Slugs are the thorn in the side of every gardener.

But it isn’t just slugs munching your plants. Aphids, ants and other pesky insects are never too far away either. This begs the question; how do you keep pests at bay without using harmful chemicals?

Gardening organically and ensuring that any control in the garden doesn’t affect the rich biodiversity, is important to us here at Almondsbury. Our Neudorff products are Organic Farmers and Growers certified, meaning that while keeping your plants safe and hungry bugs at bay you’re not harming your garden’s important and vibrant ecosystem with unnecessary chemicals.

If slugs, specifically, are a huge problem for your garden, Neudorff’s range of slug and snail pellets, made with Ferric Phosphate, mean that you can reduce your slug worries without causing harm to other wildlife.

We recommend using Slug Gone wool pellets on badly affected areas. You can pick up bags of the pellets or opt for tubs in our main shop. Slug Gone’s wool pellets create an effective barrier against slugs. Coarse in texture, these pellets will irritate the slug’s foot. Slug Gone has the added benefit of feeding your plants as it breaks down.

Another popular way to combat slugs is by applying copper bands to pots. We sell Doff Copper Slug Tape in store, an ideal way to keep the slugs away from young plants, such as dahlias.

The other main pest in the garden is the aphid. Once they take hold of your plants, it can be tricky to get rid of them. Aphids will destroy plants by taking sap away from new shoots, causing dieback and fungal infections through exposed cell walls.

We sell several bug sprays to combat aphids, as well as fungal sprays to help plants have a fighting chance. To prevent aphids from reaching your plants in the first place, one option would be to stop nearby ant colonies. Ants keep aphid eggs in their nests over winter and distribute them over plants – they’ll also protect aphids throughout the season as the aphids, while feeding on young shoots, produce a fluid that the ants eat. By setting up ant bait traps and using grease bands on larger perennial trees and bushes, you can stop the pests from establishing themselves in the first place.

Don’t let bugs and pests get to your plants. Pop up to Almondsbury and see what products we have on offer to help you enjoy more of your garden this year. Remember, if you’re in need of help, our staff are full of knowledge and always eager to help.