Snails eating your starts? Be smart and Strategic.
AndyAlphabet
11 years ago
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pnbrown
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agoedweather USDA 9a, HZ 9, Sunset 28
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agoRelated Discussions
Please share your tips on getting rid of Slugs and Snails
Comments (23)Hi Cora! Yes, a 10% ammonia solution in a spray bottle is by far the easiest to kill slugs on sight without damaging your plants or soil. (You should not use a salt shaker.) Just take any old spray bottle and put in 9 parts water, 1 part household ammonia (non-sudsing kind, if you have it). You may read about stronger solutions (more ammonia), but it is not necessary. Since you will be spraying the slugs as you see them, you will also see that a 10% solution works. Have fun! Carol...See MoreSnakes and Snails and Snails and Snails and�
Comments (5)Many years ago I lived in a tiny house with a tiny yard that had a ridiculous number of slugs. I'm not sure if the the slugs were coming from the surrounding woods, under the house foundation, or where, but one dared not walk outside barefoot in the evenings for fear of having a slug sliding up between the toes. (shudder!) Since it was a small yard with mostly rough field grass and only a few garden areas, we tried setting traps (the beer type,) but the found the traps were overwhelmed by the sheer number of slugs. We ended up getting some 6" spikes and going out on damp evenings and skewering slugs and then scraping them off into cans of soapy water which we would then be sure were full of water and fasten lids onto to drown the slugs. We also put out boards and during the day we would flip the boards and squish the slugs which had taken shelter from the day's heat. I'm not sure how much of a dent all this made in the slug population, but it sure made me feel better. Since you have kitties, Escar-Go! Slug & Snail Control is a slug bait made by Gardens Alive which is pet-safe. Don't know if that is the case with Sluggo since I do know that some slug baits aren't safe around small kids and animals. There are probably other pet-safe slug baits - this is the only one I know about. I have heard that crushed eggshells around particularly vulnerable plants is supposed to help keep out softbodied critters, but in my experience the birds remove the eggshells faster than I can eat eggs so I don't know if it actually works. Here is a link that might be useful: Escar-Go! Slug & Snail Control...See MoreHow to stop slugs and snails eating all your seedlings
Comments (17)yeah a lot of the methods only partly work some of the time. so its like...lessening the damage, not completely eliminating it. one thing that does work - seaweed. only, unfortunately, it is very salty and the salts arent that great for getting in your soil, but its those very salts that the slugs hate. partially rinsed off theres still lots of salt on the seaweed, and it is a good amendment once it breaks down and releases minerals and nutrients.... another thing is placing boards around the garden. the slugs love these, and use them to hide underneath...they munch your plants at night (f*@#ers!!!!) and then when the sun comes up they go to sleep under the boards, usually stuck upsidedown to the bottom. so then every day if you go out and lift up the boards, you can get a couple + off each board on a daily basis. beer traps also work....See MoreSnails or slugs eating my hostas
Comments (9)Like you, I've been reluctant to use slug bait. I spray 10% ammonia solution for slug control. You have to spray the slug directly so that involves getting into the garden early in the morning, during the night, or on a drizzly overcast day. (more fun than it sounds) For such a heavy infestation, it might also be a good idea to drench the soil around the plant with ammonia solution to kill the slug eggs. The holes on your plants are really quite large...cutworms or caterpillars might be the culprits. Hand-pick those? The slugs/worms have lots of hiding places in the plants surrounding your hosta...you might need to pull some of those out to clear the base....See MoreAndyAlphabet
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agoedweather USDA 9a, HZ 9, Sunset 28
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agopnbrown
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agolexie1397
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agoAndyAlphabet
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agonancyjane_gardener
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agoAndyAlphabet
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agoflora_uk
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agoAndyAlphabet
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agopnbrown
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agoAndyAlphabet
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agoflora_uk
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agopnbrown
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agohementia8
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agoedweather USDA 9a, HZ 9, Sunset 28
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agoNilaJones
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agohementia8
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agonewskye
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agoAiliDeSpain
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agopurple1701
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agoAmanda Eastman
8 years agoaftermidnight Zone7b B.C. Canada
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agor4676
8 years agofloral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
8 years agor4676
8 years agor4676
8 years agozeedman Zone 5 Wisconsin
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoHumsi
8 years ago
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