Experts urge gardeners to spread this natural material in their garden in May to deter slugs – it has so many more benefits, too

Gardening experts are recommending an eco-friendly, completely natural method to deter slugs from your garden. And this magical recipe I hear you ask for? Wool.

There’s nothing more disheartening than stepping into your flower garden or veg patch to see that slugs have ravaged your plants. As a result, the Ideal Home team is dedicated to finding the best methods to get rid of slugs and, often, the best natural methods to deter slugs from your plants.

Now, garden experts have revealed that sheep's wool is a great natural deterrent. Don’t worry, you don’t need a pet sheep in the garden, just some natural wool (you can pick it up for £19.99 at Amazon) to place around the base of your plants. Here’s why it works.

How to use wool to deter slugs

Slugs hate the feeling of wool fibres and will actively avoid crawling over them, hence why this slug deterring hack is effective. You can use real wool, or the more affordable wool pellets (£12.99, Amazon), to act as a barrier around your plants.

‘When spread out as a mulch or used as a protective barrier, the wool forms a coarse, dry texture that slugs find uncomfortable to navigate,' says Ross Dyke, horticultural expert at Hornby George PR and founder of gardening podcast The Plant Pod and Get Children Growing initiative. 'While this method doesn't promise complete protection, many gardeners have observed a noticeable decrease in slug damage, particularly to delicate young plants that are more susceptible to their nibbling. This natural deterrent can be a valuable addition to your gardening strategies.'

According to Ross, there are three key reasons why slugs don’t like wool: texture, moisture and irritation.

‘The fibrous and uneven surface of wool presents a challenging terrain for slugs. Instead of sliding smoothly, they struggle to navigate the coarse fibres, which can impede their progress and make movement laborious,’ he says.

‘Wool has a remarkable ability to absorb moisture from the environment. When slugs encounter wool, the fibres can draw water, creating a drier barrier that disrupts their unusual path. This dryness can make it challenging for them to access the moisture they rely on to move,' he adds.

‘The tiny fibres of wool can irritate slugs by disrupting their mucus trail. This disruption causes discomfort as slugs attempt to cross the wool, making the experience unpleasant and prompting them to avoid these areas altogether.’

What are the pros and cons?

While this is a good method to use, it isn’t completely foolproof, which is why it can be beneficial to use other methods alongside it, such as companion planting or wrapping copper tape (£6.39, Amazon) around your pots.

‘In the often damp climate of the UK, the impact of wool as a slug deterrent can fluctuate. After periods of heavy rain, the wool may become saturated and lose some of its deterrent qualities, only regaining its effectiveness once it has dried out. This fluctuation highlights the complex relationship between slugs, their movement, and the materials they encounter in their environment,’ says Ross.

It’s also important to note that wool can have a range of other benefits for your garden. It’s a great mulching material and can even improve your soil’s quality.

‘Wool placed around plants can act as mulch, helping to keep moisture in the soil while staying dry on the surface to still repel slugs. As wool naturally breaks down, it releases nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium and other nutrients into the soil, which will feed plants over time,’ explains Richard Barker, horticultural expert from LBS Horticulture.

‘Wool is capable of holding large amounts of water, which can reduce how often you need to water plants. Any water that is absorbed is slowly released back to the plant during dry periods.

‘When placed around the base of plants, wool can work to suppress weeds so they are unable to sprout. Wool can act as a blanket when placed on top of soil, keeping it warm during cold months and protecting roots from extreme heat during summer.’

There are many benefits to adding wool to your garden. But if you’re finding it particularly difficult to keep slugs away from your plants, the wool hack is a good one to try.