How To Get Rid of Snails in Potted Plants: Easy Way Out

How to get rid of snails in potted plants is a usual and significant worry for gardeners, as they see these pests crawling all over. Snails can be quite a nuisance; when they infest your potted foliage, they can leave behind an ugly trail.

In this article, we cover several ways by which you can get rid of these tiny creatures. Read on to understand the easy steps in keeping your potted plant free of snails.

How Can Snails in Pots Be Removed?

Snails in ports can be removed by using beer traps, diatomaceous earth, petroleum jelly, eggshells, coffee grounds, or placing some copper or ashes. You may sprinkle some salt, spray them with vinegar, get rid of their trails, or place copper rings. Moreover, rub petroleum jelly, place predators, or repellant plants. 

– Beer Trap

Snails are drawn to the smell of yeast in beer; hence, we can use them as bait to remove them from your garden.

This means that to install this trap well, you should bury a mug or small container in the soil with the opening facing up and away from the ground; fill it with beer and wait for them.

After clearing a path to the trap, you should leave it alone for the night, because they will get out mostly when the weather is cooler, which is during the night time. As a result, if you check the beer container first thing in the morning, you will see that there are snails inside it.

– Eggshells

Snails have extremely pliable bodies, and they are slimy; on top of this, they steer clear of jagged obstacles and refuse to move while on such surfaces. You can take advantage of broken eggshells to eliminate snails in the potting soil. 

What you should do is simply crush the shells and sprinkle them around the pots, and they will avoid coming into contact with the shells, ensuring that your plants remain unharmed. They will no longer come along this area, and your pot will be away from their slime. Also, many plants like eggshells, and they are very beneficial to their growth.

– Coffee Grounds

Snails unlike us do not enjoy the aroma of coffee, which means that it is a subject that would deter their attraction. Along the same lines as beer, coffee can also eliminate snails from your home.

When it comes to your plants, you can use it and sprinkle it around the plants susceptible to damage or spray coffee liquid on the leaves, stems, or soil. Adding coffee grounds also helps with gnats problems!

– Ashes

Collect ashes from the fireplace or burn a piece of tree bark; just as you scatter these particles, they will have a drying effect on snails and act as a desiccant. To be specific, what you should do is arrange these ashes in a ring around the pots, or draw a line on the ground to create a border and a barrier out of ashes.

If you dehydrate them, they will stop coming around, and the soil and the plants you grow will be in better health. On another note, sawdust is yet another option to consider in place of ashes when it comes to the management of snail populations.

– Diatomaceous Earth

In this case, the fossilized remains of microscopic marine organisms are ground into a powder. This powder can be an all-natural method to eliminate snails from your home, together with additional pests, too.

However, note that you should not leave it in a moist condition, as this will make the powder lose effectiveness. The powder comprises tiny particles, each with a pointed edge that effectively kills snails.

– Place Some Salt

You can discourage them from approaching your pot by sprinkling salt around the outside container. As a result of the latter, you should place the salt around the edge of the container so that pests have to go around it to reach your plants.

One of the least complicated approaches to getting rid of snails is to use salt, as you would technically be killing snails with salt.

– Spray Vinegar Solution

Because of its high acidity, vinegar is lethal to snails, and they would get hurt when acid touches them. Simply, you can kill snails in your vegetable garden or pots by making a vinegar spray and spraying it on them, and when these pests approach at night, it will be harsh on them.

However, you should be aware that this will kill them, but the vinegar evaporates and loses its acidity fast; it must be reapplied consistently.

– Get Rid of Their Trails

Getting rid of the trail left behind by snails is essential as it can encourage these pests to return to the same plant to feed. Snails can leave behind a slimy trail, and you can get rid of the snail slime by mixing equal parts vinegar and water in a spray bottle and applying it to the affected area.

Alternatively, you could use any standard household cleaner or solvents based on alcohol.

– Create Sand Moat

To protect the potted plants from being eaten by these pests, you can construct a moat around the potted plant using regular sand. It takes a bit of effort for the best to scale up the moat to reach the plant.

If you want to conceal the sand, you can do the same under a raised planter or plant stand that you use to plant your flowers, and you will see that they no longer would aim to bite off your plants. 

– Place Copper Rings

Copper can be fatal for snails due to their sensitivity to the element. As a result, you can use simple copper rings to prevent snails from entering your plant containers as they are naturally repelled by it because they recognize it as harmful.

You can construct a barrier out of copper so that any snails that crawl across it must come into contact with the metal.

You can also opt for copper tape that is simple to apply, and it is also highly available and not costly either. You just need to wrap it around the planter in a circle a few times so that any snails that try to get to the plant will have to crawl over the tape. This will prevent snails from entering your potted plants naturally and effectively.

– Utilize Wire Sponges

These brush-like metal sponges resemble miniature wire fences and serve the same purpose for snails as eggshells. You could arrange some of them in a circle around the bottom of the stem, requiring them to touch the wire, crawl along it, or make some physical contact with it.

It doesn’t take much time, and the result would be great too, because they will not be able to crawl on top of this wire, and your pots will be great. 

– Apply Sandpaper All Around the Plant

Sandpaper is yet another best material to get rid of different insects, whether they are looking for shelter or for food. All you need to do is place your planter directly on the sandpaper, ensuring it covers all sides.

The paper is the only way a snail can get close to the plant; it can only do so by crawling over it. In this case, the pest will seldom like the rough texture; thus, they will stay away from it.

– Rub Petroleum Jelly

Put a very thin layer of petroleum jelly around the rim of the container you’re using. Because of this, the snails won’t be able to hold on, and they will fall off; the trick here is that their slime is not compatible with this jelly’s texture.

This is a simple and quick method for preventing them from infesting your planters, as it forms a barrier for them.

– Set up Natural Barriers

It is possible to construct barriers against snails using various objects. Consider stones, rocks, pebbles, and other items that can be positioned to prevent snails from passing through.

They would rather avoid the time and effort required to crawl over the various obstacles that are in their way. This can also help make your yard look nicer while at the same time preventing insects of different kinds from entering the premises.

– Bring in Predators

Your container plants could use some assistance from natural predators that feast on the snails. Frogs, lizards, and birds could be enticed to your garden by ensuring they have plenty of places to hide and access to water.

After that, these predators will consume the snails, thereby contributing to the reduction of the population, because they would be eaten by their predators.

– Place Some Repellent Plants

Garlic, chives, onions, parsley, cilantro, and rosemary are among the most popular scented ones because of their potent aromas. Other popular ones include parsley, cilantro, and parsley. 

These can be planted by those who have vegetable or herb gardens, and they should blend in well with the rest of the foliage in your garden. If you plant them near your vulnerable plants, they may act as a barrier and prevent most insects from eating, harming, or even living under your plants.

Final note:

You can eliminate these pests by using homemade snail killers such as soapy water, copper, beer, natural barriers, and salt.