Gardening hack sees pests 'flee' from gardens when you use 55p homemade repellent
Gardening hack sees pests 'flee' from gardens when you use 55p homemade repellent
A novice gardener has taken to TikTok to share her father-in-law's cheap and eco-friendly way to repel pests from your garden using just one ingredient
Slugs can wreck havoc in gardens
(Image: (Image: Getty) )
Gardeners nurturing plants will be all too familiar with the nuisance pests can cause. Slugs, snails, and certain flies relish nothing more than feasting on your freshly grown plants, damaging the tender leaves and forcing your flowers to work doubly hard to grow.
They primarily emerge in damp weather and are typically more active at night, making it nearly impossible to catch them red-handed and remove them from your garden before they munch on your greenery. But one gardener has shared their homemade repellent which for as little as 55p, could keep slugs and other pests out of your garden.
Novice TikTok gardener, Ellie, identifies herself as a "first-time gardener", and mentioned she was struggling with flies and other insects that have been gnawing at her flowers and the vegetable plants she's attempting to grow.
But her father-in-law suggested she use garlic to tackle the issue - and so far, she's been witnessing remarkable results. Love dreamy Welsh homes? Sign up to our newsletter here .
She said: "As suggested by my father-in-law, a cheap and eco-friendly way to repel these [pests] is actually to use garlic. Here you can see I've chopped up the garlic. You want to chop it into a very fine paste and put it into a spray bottle.
"Fill [the bottle] up with water and just spray it directly onto your plants. This will work for a number of pests such as flies and slugs, and you can use it on most plants as it's very natural. It's only garlic, but I have heard of people using lemon with it, too."
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Gardener's World suggests that garlic is an effective method to keep slugs and snails at bay in your garden.
However, they emphasised the importance of regular application if it's to stand as an effective natural substitute for harsh chemical pest deterrents.
Their advice reads: "Take two full bulbs of garlic and add them to a saucepan containing two litres of water. Boil gently until soft and then use a fork to squash the bulbs down, releasing as much of the garlic and juice as possible.
"Pour the solution through a sieve to remove the skins. Then dilute this solution by adding 2 tablespoons to five litres of water. Spray or water your plants once a week or after rain."
How to keep pests from your garden
There are additional measures beyond garlic concoctions to repel unwelcome visitors from your garden. For example, blending one tablespoon of washing-up liquid with water is known to fend off aphids and whiteflies, whereas one tablespoon of chilli powder mixed with water will deter insects that like to chew through plants.
Establishing natural barriers around plants is another strategy for keeping harmful bugs away.
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Using floating row covers can be effective in preventing cabbage worms and beetles from touching crops, while an organic mulch layer, such as straw or woodchips, not only fights off pests but also contributes to maintaining soil health.
Certain plants can even help keep pests at bay. Marigolds are known to deter whiteflies and aphids, basil wards off flies, mosquitoes, and some beetles, while nasturtiums can keep cabbage moths and aphids away.
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