July 4, 2025, 9:03 am | Read time: 2 minutes
Snails are a nightmare for gardeners. Not only do they leave a slimy trail everywhere, but they also devour painstakingly nurtured young plants. They have a particular fondness for lettuce and cucumbers. myHOMEBOOK gardening expert Franka Kruse-Gering explains how to easily and, most importantly, cheaply make a snail collar.
It’s frustrating: As soon as it rains a little, slugs come and eat my seedlings. There must be something to keep them away without harming them. In the video, I explain how to make a slug collar yourself. It doesn’t offer 100 percent protection, but it’s better than doing nothing.
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What is a Slug Collar?
A slug collar is a simple garden device designed to protect individual plants from slugs. Slugs, especially, enjoy eating young vegetable plants like lettuce, cabbage, or squash. If these plants aren’t protected, they can be severely damaged or completely eaten in a short time.
A slug collar consists of a ring-shaped piece of plastic or metal that you stick into the ground around the plant. The edge of the collar is bent outward. This special shape prevents slugs from crawling over it because they slip off or can’t overcome the edge. This keeps the plants inside the ring unharmed.
The slug collar is a natural, non-toxic method of slug control. You don’t need chemical agents like slug pellets and can reuse the collar multiple times. Especially in spring, when many slugs are active and young plants are still small and delicate, the slug collar is a helpful protection. At this time, you can find it in many hardware and garden centers. However, you can also easily make it yourself at a low cost.
What You Need to Make a Slug Collar
- A large yogurt cup
- A utility knife
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Here’s How
Making a slug collar is very simple, but you shouldn’t be careless, as there’s a risk of injury if you’re not careful. You can discard the lid of the yogurt cup; you only need the cup and the utility knife.
Use the utility knife to cut out the bottom of the cup. And that’s it: The slug collar is ready for use in the garden bed.
It’s especially suitable for seedlings. If the plants are already a few days older, you need to carefully place them inside the cup or tie them up.