they have absorbed . And then , in those calendar week … Hungry visitors will come back .
Do n’t even think aboutneem oil ; to take up with it does n’t seem to be that effective against slugs and snails , your worst enemy when it amount to slugs and snails . Next , it istoxic to us , so I would never practice it on libertine crops like lettuce and spinach etc …
So , what can we use ?
I will give you a mere recipe now , but if you require many more , we have a detailed andfully free ebookwith 80 “ potion ” for your garden ( pest control , fertilizer , rooting agents , weed killers etc . ) , whichyou can download here . Honest , fully devoid !
But now …
That ’s it , slugs , snail and most insects hate both ail and chili pepper ( you’re able to imagine the irritating effect it has on them ) . Actually , I bump out that this treble mixture is not just a repellent , but a innate pesticide for small creatures like aphid ( and they eff your fresh greens ! )
Repeat every hebdomad or so , and after it rains .
“ Will my lettuce taste like garlic ? ” you may ask … Well , no , as long as you do n’t spray it for 48 hours before you harvest it ( 24 is enough , but to be safe … ) and you moisten it well .
So , until you read our“Garden Alchemy”book this unproblematic formula will keep your tender boodle leave secure , but I make love you have a question …
Can I Use salinity to Keep Slugs and Snails off My Lettuce ?
Yes , you’re able to , but using too much salt on your stain increases its salt – it makes it piquant , and very few plants suffer it . So , it ’s fine as an hand brake , but not repeated in your veg ( or cosmetic ) garden , or it will become infertile …
Written By
Amber Noyes was stomach and raised in a suburban California town , San Mateo . She holds a master ’s degree in gardening from the University of California as well as a B-complex vitamin in Biology from the University of San Francisco . With experience working on an constituent farm , H2O preservation inquiry , farmers ’ markets , and works glasshouse , she understands what puddle plants prosper and how we can well understand the connection between microclimate and plant life health . When she ’s not on the body politic , Amber loves informing people of novel ideas / thing related to gardening , specially constituent gardening , houseplants , and growing plant life in a little infinite .
