Pests can be a common occurrence in the garden, posing a threat to your wonderfully cultivated plants and flowers. They can come in all shapes and sizes, but there are a few steps you can take to help prevent even the smallest of pests from ruining your garden.
In a recent TikTok, gardening expert Ish shared how a kitchen scrap can be one of the best defences against snails and slugs. Next time you’re cooking eggs at home, don’t throw them away. Ish wrote in the video’s caption: “Don’t throw away those egg shells because they’re packed full of beneficial nutrients for your garden.”
Egg shells can have many uses in the garden, and if you’re worried that your plants and flowers will fall victim to snails and slugs, they can help protect them. Ish said: “Because quite frankly, the crisp and sharp edges of shells are not appealing to slugs whatsoever. They will not go over it, they don’t like it.”
You can crush the shells up into smaller pieces and apply them directly to the top of the soil, whether your plants are planted directly in the ground or in pots.
The shells will act as an abrasive barrier, making it difficult and unappealing for the pests to move over them, and encourage them to look for food elsewhere.
You have to ensure the egg shells are dry to make sure they have full effect. Homes and Gardens explained: “Watering and rain will both interfere with this hack from working – so it is one to try on dry days or try another method instead.”
Egg shells can also double up as a natural fertiliser for your soil. The shells can either be added to compost, or blitzed into a powder.
When ready to use, sprinkling the egg shell crumbs over the plants and onto the soil liberally, too. One of the reasons egg shells make a good fertiliser is due to the high levels of calcium in the form of calcium carbonate, as well as other nutrients. Calcium carbonate is better known as lime.
According to GardenersWorld, eggs contain other beneficial nutrients and minerals, such as small amounts of phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, zinc, iron, and manganese.
These nutrients can help reduce acidity in the soil, help rapid growers which can suffer from calcium-deficient soil, as well as a deterrent for pests like slugs and snails, according to The Spruce.
The experts explained: “As a plant food, egg shells are therefore perfect for lime-loving plants such as brassicas, but are best avoided as a food for acid-loving plants, such as rhododendrons.”
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