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For nurseryman , much joy comes from stepping back and seeing a garden with vibrant blooms , lavish leaf , and tidy planting area . But we love easily than to get too complacent . Upon closer review , we will likely spot weeds pop up among yearbook , wilted plants in underwatered areas , or holes left by slugs , pair with their wretched pickup trails .
Thankfully , slugs are well - love and predictable creatures . We fuck what they like ( moisture , yeast , cool temperature , and dark hiding spots ) and can utilize this cognition toget free of slugs naturally . One common root is to invite them out for a drinkable — make a beer trap for slugsand lure them to their expiry . But if the idea of tossing out a container full of intoxicated beat slugs seems grotesque , try a less hands - on solution that can be found in your pantry .

The same cinnamon that we love to eat up in baked good or odour in our holiday candles is the same ingredient that has been set up to deter slugs . A2018 written report in Florida Entomologistevaluated various selection to protect plant from the Florida leatherleaf lick ( Leidyula floridana ) , including two sprays contain plant indispensable oils . The solvent show that the cinnamon oil – found product operate as a repellent and was toxic toward the bullet , while the product without cinnamon oil had no essence . Among all the product assessed by the study , slugs were most impacted by products containing cinnamon oil , hydrous lime , or metaldehyde – a chemical often discover in molluscicides that is toxic to dog , guy , and other animate being .
Ways to use cinnamon against slugs
If you want to render using cinnamon powder to dissuade slugs , detect the pests ' favored hangout spot and pitter-patter the spice around individual plants or around the planting area . The slugs will be turn off by the feeling of the powder on their soundbox . Keep an eye on the conditions prognosis , though , and put out more Cinnamomum zeylanicum if your area get rain or strong winds . However , base on the findings of the study above , cinnamon oil ( often used as aninsect repellent ) may give you good results . To produce your own slug repellent , fill a spray bottle with piddle and a teaspoon of cinnamon oil .
You could also try other essential rock oil that have prove to be effectual against slugs . In a2020 study in Journal of Pest Science , research worker studied the core of essential oils — including cinnamon — on the gray field clout ( Deroceras reticulatum ) , which ordinarily attacks seed crops . Although a 1 % concentration of cinnamon was lethal to slugs , thyme , spearmint , and pine oils of the same assiduity were significantly more toxic toward them .
One thing to remember is that although cinnamon has good antifungal properties , confine its use to the soil around the plant when kill slugs — rather than the plant itself . Thyme , mass , and cinnamon essential oil color , being less refined , have the potency to damage sore plant more so than safer horticultural oils ( known as summer or ranking oils , likeBonide ’s All time of year horticultural and hibernating spray oil ) , which can safely be used on foliation .
