I’m a gardening expert…I swear by a 24p hack to stop caterpillars and bugs climbing on your plants and eating them
WITH summer finally here, it seems that more and more of us are spending time in our gardens where possible.
And if you’re a gardening lover and want your outdoor haven to impress your friends this season, then you’ve come to the right place.
There’s nothing more annoying than splashing money on plants, spending ages looking after them, only for caterpillars and bugs to climb all over them.
But luckily for you, a gardening lover has shared the ultimate hack to avoid any insects from your plants – and it’s really simple.
Not only this, but it’s super cheap too, so if you’re on a budget as a result of the cost of living crisis, then we’ve got you covered.
Lottie Dalziel, a gardening guru and sustainability advocate, took to social media to share her simple trick – and it’ll cost you just 24p.
Sharing her advice online, Lottie, who is from Sydney, Australia, revealed her “natural hack to get rid of critters (caterpillars or bugs).”
She explained: “I absolutely love basil but it turned out some sort of critters are also loving it too.”
Lottie then revealed the kitchen item that she swears by for banishing bugs, leaving many open-mouthed.
She continued: “So in order to get rid of them without using any toxic sprays or chemicals, all you need to do is grab a clove of garlic.”
With this “money saver, planet saver” trick, all you need to do is place the garlic next to your plants.
Demonstrating her chemical-free, eco-friendly recommendation, Lottie advised: “Plant it next to it and then as it grows, it will naturally deter any pests.”
If you fancy giving this quick and easy trick a try and have just eaten your last clove of garlic, then you’ll be pleased to know that you can pick up some without having to break the bank.
Whilst you can nab a whole head of garlic for only 55p from Tesco, you can also find the stuff for just 24p from Sainsbury’s.
Common garden pests
Common pests in the garden don’t need to be a cause for alarm. If you can identify them, you can work on getting rid of them and preventing them from returning.
Aphids (Greenfly, Blackfly)
Aphids are extremely common and can impact plant growth. They have tiny soft pear-shaped bodies, and are usually green or black. You may spot them clustered on the stem of soft shoots – look under leaves in particular – or may find a sticky substance on your plants that gives away aphids have been there sucking at the sap.
Whitefly
These small white-winged insects are related to aphids, at just 1 or 2 mm in length, and look very much like white moths as adults. They can be found on the underside of leaves, preferring younger, fresher leaves. They fly in clusters when you disturb them. Their lifecycle is only three weeks long, which means an infestation can occur very rapidly.
Slugs
An unmissable, squashy-looking body plus small sensory tentacles on its head. Slugs move along on one muscular foot. They range in scale from surprisingly small to terrifyingly large; limax cinereoniger species can grow comfortably beyond 20 cm in length.
Cabbage Moth Caterpillar
Cabbage moth caterpillars happily make their way into the heart of the vegetables, The caterpillars are distinguished in shades of yellow or browny green with no hair.
Mealy Bug
Mealybugs are tiny oval-shaped insects that have a white, powdery wax coating. There are several different species, many of which have what looks like legs coming from their sides and back end. In their earliest stage of life, it’s entirely possible to mistake them for fungus and not recognise them as insects at all.
As a result, we think this simple trick is a super affordable way to save your beloved plants from getting ruined this summer.
The TikTok clip, which was posted under the username @lottiedalziel, has clearly impressed many, as it has quickly racked up over 1,500 likes, 223 saves and 187 shares.
Tips for keeping pests from your garden
- Plant companion plants such as peppermint to repel rats.
- Place Garden Netting Pest Barrier, over your flowerbeds.
- Fill open-top containers with beer and place in soil to repel slugs.
- Spray plants with Neem Oil, to repel ants, flies, and spiders.
- Dust your flowerbeds with Diatomaceous Earth.
- Mix 1 tablespoon dish soap, 10 drops peppermint oil, and 4 cups water and spray on flowerbeds.
- Place eggshells around your plants to protect from slugs and snails.
Social media users were thankful for the simple advice and were keen to express this in the comments.
Not only this, but others suggested their simple tricks to deter creepy crawlies.
One green-thumbed user wrote: “Oooo.”
Meanwhile, another follower suggested: “Cut a butterfly shape out of white cardboard or paper stick on skewer sticks and they won’t lay their eggs on the basil plant and eat it.”
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