They have long destroyed vegetable gardens.
However, experts now recommend that gardeners welcome slugs and snails instead of trying to eradicate them.
According to Royal Horticultural Society advisors, this would reduce the difficulty of caring for plants and restoring ecosystems. However, they acknowledge that the notion that slugs are no longer “pests” may be difficult for many RHS members to swallow.
The experts also recommended that individuals learn to coexist with dandelions and brown grass.
Yesterday, at a conference previewing next year’s Chelsea Flower Show, Clare Matterson, director-general of the RHS, described the measures as ways the 600,000-member gardeners’ organization was striving to create ‘thriving ecosystems’ in gardens.
She stated that allowing bugs will help restore nature in the United Kingdom, one of the “most nature-depleted” nations. Dr. Hayley Jones, an expert on slugs and snails and the senior entomologist of the Royal Horticultural Society, stated that the organization was investigating environmentally acceptable methods for slug and snail control.
Metaldehyde, a once-popular slug pellet, was recently prohibited in the United Kingdom due to findings that it was harmful to birds who had consumed the bugs. While this year’s long, dry summer may have reduced the number of slugs observed by gardeners, it is possible that the tenacious critters just retreated underground.
Instead of attempting to eradicate slugs, Dr. Jones recommended that gardeners “alter their thinking.”
Instead of employing chemicals, she suggested removing them manually. She continued, “The easiest approach to alleviate tension as a gardener is to acknowledge the presence of slugs and accept some plant damage.” We are moving away from the notion that all slugs and snails are harmful.
Meanwhile, Matthew Pottage, curator at RHS Wisley, emphasized the importance of water conservation, stating, “we must abandon the notion that my lawn has died” during warm weather. I believe that individuals are beginning to realize that their lawn has recently turned brown. It is a bit of a luxury to water them during a heat wave.
He also suggested that we appreciate the golden blossoms of dandelions and increase the pointing between the pavers to prevent weeds from growing there.
