It also known as slug barriers or slug rings, are simple yet effective devices used to protect plants from slug damage in your garden. They create a physical barrier that slugs have difficulty crossing, helping to keep your plants safe. You can make DIY slug collars using various materials. But in the article, we want to share this really simple method we use to make DIY slug collars.
Materials needed: A plastic bottle, scissors.
How to make:
- Step 1: Cut around your bottle so that you have 2 or 3 rings, each around 10-20cm).
- Step 2: Cut spikes onto one side of each plastic ring.
- Step 3: Fold each of the spikes down sideways so that they stick out horizontally.
- Step 4: Place your DIY slug collar over your seedling and make sure it’s pushed down into the ground.
9 .Another Way To Prevent Young Plants From Cutworm Damage
As soon as you’ve planted tomato, pepper, sunflower, or other young plants in the ground, use a 3-inch piece of cardboard from a toilet paper or paper towel roll to create a protective barrier. Simply cut the cardboard tube into sections and split them open lengthwise. Gently wrap one of these cardboard sections around each plant, ensuring that the bottom of the tube is pushed into the soil by about an inch. Cutworms tend to move just below the surface of the soil, so this method keeps them away from the plant’s stem.
In addition to using physical barriers like collars or barriers made of materials like copper tape. By implementing one or more of these methods, you can effectively prevent cutworm damage to young plants in your garden and promote healthy growth.
10 .Goodbye Weed
Getting rid of weeds in your garden or yard can be a persistent challenge, but with the right strategies and persistence, you can effectively control and minimize weed growth. Using newspapers to protect plants from weeds is an effective and environmentally friendly method while also helping to retain moisture in the soil.
Materials needed: Newspapers (black and white pages without colored ink), mulch (optional).
How to make:
- Step 1: Remove any existing weeds or grass around your plants
- Step 2: Collect old newspapers with black and white pages and without colored ink. Avoid using glossy or colored pages, as they may contain chemicals that can be harmful to plants.
- Step 3: Spread a layer of newspapers around the base of your plants. Overlap the newspaper sheets to ensure thorough coverage. The newspaper layer should be about 2-3 sheets thick. This thickness helps prevent weeds from growing through.
- Step 4: Lightly moisten the newspaper layer with water to help it conform to the ground and stay in place.
- Step 5: For added weed suppression and a more polished look, you can cover the newspaper layer with a 2-3 inch thick mulch such as wood chips, straw, or compost.
11 .An Easy Way to Edge a Lawn
This way not only enhances its appearance but also helps maintain its shape and prevents grass from encroaching into flower beds, pathways, or other areas. It prevents grass from invading other areas and keeps your garden beds and pathways well-defined. Regularly edging your lawn can become a satisfying and relatively easy part of your garden maintenance routine.