I'm a gardening expert and there's a natural way to stop slugs and snails from destroying plants – and it costs pennies

Gardens are home to a variety of creatures, some of which enjoy munching on the foliage, including snails and slugs.

Although they are active most of the year, when spring arrives and brings wet conditions in February, March and April, snails can become a particular problem as there is an abundance of new growth for them to eat.

The creatures can appear in large numbers and are ruthless in eating and destroying a variety of plants, flowers and food items.

Although snails are now recognized as beneficial to a garden's ecosystem and are no longer considered “pests,” you may feel differently when you step into your sanctuary on a sunny day to find holes in your precious plants.

But all is not lost: green-fingered gardeners will be happy to know that there is a cheap and easy way to deter the slimy critters.

Garden retailer Thompsons has revealed their solution to eradicating snails and slugs from gardens – and it's by using garlic.

A bulb of garlic costs as little as 20 cents depending on where you shop, making it a cost-effective trick, as well as natural.

They said, “OhOne of the best ways supported by some of the most knowledgeable breeders and growers is the garlic and water solution.

“It's a natural way to deter both slugs and slugs, and it doesn't harm the environment.”

To make the homemade spray, you will need to start by boiling two full bulbs of garlic in a pot or pan of water.

Extract as much garlic juice as possible by crushing the bulbs with the flat side of a knife, a wooden rolling pin, or a mortar and pestle.

Then pour the liquid through a sieve and dilute with two tablespoons in five liters of water to spray or water your plants.

To achieve the best results, gardeners are advised to use the spray once a week, especially after it has rained.

The cost-effective hack comes after Emma Gill stunned the internet last year in May with her DIY weed killer which she mixed up with items from her kitchen cupboard.

Emma shared a video of the cheap hack, reporting that within hours the weeds in her garden were dead, according to one Manchester Evening News report.

Mom's homemade remedy that cost her just 68 cents to make – using just salt, distilled vinegar and dish soap.

More specifically, she used a gallon of white vinegar, three large spoons of salt, three large spoons of dish soap.

After mixing this solution, she decanted it into a watering can, although she advised that using a spray bottle would be better.

And within just a few hours of the mixture being dripped over her garden, she reported that the weeds were “visibly dead.”