Garlic Spray Recipe

One of the most frequent questions we are asked is how do I stop slugs and snails eating my hostas.

Different people will have different answers, however the method that we always recommend is to make your own garlic spray and to use this. It is very simple to make and is very effective if used correctly.

The secret is to start early in the year, we tell people to begin drenching their pots or beds where their hostas are planted on Valentines Day, and to apply regularly to the plants once they begin to grow. During the season you should try and spray your plants every 7-10 days or after heavy rainfall. Remember that the more consistent you are the better effect it will have. One other thing to also try and do is to go out into your garden an hour or so after dark and find the culprits.

Here is our recipe.

Take 2 whole bulbs of garlic, crush and place in a saucepan. Add 2 pints of water and boil for around 10-15 minutes. Please be aware that this does produce quite a pungent smell so if possible you may want to do this outside on either a camping stove or similar.

Once this has cooled, strain the liquid off and place into a plastic bottle. This will give you your concentrated mixture. To dilute, the ratio is 1-2 tablespoon of concentrate to 8 pints of water, place this into a normal garden sprayer and cover the foliage of the plants with the mixture.

Store in a cool spot outside.