Slugs and snails. - Page 2

garden381 · April 17, 2015

So this process will work for those silly little SNAILS that are eating my strawberry patch as well?

Aerial · January 29, 2016

The best article I've read on dealing with slugs. Happy gardening!

http://perfectperennials.tripod.com/id7.html

Crushed egg shells and coffee ground didn't work for me. They ate EVERYTHING including a 2-feet sunflower seedling.

Starlight · January 29, 2016

I have a few slugs, but pretty much have them under control. Slugs make me ill to see especially the big ones. So gross.

My problem is the darn snails. Ugggggggg! I pick up a pot and the bottom will have them all over it. When they are tiny I can just grab and squish but some I have to get a hammer out to destroy as their shells are that hard.

When I transplant I always look at outside of soil ball on the sides and bottom for teeny tiny clusters of almost crystal clear eggs and squish them but still the snails come. I'm sure all the flooding from other folks ponds into my yard doesn't help.

Anybody have any good ideas on what to use for them? For me snails are worse than flea bettles.

Mark13240 · February 16, 2016

Place saucers of beer with the lips at ground level. They are attracted to the beer, crawl in and drown. When it fills up, throw it all away and start again. Works every time.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Worth1 · February 16, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mark13240

Place saucers of beer with the lips at ground level. They are attracted to the beer, crawl in and drown. When it fills up, throw it all away and start again. Works every time.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I have been brewing my own from yeast cooked rice water and sugar they seem to like it.

Worth

loulac · February 17, 2016

Though I hesitate to use chemistry in my garden I must say it gives me an efficient tool for fighting these pests. Granules with metaldehyde (5%) work very well but unfortunately kill hedgehogs that eat dead slugs and can severely intoxicate some cats that like eating the granules. (Bayer etc.).
More and more people prefer using granules with iron phosphate (9.9%), more expensive but only kills slugs and snails. Can be used with cultures labelled organic. ( Bayer, Neudorff etc.)
I always use it when I sow something or plant seedlings, then from time to time (once a month ?)..

frankcar1965 · March 3, 2016

Came in late here, but the ortho snail and slug killer is now Iron Phosphate or iron something, so no need for the expensive sluggo anymore. Why they don't play this up I don't know, I was surprised when I read the box. Sluggo is expensive.

Worth1 · March 3, 2016

I just spread some Ortho slug and snail bait out today they are going to town on it.
Suckers!!!

Worth

Starlight · March 7, 2016

Every month our local co-op electric company sends out a magazine called Alabama Living. Filled with all kinds of info and especially on gardening and what's happening good and bad around the state. We just got the new catalog and the big topic this month is an article written by Emmett Burnett called, " All Hail The Snails."

In his article, Emmett says that there are over 710 freshwater types of snails alone and that Alabama has the most diverse snail species in the U.S. I quote where he says that Alabama is, " the Heart of Dixie a mollusk mecca."

I always thought that slugs and snails were different, but according to this article they are the same. You have the ones that develop a shell and the convertible, non-shelled slug.

In the article, Dr. Kathryn Perez, a professor in the Department of Biology, University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley says " When walking on your lawn, you probably stand on dozens of them. Thousands live among us virtually undetectable. " She goes on to say how most of the species are no bigger than a period on a piece of paper and that they climb on grass blades, crawl around in our soil, cracks and crevices and everywhere without us seeing them.

My containers are all more that a foot in the air. I always use new potting soil for each container every year and still I find slugs and snails in my pots. Now I know why. They are coming in the soil undetected since they are so minute in size.

A couple of interesting facts that was presented in the article were that besides being a slow mover, they can hibernate for 50 years. That museums and other places that they thought were dead have come to life in the cases.

Wonder how such a slow moving mollusk can do so much damage? They can have up to 25,000 teeth. If I wasn't so squeamish, I might try and disect one just to see all the teeth and how they are located.

While the article mentions that snails in our gardens are there only to eat all they can, they do have some benefit. They are a natural food resource for some animals and move nutrients around. I wish they would have said which animals like a steady diet of snails and slugs. I'd try and attract more of them to my yard.

The articles in the magazine always try and give the homeowner some helpful tips. Things you might use are beer traps as they are attracted by yeasty odor. Another tip is to use coffee grounds. While yeast smells attract them, coffee smells repel them. I wonder if just pouring liquid coffee, cooled of couse, every so often through the containers would kill them without hurting the plant. At least that way it would keep them, maybe, from laying there eggs in the soil of the containers, usually along the edges between the container and the soil in air pockets.

In the article, Danny Lipford, who is being quoted for the tips, has suggested and other tip to keeping them away is salad dressing. He says he doesn't know which type, but that they don't like it. Maybe I'll go smear some Miracle Whip around and see what happens. Then again maybe it is the bottled salad dressings they don't like. I've got Italian and Ranch in the fridge. Might try them too, although I thought I read somewhere that pouring vinegar on slugs will stop them in their tracks. I haven't tried just that yet.

One of things suggested not to use is salt. Which I've read reports of folks using and have myself a time or two when I have had a huge, huge slug and it was to gross looking for me to squish without making me sick. The reason not to use salt is because it is toxic most living things , especially our plants and can kill in some cases.

I got a big chuckle out of the last paragraph of the article, which was, " Today some will hibernate. Fifty years from now, they will wake up, and still be here. Many of us won't be. There are advantages of moving at a snail's pace. : )

ilex · March 7, 2016

Many years ago we used iron sulphate. They die if they touch it. I think it got banned as people used it disolved in water.

My favorite control is ducks. If you get the right breed they won't eat anything else. And you get eggs, meat and manure.

Chickens can work but require management as they will eat everything else.

JohnAtk · March 18, 2016

Don't ducks eat the tomatoes, too? Or they can't penetrate through the skin of the fruit?

ilex · March 18, 2016

They probably will, but if there are plenty bugs, probably not much.

They don't eat lettuce when on patrol for example. I wouldn't let a chicken loose among lettuce or cabbage

They are also very easy to herd and a very low fence will keep them out.

It's amazing how many snails they can eat. Over 1lb per bird per day.

Worth1 · March 18, 2016

I used to have ducks running the rows, I love ducks and geese.

Worth

Aerial · May 21, 2016

Prepping snails for food. Interesting read...

http://articles.latimes.com/1985-07-..._garden-snails

Tracydr · May 22, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by ilex

Many years ago we used iron sulphate. They die if they touch it. I think it got banned as people used it disolved in water.

My favorite control is ducks. If you get the right breed they won't eat anything else. And you get eggs, meat and manure.

Chickens can work but require management as they will eat everything else.

Which breed?

March 18, 2016	#26
JohnAtk Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: London Posts: 10	Don't ducks eat the tomatoes, too? Or they can't penetrate through the skin of the fruit? __________________ I am a Fantastic Gardener. ))))

April 17, 2015	#16
garden381 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: jacksonville florida Posts: 67	So this process will work for those silly little SNAILS that are eating my strawberry patch as well?

January 29, 2016	#17
Aerial Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: CA Posts: 410	The best article I've read on dealing with slugs. Happy gardening! http://perfectperennials.tripod.com/id7.html Crushed egg shells and coffee ground didn't work for me. They ate EVERYTHING including a 2-feet sunflower seedling.

January 29, 2016	#18
Starlight Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: AL Posts: 1,993	I have a few slugs, but pretty much have them under control. Slugs make me ill to see especially the big ones. So gross. My problem is the darn snails. Ugggggggg! I pick up a pot and the bottom will have them all over it. When they are tiny I can just grab and squish but some I have to get a hammer out to destroy as their shells are that hard. When I transplant I always look at outside of soil ball on the sides and bottom for teeny tiny clusters of almost crystal clear eggs and squish them but still the snails come. I'm sure all the flooding from other folks ponds into my yard doesn't help. Anybody have any good ideas on what to use for them? For me snails are worse than flea bettles.

February 16, 2016	#19
Mark13240 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: Ohio Posts: 3	Place saucers of beer with the lips at ground level. They are attracted to the beer, crawl in and drown. When it fills up, throw it all away and start again. Works every time. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

February 17, 2016	#21
loulac Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: France Posts: 554	Though I hesitate to use chemistry in my garden I must say it gives me an efficient tool for fighting these pests. Granules with metaldehyde (5%) work very well but unfortunately kill hedgehogs that eat dead slugs and can severely intoxicate some cats that like eating the granules. (Bayer etc.). More and more people prefer using granules with iron phosphate (9.9%), more expensive but only kills slugs and snails. Can be used with cultures labelled organic. ( Bayer, Neudorff etc.) I always use it when I sow something or plant seedlings, then from time to time (once a month ?)..

March 3, 2016	#22
frankcar1965 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: NW Louisiana Posts: 89	Came in late here, but the ortho snail and slug killer is now Iron Phosphate or iron something, so no need for the expensive sluggo anymore. Why they don't play this up I don't know, I was surprised when I read the box. Sluggo is expensive.

March 3, 2016	#23
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	I just spread some Ortho slug and snail bait out today they are going to town on it. Suckers!!! Worth

March 7, 2016	#24
Starlight Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: AL Posts: 1,993	Every month our local co-op electric company sends out a magazine called Alabama Living. Filled with all kinds of info and especially on gardening and what's happening good and bad around the state. We just got the new catalog and the big topic this month is an article written by Emmett Burnett called, " All Hail The Snails." In his article, Emmett says that there are over 710 freshwater types of snails alone and that Alabama has the most diverse snail species in the U.S. I quote where he says that Alabama is, " the Heart of Dixie a mollusk mecca." I always thought that slugs and snails were different, but according to this article they are the same. You have the ones that develop a shell and the convertible, non-shelled slug. In the article, Dr. Kathryn Perez, a professor in the Department of Biology, University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley says " When walking on your lawn, you probably stand on dozens of them. Thousands live among us virtually undetectable. " She goes on to say how most of the species are no bigger than a period on a piece of paper and that they climb on grass blades, crawl around in our soil, cracks and crevices and everywhere without us seeing them. My containers are all more that a foot in the air. I always use new potting soil for each container every year and still I find slugs and snails in my pots. Now I know why. They are coming in the soil undetected since they are so minute in size. A couple of interesting facts that was presented in the article were that besides being a slow mover, they can hibernate for 50 years. That museums and other places that they thought were dead have come to life in the cases. Wonder how such a slow moving mollusk can do so much damage? They can have up to 25,000 teeth. If I wasn't so squeamish, I might try and disect one just to see all the teeth and how they are located. While the article mentions that snails in our gardens are there only to eat all they can, they do have some benefit. They are a natural food resource for some animals and move nutrients around. I wish they would have said which animals like a steady diet of snails and slugs. I'd try and attract more of them to my yard. The articles in the magazine always try and give the homeowner some helpful tips. Things you might use are beer traps as they are attracted by yeasty odor. Another tip is to use coffee grounds. While yeast smells attract them, coffee smells repel them. I wonder if just pouring liquid coffee, cooled of couse, every so often through the containers would kill them without hurting the plant. At least that way it would keep them, maybe, from laying there eggs in the soil of the containers, usually along the edges between the container and the soil in air pockets. In the article, Danny Lipford, who is being quoted for the tips, has suggested and other tip to keeping them away is salad dressing. He says he doesn't know which type, but that they don't like it. Maybe I'll go smear some Miracle Whip around and see what happens. Then again maybe it is the bottled salad dressings they don't like. I've got Italian and Ranch in the fridge. Might try them too, although I thought I read somewhere that pouring vinegar on slugs will stop them in their tracks. I haven't tried just that yet. One of things suggested not to use is salt. Which I've read reports of folks using and have myself a time or two when I have had a huge, huge slug and it was to gross looking for me to squish without making me sick. The reason not to use salt is because it is toxic most living things , especially our plants and can kill in some cases. I got a big chuckle out of the last paragraph of the article, which was, " Today some will hibernate. Fifty years from now, they will wake up, and still be here. Many of us won't be. There are advantages of moving at a snail's pace. : )

March 7, 2016	#25
ilex Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Spain Posts: 416	Many years ago we used iron sulphate. They die if they touch it. I think it got banned as people used it disolved in water. My favorite control is ducks. If you get the right breed they won't eat anything else. And you get eggs, meat and manure. Chickens can work but require management as they will eat everything else.

May 21, 2016	#29
Aerial Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: CA Posts: 410	Prepping snails for food. Interesting read... http://articles.latimes.com/1985-07-..._garden-snails