Slug Barrier

Snail Barrier: natural, long-lasting protection against snails

Slugs can prove to be a real nuisance in the summer. Without suitable countermeasures, such as slug barriers, these pests are capable of devouring entire flower beds, destroying flowers or even freshly planted vegetables in no time.

By installing a slug barrier, however, this problem can be effectively avoided and beds can be reliably protected against a slug infestation. At the same time, such protection against snails has the advantage that it does not require the use of dangerous chemicals and therefore poses no risk to animals or humans.

The advantages of a snail fence at a glance

The installation of a slug fence to keep slugs out has many benefits that you can enjoy as a home gardener. Therefore, if you want to effectively control slugs in your garden, installing a slug barrier is the right thing to do.

The most important benefits of a slug fence include the following:

●    Once erected, a slug fence provides permanent and effective protection against excessive slug infestation.

●    Unlike slug pellets, a slug fence is safe for other animals or humans.

●    The fence makes the food supply of the pests scarcer, so they cannot reproduce as quickly.

●    With a slug control, far fewer slugs need to be removed by hand from the beds.

●    A high-quality metal snail fence also serves as a practical bed border.

Snails in your own garden

A completely snail-free garden does not exist in practice. In principle, this is not a bad thing. After all, snails are an important part of nature that serve as a food source for birds, hedgehogs and various insects, among others, so garden owners simply have to live with them to some extent.

However, if slugs get out of hand in your own garden, they can prove to be a real nuisance in the absence of suitable protective measures such as slug barriers. Slugs in particular often appear in large numbers in dark, damp conditions and prefer to eat soft, fresh plants such as lettuce. It is not uncommon for these slimy pests to destroy many home gardeners' entire crops overnight.

Particularly annoying: the Spanish slug

One species of slug that is proving particularly troublesome in our gardens is the Spanish track slug, which is native to southern Europe. Present in Germany since the 1960s, it is now responsible for the vast majority of crop damage caused by slugs and snails.

Slugs and snails are a major nuisance in our gardens.

Due to its comparatively high slime production, it is not edible to many potential predators and is therefore avoided by them, which further facilitates its spread. Apart from that, the Spanish slug displaces native slug species, so it makes perfect sense to do something about this pest.

Anyone who wants to protect their lovingly designed crops or flowerbeds therefore cannot avoid dealing with the subject of slug defence, relying for example on a slug barrier or other methods.

Slug defence is an important subject.

How does a slug fence work?

Slugs are known to move very slowly. They do this by producing a layer of slime on which they can crawl along the ground. Despite their slow speed, slugs are excellent climbers, sometimes reaching several metres in height, allowing them to infest a wide variety of plants with apparent ease.

A slug barrier is a mechanical barrier used to repel slugs. Due to its special design with outwardly curved top edges, slugs cannot overcome the slug barrier despite its manageable height, as it does not provide them with enough grip.

Why our slug fence is a good choice

Many home gardeners want to use the fastest and easiest methods possible when it comes to slug control. In addition to slug traps, which attract the pests with a suitable bait, slug pellets are therefore also very popular.

However, both methods can only be recommended to a limited extent and are therefore not a real alternative to installing a slug fence. Beer traps often installed in gardens attract slugs quite reliably. However, the pests often drown in agony in them. This circumstance should be taken into account in any case before setting up.

Slug pellets, on the other hand, are poisonous bait. The pest control agent is dispersed in the garden, where the slugs find it and eat it. Consumption of the slug pellets also proves fatal to the pests. However, there is a crucial problem with the use of slug pellets.

Because depending on the active ingredients contained, chemical slug control agents can also pose a serious danger to wild animals as well as dogs and cats or even small children, among others. The application of slug pellets must therefore be well thought out. A slug barrier proves to be a much safer alternative.

Slugs multiply very quickly

Aside from ethical and safety issues, it is also important to remember that not all slugs are visible in the garden and that these pests can multiply very quickly. For example, slugs such as the Spanish lane slug can sometimes lay up to 400 eggs at a time, which then develop into more slugs.

Whether such a large number of pests can actually be effectively eliminated with traps or toxic preparations is questionable to say the least. Protecting one's own beds with a sturdy slug sheet seems much more sensible.

After all, a slug trap must be a good idea.

After all, a slug barrier only needs to be erected once to provide lasting protection against slugs. This way, home gardeners can save themselves a lot of work when it comes to slug defense and use their time for other things.

A slug barrier as a bed edging

Bed edgings are available in many different varieties and are a great tool to use when designing your own garden. In particular, they are used to visually separate beds from the rest of the garden and also help to prevent the growth of plant roots.

Anyone who wants to use the design element at the same time to keep snails away from their beds, is exactly right with a snail fence. Because a snail fence is also basically a bed border.

The main difference is that it is made of a material.

The main difference is that the snail fence has a special design that prevents snails from crawling over the border and reaching the plants behind.

A snail fence is basically a bed border.

With a snail fence, you achieve two goals in garden design. On the one hand, you are providing a visual border and on the other hand, you are protecting the fruits, vegetables and flowers from an infestation of these troublesome pests.

Snail fences of different designs

Someone who decides to buy a fence to protect against snails, will quickly discover during their search that they are available in quite different designs. Snail fences differ in exactly how they work, as well as the material they are made of.

Metal snail fences

A metal snail fence is particularly strong and durable. This is because the weatherproof material is largely unaffected by climatic influences and can normally withstand even if you accidentally step on the protective bed border once. Of course, this quality comes at a price and a metal snail fence is correspondingly expensive compared to other snail defense solutions.

Nevertheless, a metal snail guard represents an excellent choice. Who wants to protect his beds durably from an infestation of the annoying pests, is therefore right with this variant of snail fence despite somewhat higher acquisition costs.

Plastic snail fences

In addition to metal snail fences, plastic models are also available. These are solid plastic modules that are connected to each other and also border the bed. Compared to the metal version, plastic snail protection solutions offer a wider choice in terms of design.

A plastic snail fence is also quite suitable as a sturdy and durable bed border. The material is also largely weather resistant. However, sunlight as well as cold and heat can cause long-term damage. In addition, plastic is of course less stable, so it does not withstand stumbles in garden maintenance as well as a metal snail fence.

PVC snail fences

In addition to sturdy plastic, snail fences also come in the form of thin PVC rolls. This snail protection is particularly inexpensive. In addition, neither cold nor heat can damage the PVC.

PVC slug fences are not very sturdy, however, and handling them can sometimes prove difficult. However, if you are looking for the cheapest possible solution to protect your plants, you can always take a closer look at this version of a slug fence.

 

Silk fences

A snail fence with bristles is another variant you can choose for your garden. Such a fence consists of many small brushes, through which the snails should not penetrate the beds as easily.

This variant is characterized by both low price and discreet appearance. However, slug barriers with hair do not offer one hundred percent protection against these pests. Apart from that, they cannot be firmly anchored in the ground, so the stability of such a construction sometimes leaves something to be desired.

 

Snail fences

This design involves snail fences that are made of wire mesh. They are also fairly inexpensive, do not immediately attract attention due to their unobtrusive design, and are still designed to keep slugs out of flower beds.

In experience, however, this does not always work reliably. Those who value the most effective snail protection possible should therefore opt instead for snail fences made of solid plastic or metal elements.

Rings for individual plant protection

If you don't want to protect the entire flower bed, but only individual plants from snails, a so-called snail ring is the right choice for this purpose. In simple terms, a slug ring is a bottomless bucket with the top edge bent outward.

The rings, which come in plastic and metal, are simply slid over the plant you want to protect and pushed into the soil. If you're looking for a quick way to repel slugs and don't need to protect a large number of plants, miniature slug rings can be an inexpensive and easy-to-use solution.

Electric Slug Fences

In addition to regular metal snail fences, there are special electric models. With these, the snails receive a mild electric shock. In this way, the pests should not only be prevented from crawling into the beds, but in addition, they should be frightened away immediately.

An electric slug fence is usually a little more expensive compared to the conventional models. Also, such a slug fence requires a little more maintenance, which you should definitely consider before buying it.

What makes a good slug fence?

With the wide selection of different models, it is not always easy to find a snail fence that meets your expectations and at the same time can convince in terms of quality.

Snail fencing is a quality product.

As a rule, it is advisable to opt for snail sheets made of high-quality, weather-resistant metal. Especially with particularly cheap snail fences, this is unfortunately not always the case and it is only a matter of time before the carefully installed snail protection starts to corrode or suffer other damage.

This means that a supposedly good deal often turns out to be a bad investment on closer inspection, ultimately costing you not only more money, but also causing double the work due to the need to replace the snail fence.

By opting for the strongest possible slug fence from the start, made from high quality materials, you can ensure that your slug protection will do its job reliably for many years to come, and that your plants will be optimally protected from infestation by these pests in the long term.

Assembling a slug fence

Installing a slug fence is usually not too complicated. Depending on the model, the exact procedure can sometimes vary a bit. Regardless, the main thing is to make sure that your snail fence is securely set in the ground.

When installing a metal snail fence, then, you need to make sure that it is set deep enough in the ground. To do this, use a spade to dig a groove around the bed about 10 centimetres deep, into which you can then insert the snail leaves.

Fill in with soil as required and press the soil firmly onto the auger guide. When doing this, make sure that your structure is straight and has no gaps. In addition, it is important that the slug fence does not come into direct contact with plants, and that it does not have any overhanging leaves or shoots that slugs can use as climbing aids.

How far above the ground should a slug fence extend?

In order for your slug fence to really be an insurmountable obstacle to slugs, it needs to be of sufficient height. So make sure that the snail plate protrudes a good 15 centimetres above the ground. Otherwise, the slug fence may well be overcome by the troublesome pests and thus only partially fulfill its function of protection against slugs.

When should a slug fence be installed?

In principle, it is up to you to decide when exactly you want to put up your slug fence. However, for best results, it is advisable to install your slug fence either in the autumn or in the spring, before you start planting your flower beds.

Why should you spade your flower beds for optimum slug protection?

Slugs lay their eggs in the soil. Some species of snails do the same, bringing the total up to 400 individual snail eggs per deposit. By digging up the soil in late fall and early spring, you expose existing snail eggs. These will be eliminated by predators, frost and sunlight, so you keep the potential pest numbers low from the start.

Alternatives to slug fencing

Of course, a slug fence isn't the only option you have for controlling slugs. There are also several other methods you can use.

We tend to advise against applying slug control for this purpose, however. Depending on the active substance, slugs poisoned with slug pellets can quickly become a lethal danger to predators such as hedgehogs and birds. This also applies to children, who can also contract lethal poisoning with slug pellets.

Wherever possible, therefore, prefer to rely on natural solutions to overcome the slug infestation in your garden. For example, the following methods can also be perfectly combined with a slug barrier to provide particularly effective protection against slugs.

The following options are available to you as an alternative, or supplement to your slug fence:

●     Setting up snail traps.

●    Picking up snails with snail tongs.

●    Natural garden predators.

Add slug traps to slug fences

Slug traps have a bait with a scent that attracts slugs. The bait can be beer or even lettuce leaves, for example. Depending on the type of snail trap, the pests either drown in it or cannot get out and then have to be removed by hand.

The latter is certainly the more humane option. However, you should bear in mind that slugs can travel surprisingly long distances, so releasing them in close proximity will not necessarily keep them away permanently.

As a complement to a slug fence, slug traps can help to further reduce the number of pests in your garden and better manage a potential slug infestation. To this end, it's best to place several slug traps in different corners of your garden.

Collecting Snails with a Snail Grabber

Snail grabbers are a handy tool you can use to hand-pick any remaining snails from your flower beds. Its special shape makes it very easy to catch snails and even snail eggs without having to touch the slimy body of these pests.

Depending on the size of your garden, slug tongs alone are probably not enough to provide reliable protection against slugs. However, as an environmentally friendly and inexpensive addition to a slug fence, they are a good choice either way.

Natural predators of slugs in your own garden

From nature's point of view, strictly speaking, there are no pests. Therefore, snails are also an indispensable part of the natural cycle. Snails and snail eggs serve as food for many animals.

By providing good living conditions in your garden for suitable predators, such as hedgehogs and birds, you can therefore help to reduce the number of slugs and snails in a completely natural way.

Slugs and snails are not a problem.

Are you aware, however, in this context that this form of defense against slugs in an artificial garden only works to a limited extent, because slugs find particularly rich food and multiply accordingly. Nevertheless, Mother Nature's slug removal capabilities should not be completely overlooked.

Slug protection for raised beds

True, raised beds tend to be less susceptible to slug infestation. Nevertheless, the clever climbers can also climb over the edge of a raised bed and then, in the worst case scenario, cause major damage to your plants.

To avoid this, it is important that you consider the subject of snail protection when planning your raised bed. For this, installing an inexpensive snail barrier in the form of a brush or a special snail edge is a good idea, for example.

Aside from this, it can help if the raised bed becomes wider and wider towards the top. This way it is even harder for pests to crawl up the side and reach your plants. Copper tape, on the other hand, is not an effective method of slug protection for raised beds or anywhere else in the garden, despite recommendations to the contrary.

What slug control is right for my bed?

Generally, it is impossible to make a blanket statement about which slug control is the right choice for you. Depending on the conditions on site and individual requirements, different solutions may very well be suitable.

To equip entire beds with long-lasting and durable protection against snails, we recommend that you opt for a sturdy metal slug barrier.

On the other hand, if you want to spend as little as possible, cheap plastic or PVC slug fences may be the right choice despite their generally limited lifespan. If you only want to protect individual plants, you're right again with slug rings.

Take a moment to browse our range and choose the right snail fence for you. This way, you will avoid making a wrong purchase that will only end up causing you frustration or maybe even unnecessary expense.

Buy snail fences online for cheap

If you are looking for a high quality snail fence to protect your flower beds, you have come to the right place. Because in our online shop, you will find suitable solutions that can convince with robust and durable materials.

Easily order your snail fence online and have it delivered to your home. You will not only benefit from low prices, but also from short delivery times.

But convince yourself of the quality of our products.

But the best thing is to see for yourself. We are sure that the quality of our snail fences will leave nothing to be desired and you will be completely satisfied with your choice.