I have been observing the activity of slugs and snails in my garden for a
few years now and it is my experience that the snails tend to eat mostly
decaying matter and therefore are not that much of a problem. Slugs are
another matter and have ruined many of my plants, especially petunias. I
tend to just toss the snails into the grass but the slugs I snip in half
with a pair of scissors. I've tried salt and even though they seem to be
melting, I have seen them shed their outside layer to get rid of the salt
and slither on their merry way. Nothing I have tried (beer traps, salt,
egg
shells, diatomaceous earth) is very effective in the long run. I've
decided
to just try to live with them and avoid the plants they really make a mess
of.
"clouddreamer" <Stop@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
news:fvadnav45ffcENnVnZ2dnUVZ_vednZ2d@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> 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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