I was just out in the garden and I have a million snails & slugs
they are even eating the rhubarb leaves.
I usually just crush the shells but now with all this wet weather
never have I seen as many. Time to go to crappy tire and get the pet
safe one WHATS IT CALLED ?????
Jeff wrote:
> 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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