Gardening expert shares garlic hack for deterring slugs that ‘gardeners swear by’

Gardeners’ World share ‘quick tip’ for deterring slugs


Slugs are a common pest in British gardens and can devastate crops and plants. They usually leave large holes in tender leaves and flowers or leave a silvery slime on nearby ground. Some seedlings can be left with just stems after a particularly bad attack.

Using natural methods is often better for the surrounding environment and for your bank account.

Seasoned gardeners often have their go-to hacks like beer traps or strong scents.

So, how effective are garlic drenches at deterring slugs?

Allicin is a defence compound found in garlic which repels and kills slugs and snails.

Horticulture expert Jamie Butterworth explained in a video for Gardeners’ how to make a garlic drench recipe.

He said: “Many gardeners swear by garlic drenchers to deter slugs.

“As so often with organic methods, success is down to regular application.

“If you leave too much of a gap between treatments, slugs will reappear.

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“You can make a drench yourself by crushing two whole garlic bulbs and boiling them in a couple of pints of water, then strain and cool.

“Dilute one tablespoon in four litres of water then put over your young plants once a week in the evening.”

Some methods for making a garlic slug deterrent are more complex.

One method you can use is mincing four cloves of garlic to a tablespoon of mineral oil.


You then allow the garlic and oil to sit for 24 hours.

After they have been allowed to sit, strain out the minced garlic and add the oil and one teaspoon of washing up liquid to a pint of water.

This mixture is concentrated and should be diluted before you apply it to your plants.

Fill a spray bottle with one pint of water and then add two tablespoons to the garlic mixture to the spray bottle.

Shake the mix together and then use on your soil.

If you’re uncertain if the mixture is going to damage your plants, you can test it on a small, inconspicuous hidden part of the plant and wait a day or two.

Yellowing leaves or other damage means you may need to further dilute the solution.

Gardeners’ World will air on June 25 at 8pm on BBC Two

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