Greenthumbz--Bleach instead of vinegar or ammonia partially because it was at hand, since I keep it around to sterilize tools between diggings. Vinegar and ammonia are okay for spritzing on slugs, but these plants were getting a total emersion bath for an hour, and I didn't want them either pickled or burned. Bleach will also kill off most if not all of the eggs. On using the DE, here is part of an email I sent to someone earlier this week who had a terrible slug infestation. Okay, now to solve your slug problem quickly, cheaply, and organically, three things I strive for in my garden at all times. Go to your local feed store (as in horse and cattle feed) or your local pool supply store, and ask for a large bag of diatomaceous earth. You want the pure stuff, NOT the kind with any added chemicals, or the pelleted kind, just the straight, unadulterated, powdered diatomaceous earth. This is composed of the microscopic skeletal remains of tiny sea creatures, and viewed under a microscope it is very spiky and sharp. Without a microscope, it looks like talcum powder. If a slug touches it, the tiny particles work into its body and kill it. But itÂs harmless to pets, birds, and most other wildlife. It will kill fleas and sowbugs, too, by blocking their breathing apparatus, so it may also do in some of the smaller insects, but mostly itÂs just fatal for slugs. In my garden earthworms are not bothered by DE. Now find yourself one of those parmesan cheese shakers that you see at the local pizza place, or a fine sieve with a handle, or even an empty talcum powder container and fill it with the DE. Shake it around the base of every plant, very close to the base and make a ring around the plant 2 or three inches wide. For plants that are already infested with the slimy critters, shake some right down into the crown of the plant. Then if you are feeling really ambitious, you can also put a line a couple of inches wide around the perimeter of each bed to prevent any more slugs from crawling in. You will want to pull any mulch back from the base of the hostas before applying the DE. I did this in some of my beds 20+ years ago, and still donÂt have any sort of a major slug problem, and I live in the country and have 12 acres of totally naturalized landÂslug heaven. I havenÂt gotten around to doing the newer beds yet, but by now my toad population is such that they deal effectively with most of the slugs. Rain will wash the DE into the soil, and partially off the plants, but there is still enough residue to keep the slugs away, even though it's not readily visible. If you have a really severe problem, you might want to spread the DE around a second time in about a month, then just use it on individual plants that might still have passengers. Feed stores carry DE because itÂs an effective and safe way to deworm sheep, cattle, dogs, horses, and alpacas. Pool supply stores carry it because itÂs used in pool filters. The feed stores are more likely to have or be able to get the pure product, whereas pool supply stores usually stock the stuff with extra chemicals that you donÂt want on your hostas. Both places should be able to easily order a 40 or 50 pound bag for you, and although itÂs probably gone up in price since I last bought it, that size used to be about $10. Hope that helps. It's been almost two weeks now, and the new hostas don't have any new slug damage, so the bleach soak did the trick.

When I was a teen we had a dog named Scooby. She was a great bed dog and would curl behind my legs and we both slept great. Fast forward a few years (sic) and now I have Jetty dog. He is 57 pounds now and is turning into a great bed dog - as long as he doesn't get there first. He is lots bigger than Scooby - but he is longer too and stretches out behind my back with his back against mine. We both have a fine sleep! Smaller Sage dog is at the bottom of my feet. Most times if they get on the bed they leave in the night and I miss them when I wake up (they go downstairs and each takes a sofa).

What Vince said! ^^^^ I really love animals but the squirrels have just gotten up too close and personal. Their population is out of control. It's gray squirrels by day and flying squirrels by night. I have not eaten a single strawberry from my 40 plants in two months since the squirrels will snatch the red ones and carefully eat around the green calyces when I'm spying and out of their sight, then drop the calyx like a feather or even in pieces. I work very hard tending my strawberries and don't find feeding the squirrels every last bit of my garden toil the slightest bit amusing. They eat with their mouths full without ever closing them, and fibers and fragments of fruit get spit out all over the place. Cleaning up the deck after a squirrel pig-out is disgusting. When they are done eating the ripe strawberries, they start on the green ones, and eat one bite and then throw the whole strawberry detached, away with their bite and teeth marks. The discarded strawberries stink of squirrel breath, too. The only good squirrel is a dead one. There's compassion and then there's survival of the fittest. Just because the squirrel wins doesn't mean I'm going down without a fight. Strawberries, unlike tomatoes, do not continue to ripen after being picked. Not a whole lot can be done. Squirrels are incredibly cunning and delight in stealing. No, I'm not imagining that! They learn by watching what I tend and stare from a distance. Then I come back and zap. It's eaten. Squirrels have taken a bite or two from my tomatoes, but they haven't yet developed a taste for them. That's why I do tomatoes now and not strawberries so much anymore. PC

The Kitchen Place: I agree, hence my title of this thread. It's a safe bet Wilsonart doesn't want anyone seeing these pictures either. Back in the SSV days, I had a Wilsonart rep in my shop telling me their failed blue glue was a "dead issue". Yeah, you were dead if you used it and got .33 on the dollar reimbursement from Wilsonart and had to do the same job over. In all fairness to Wilsonart, they've been a major player in the surfacing industry for good reason and a couple flopped products do not a bad company make, however, they've made it clear twice now that if their product flops in your kitchen, you're pretty much on your own.