dylan wrote:
> I have a lot of snails in my backyard. Someone told me to use salt. Do
> anyone else have any ideas on how to get rid of these.
>
> thankyou in advance
Salt, AFAIAC, is a cruel way to dispose of them. It melts them. I did it
once to a slug...never again. And adding enough salt to your yard to do
the job is likely to do more harm than good.
The first thing you need to figure out is why they're attracted to your
yard. Is there wood or leaves on the ground? A food source? They come
out at night and like a dark moist place to hide in the day. There's no
sense in killing them off if the environment continues to attract them.
Once you find that source(s) (and dispose of it), collecting them will
significantly impact the population in the backyard. After you have
removed any favorite hiding places, put out your own boards in various
spots and water them at suppertime. Then go out in the early evening and
collect any you find around and under the boards (then walk down the
street and put them on some neighbour's lawn or in a park :). Do that
for a few nights, then once a week for a bit. You should see a
significant reduction.
Also, don't water your lawn late in the day. The moist lawn is
irresistible to them.
If you're trying to protect a veggie or flower plot, the best long term
solution is mulch. I've used it for years with great results. The sharp,
rough mulch will tear up the soft bellies of slugs and snails and they
won't cross it. Get the finely chopped up stuff (not the chips) and lay
it a couple inches thick around the flowers/veggies. The mulch also
dissuades weeds and holds in moisture. A couple times a year, I rake it
a little to keep it from getting beaten down (and making a highway for
the critter).
Snails and slugs also won't cross copper. Lee Valley dot com sells a
copper mesh you can use to surround flower pots etc. I also cover some
of my veggies with floating row covers (a thin fabric that lets in water
and light but protects and warms the plants below it). It's also
available at leevalley.com
..
--
We must change the way we live,
or the climate will do it for us.
www.ipcc.ch/
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