Slugist: The Dark Defender

Protecting Broadstone, Poole gardens from slug and snail attack

Slugs and snails are one of the biggest causes of plant damage in Broadstone gardens. Gardeners spend significant time and money buying plants every spring, then watch as they are gobbled up as a late-night snack by these pests. Many remedies are messy, require repeated effort, or have significant drawbacks. Slugist is different: a professional, after-dark collection service that removes the pests by hand, reducing the population throughout the season with targeted peak slug activity visits.

How Slugist Works

All the conventional slug control methods have their limitations: some target good and bad slugs indiscriminately, some are unsightly, and others involve regular time commitments, often late at night.

• We target only the pest species. Of the up to 140 slug and snail species found in UK, only a small proportion are significant plant pests, according to the RHS. The rest including species such as the leopard slug may prey on other slugs and their eggs, and help control the pests. We identify and remove only the plant-eating pests, leaving the beneficial species undisturbed.

• Visits when you need us most. Slugs and snails hide underground during hot weather and only come out when the ground is damp, not too cold, not too hot, not too windy, and not too much moonlight. We assess predicted slug activity in Broadstone daily, and target our visits for the peak nights that should have the biggest impact.

• A two-stage visit, not a quick spray of chemicals. In the early evening we set bait stations with fermenting sourdough and lay dampened glide strips from likely daytime shelter areas towards the bait stations. The food aroma does most of the attracting; the dampened strips simply give slugs and snails an easy route to follow as they emerge. Later that same evening after dark, when activity is expected to be highest, we return to collect. We clear the bait stations and sweep the whole garden by hand. Everything is removed before we leave; your garden looks exactly as you left it, minus the slugs.

• A guarantee, not a hope. If we collect fewer than 5 pest slugs and snails during a visit, we repeat free of charge.

Flexible Plans to suit Your Garden

Slugist comes in a few options, from full-season cover to a single one-off visit. You only pay for what your garden needs. Plan options and prices are shown when you book, inside the member pages.

Your Free Garden Survey — no obligation to purchase.

Every Hortimate member gets a free survey visit to identify the best solution for your garden. We will also carry out a free soil test and prepare a report with planting and soil improvement advice. See the Garden Survey page for full details.

Available free of charge for Broadstone residents only with no obligations to purchase Hortimate services.

Learn a bit more about Slugs and Snails

Curious how slug collection works compared to other methods? Visit the Slug and snail Knowledge page for biology, seasonal activity patterns, and how Slugist compares with pellets, nematodes, copper tape and beer traps.