Slugs and Snails

[runnerbean]

I was reading in a Mag today, some hints and tips, which might interest you all-
1. Tempt slugs and snails away, by using the skins of oranges and grapefruit.
2. Spray WD-40 on pots and containers, they don't like crawling through it.
3. Put pieces of felt roofing material around plants, they don't like crawling over it to get to the plants.

Place banana skins around roses, they feed on the potassium released.

I was having a mooch around the web sites today and I found a site on garden safety, I found it very interesting, www.safegardening.co.uk, hope you find it useful.

[smithyveg]

You COULD mess about doing all those things......or you could scatter a few slug pellets around in about 4.6 nano seconds and get on with more important things in the garden.

Good website on garden safety though!


www.smithyveg.blogspot.com

[cajary]

For general use, I'd go along with smithy. To protect things in pots, I tie copper wire round them ( that's the pots, not the snails). It's worked for the Hostas.

[Scarecrow]

I like to grow my food organically so like to be careful about snail pellets!

Some of them contain toxic methiocarb or metaldehyde which is deadly to pets (not good for young children either), local bird life and animals. We have large lizards over here (called Blue Tongues) that love to munch away on slugs and snails and the use of snail pellets was depleting their numbers.

Recently a new product has come on to the market here. The active ingredient is iron EDTA complex which breaks down to a soil nutrient that doesn't even harm the earthworms! This product is certified by the local organic boards here.

Personally I don't use any pellets we just go outside on rainy nights with boots on and go scrunching. Great fun!
But then we don't get very many rainy nights over here.

[runnerbean]

I'm really disappointed with you and Smithyveg, especially you Cajary, you should be thinking of the the environment, so stop using pellets, only use the safe ones, which contain ferric phosphate, before you think I have a degree in Gardening, I googled that bit of information today, or else like some, chuck 'em over to the next doors neighbour's garden.

[cajary]

Hi,rb. Sorry to disappoint you. But the little pellets are the most effective. "Death to the slime brigade" How do you "edit " a post

[smithyveg]

By eck, calm down, calm down.

I've been using pellets for years and I'm sorry but I don't believe for a minute that birds etc eat the dead carcasses of affected slugs and snails. The snotty little sods just lie there festering away for weeks and are far too unappetising for any self respecting bird.

By the way....does anyone have a really big slug pellet....say about 6 foot high that might dissolve Steve McLaren? LOL

Smithyveg (gutted!)


www.smithyveg.blogspot.com

[runnerbean]

By eck, I am calm, I am just passionate about trying to cut down on chemicals, I wasn't just thinking about the birds and animals, but if you put slug pellets, around the vegetables and fruit you eat, surely this is being absorbed into the very things you are eating. I believe in Organic where possible. That's all I was trying to get over.

[runnerbean]

Cajary, when you post a thread or new post, you will see a edit button click on that then, edit your text, you will have to put a reason why, and then re submit, hope this helps.

[cajary]

Yeah,rb. I can see what to do now. Thankyou

[smithyveg]

Don't believe in organic, sorry!

[cajary]

Well, smithy, to a certain extent I agree with you but you have to think "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson. While poisons, used correctly, are probably, relatively safe. If everybody and their brother chucks them about all over the place, it can probably be detrimental to everyone.
I am quite happy to use 24d or 245d in the garden but not when I know that females (of child-bearing age or under) are visiting within a day or two. I think it's a matter of knowing your poisons and the possible side-effects.
Incidentally that wasn't a row earlier, that was an exchange of opinions. If you want a row, go on physorg and talk about climate change!!
I never knew that I didn't know my Father!!!!

[whitedragon]

i dont use pellets i use this and it works
http://www.electricfence-online.co.uk/shopscr513.html

slug click me

[DMTech]

Hello All,
Found your site by way of Copernic search engine of Canada.
Copernic: Software to search, find, and manage information free to anyone.

Anyway, wanted to pass on info about snail ands slug abatement.
Simple , easy , and effective......Windex sprayed upon invaded plants and grounds kills them all!

A mix of 1 part ammonia to 4 water in windex type sprayer works as well.

Apply by spraying 1 foot above affected area and directly on invading slime things! Table salt shaken on individuals also does the trick IMMEDIATELY!

Apply at dawn or just after twilight. Within two nights of this treatment slugs and snail will be lying dead . Repeat treatment every week for about a month
as the little buggers lay eggs that hatch and start a new army.

Another weapon is to dust POTASH in same fashion.

Both the ammonia and the potash will kill and fertilize your plants as you apply.

All the Best, DMTech

[Polly]

Hi there, I am new onthis site, came on to find out about slugs and snails, where I live its 'the mother breeding ground' for the horrid things. I have heard the putting containers wwith beer in around the veggie plot will keep the blighters away from your plants, apparently the slugs & snails go into the container and drown in the beer. Can anyone tell me if this is true or not. (Would get the beer from the slops pot at the local, so don't panic about he waste.

[Mr Bean]

Just got a catalogue through the post with all manner of gardening bits in, but one thing made me think about this slimy problem. They were advertising some copper rings to place around your plants, and I thought what about running a copper pipe around the edge of the raised beds. Two things here, one it will deter the little slime balls and two it should look nice if you keep it clean The worst thing I found was my neighbour going out at night with a pair of scissors, but then she was a bit nuts, and hacking the blighters to death

[paulsherwin]

I don't like using pellets but where I live there's just no alternative. My garden is part of the Thames flood plain and the slugs are absolutely everywhere. I've tried beer traps and they do catch some slugs, but not enough to make a real difference. The same goes for prowling round the garden with a torch at midnight.

I don't abuse pellets and use the minimum necessary to protect young plants. I don't have pets or young children, but the neighbours' cats don't seem to have come to any harm anyway. There are lots of birds nesting in the garden - blackbirds, robins, blue tits - and they don't seem to be interested in pellets or dead slugs (too preoccupied watching out for the cats).

Paul

[john boy]

hi polly, iv been useing beer in yogurt pots for years works a treat,I make home brew as a hobby so have plenty slops

[PLOT1]

Hi All,

Yes they've Made it to top spot. Slugs and Snails are Number one pest. This award has been given by the Royal Horticultural Society. But not on my garden and I ain,t giving them my beer or slops. Soot for me! Not on my garden I hear you say full of toxic waste . Yes Benzene, Anthracene, Fluorene and a touch of Benzol. They are called Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (Pah) The small quantities volitile hydrocarbons evaporate into the air leaving black carbon which is a great fertilizer, an irritant to the slugs and snails. Organic , your already eating, drinking and using (Pah) every day! Think of it like this (Pah) are found in decaying matter. How many of you have a Compost Heap!

O and the RHS Make a lovely liquid fertilizer out of it, the same way as for stingy nettles or comfrey.

[tracey g]

Coffee Grounds. The slime brigade do not like the gritty-ness. I guess you'd need to be a caffeine addict to protect a largish area; but some coffee shops will give the used 'grounds' away.
I sprinkled some around marigolds last year and it did reduce the invasive nocturnal stealth slug attack.