As a gardener, you may enjoy having all sorts of plants in your garden. One of the plants known to be beneficial to gardens is the nasturtium. But is it safe from slug damage? Do slugs eat nasturtiums or will they leave it be?
Slugs will often not eat nasturtiums. Their thin, delicate stems are not attractive to slugs. Climbing nasturtiums are particularly unappealing to slugs.
In addition to protecting against pests, they are also beneficial, and you can use them in your cooking. If you find that your plants can fall prey to slugs, you can grow nasturtiums to repel them and protect some vulnerable plants.
Do Nasturtiums Attract Snails?
Like slugs, snails are also not attracted to nasturtiums. That doesn’t mean they are completely safe from being damaged by garden pests, however.
For instance, nasturtiums attract cabbage butterflies. Gardeners use nasturtiums as a method of pest control. You can grow this plant near your cabbages, so the butterflies divert towards nasturtiums and leave your cabbage alone.
Nasturtiums also attract aphids. If you have ever had an aphid infestation, you know how difficult it is to get rid of them. You can place a nasturtium around your vulnerable plants to attract the aphids, so your other important plants do not suffer.
Will Nasturtiums Deter Slugs?
One of the reasons people prefer keeping nasturtiums is that they deter slugs. Slugs can be a real problem for gardeners because they eat plants, leaving holes in them and reducing the overall yield.
You can interplant with nasturtiums to deter slugs. These pests do not like to consume the leathery leaves of the plant. You can keep the slugs out by creating a border with the plants.
What Are the Benefits of Growing Nasturtiums?
Many benefits come with growing nasturtiums in your garden. It is great to have these plants in your garden that not just deter slugs but help you in other ways.
Whether you are new to gardening or experienced, you can easily grow nasturtiums. These plants are easy to grow. You do not have to worry about the health of your soil as it does not affect its growth.
In addition to helping you against slugs, these plants can be used for cooking. The flowers, leaves and seeds are edible and packed with health benefits like vitamin C. The flowers have a great pepper-like taste which gives great flavour to anything you cook.
The best way to utilise nasturtiums in your garden is to use them as companions plants. Plants susceptible to insect attacks like roses or vegetables can be placed with nasturtiums.
The nasturtiums will attract insects like aphids and keep your other plants protected. In addition, nasturtiums also attract beneficial pollinators because of their flowers.
What Other Plants Do Slugs Not Eat?
Slugs love to attack and consume plants with foliage, which is soft. These slimy pests do a lot of damage to gardens. Sometimes, it may seem like slugs eat everything. However, there are some plants which they do not like.
You can grow some of these plants to protect your other important ones. You can create a border with these plants or use them as companion plants to help deter slugs.
One of the plants which slugs do not like is ferns. Again, as a new gardener, there are many plants you may not be comfortable growing. However, it is easy to grow ferns as they are quite low maintenance. Slugs do not like eating fern plants because of their thick leaves, which are difficult to digest.
You can add to the beauty of the garden and fight slugs simultaneously. Hydrangeas are a good choice for gardens as they add beautiful colour but can protect your plants.
Many gardeners prefer to use hydrangeas to create a border and keep the slugs out. However, if you are an amateur, it is not easy to grow these flowers as they require care and maintenance. If you wish to add these flowers, it is best to add a mature hydrangea plant.
Other flowers which help keep the slugs away are begonias. You will be glad to know that in addition to repelling slugs, begonias are hardy plants that can survive damage. Sometimes slug attack plants if they do not find alternatives.
Even if slugs attack your begonias, they will recover quickly. In addition, these flowers grow fast, and slugs cannot keep up with them.
In addition to the plants, some herbs which slugs do not like are rue, rosemary, lavender, and mint.
Summary
Nasturtiums make a wonderful addition to gardens. These plants are used as companion plants, and many gardeners rely on them to make their gardens flourish. One of the benefits of having nasturtiums in your garden is that they repel slugs. These slimy pests do not like to consume this plant. In addition to slugs, snails do not like to eat nasturtiums.
You can use nasturtiums for different reasons, whether cooking or using them in your garden to protect your important plants.
Apart from nasturtiums, there are other plants that slugs do not like, such as hydrangeas, begonias, ferns, and Jacob’s ladder. Some herbs which are also not slug-favourites include rue, lavender, rosemary, and mint.
