A horticulturist has explained how slugs ate a lot of her plants except one and she realised the creatures don’t like these plants
Sonia Sharma Parenting Reporter
07:17, 13 Sep 2025
There are a number of ways to get rid of slugs(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
Slugs are very common in the autumn.
And they can cause a lot of damage to your garden. But there’s one particular plant they “don’t like”, according to experts.
And planting it can help banish them from your garden for good. Experts say householders should check beneath plant containers and decomposing leaves as slug breeding season is in full swing in September.
Whilst chemical pellets are one of the most widespread approaches for tackling slugs, they pose risks to domestic animals and wildlife that naturally regulate slug numbers, including birds and hedgehogs.
Speaking about slugs, Jane, a horticulturist and creator of Snap Dragon Life, revealed how she stumbled upon a method to organically repel the creatures through the simple act of cultivating one stunning bloom throughout her garden. She said: “I planted out my rows of carefully nurtured seedlings – cornflowers, marigolds, poppies, cosmos, nigella, snapdragons.
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“Within two days the slugs had eaten everything but the snapdragons. Slugs don’t like snapdragons.”
The plant that keeps slugs away
Whilst it might appear peculiar, snapdragons rank amongst the most efficient methods for excluding slugs from gardens as they naturally possess compounds that prove poisonous to slugs whilst remaining harmless to humans, reports the Express. Snapdragons additionally hold less water content compared to alternative plants and feature a resilient, leather-like consistency, causing slugs to perceive a garden as lacking suitable resources and increasing their likelihood of abandoning the vicinity.
It’s advisable to position snapdragons close to susceptible plants like lettuces, cabbages, or other foliage that slugs typically attack. You can also place them alongside garden pathways and boundaries.
Other methods to help deter slugs from your garden
Beer trap method
Should slugs pose a significant problem for you, a good approach to stop them from nibbling on plants involves creating a lure that these pests will find irresistible but which will swiftly eliminate them. Jane explained: “Slugs love beer, any beer, even the terrible beer that people bring to parties, even failed home-brew.
“Save small jars or pots (single yoghurt pots work fine) and bury them up to their necks between where the slugs are likely to be living and your plants.” Top up the vessels with beer and slugs will find this more appealing than the vegetation. Slugs will also struggle to escape from the vessel and will perish, making it a straightforward yet remarkably successful slug deterrent trap.
Cereal trap method
You can alternatively use cereal, as when exposed to outdoor elements it will start to ferment mildly and slugs will be drawn to it. Jane said: “The only thing better than beer in the mind of a slug is cereal. They can’t resist it.
“Rather than using piles of bran which can get messy, I use cheap own-brand Weetabix-type cereal and again place it between the slugs and the crops.” You can lure the slugs into a large container using cereal, and once they’ve gathered, you can either pick them out or simply dispose of the entire container.
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Jane shared her own experience: “This is the way that I dealt with slugs in my first garden – logging the numbers in a weird serial killer-y garden notebook. I stopped counting when I got past 4,000.
“It is less messy if you combine it with the Weetabix technique. Simply leave the Weetabix for three days and then go out at night and collect up all the Weetabix that should by now be covered with feasting slugs.”
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