Problem with Snails

[H.C. Heartland]

Recently, I have noticed a lot of snails in my garden. Does anyone have a solution to removing them? Or are their benefits to having them in my plants?

 

[jlynn71]

I have read that putting some type of barrier around your plants will discourage them. I mean such as eggshells, sawdust, coal dust etc, to make their traveling difficult. I would also think diatomaceous earth would be even better, and its edible, so it won't hurt people or animals. Good luck with this, I know this is a big problem for some.

 

[zigs]

Welcome to Gardening Forums

No good lobbing them as a recent study found that they come back to the same place unless you take them about half a kilometre away.

Beer traps are good, just cover a saucer of beer to stop the rain washing it out, they'll drink themselves to death.

 

[Chuck]

Here in Texas we have 2 types of snails. One of them eats the other. The good snail looks kind of like an ice cream cone and the other looks like a small escargo snail the French so dearly love. We have an organic product called SluggoPlus that does a great job on them and pill bugs but I usually just use a beer trap being as how beer is always nearby. Bad snails are destructive and will decimate young plants

 

[H.C. Heartland]

Thanks for the great tips! I have tried egg shells and coffee grounds, but the charcoal, sawdust, beer can, and SluggoPlus are all new ideas for me. I'll try to incorporate them this week and update the thread on what worked best.

 

[firelily99]

I have used dried pine needles and Kosher salt. If that doesn't work I use the snail and slug pellets and that takes care of things.

 

[Trellum]

My dad uses beer to keep the snails at bay, some people say it's a waste of beer, but so far that's the best remedy that has worked to keep his edibles safe from snails.

 

[Chuck]

My dad uses beer to keep the snails at bay, some people say it's a waste of beer, but so far that's the best remedy that has worked to keep his edibles safe from snails.

Not a waste of beer. Only use stale flat beer. Pests are not connosueirs of beer. You wouldn't give a wino a liter of Rothschild 29 would you?

 

[headfullofbees]

Not a waste of beer. Only use stale flat beer. Pests are not connosueirs of beer. You wouldn't give a wino a liter of Rothschild 29 would you?

Can you BUY Rothschild 29 by the litre?

 

[Chuck]

Can you BUY Rothschild 29 by the litre?

Just about everywhere but it is usually relabeled as Strawberry Hill.

 

[Trellum]

Not a waste of beer. Only use stale flat beer. Pests are not connosueirs of beer. You wouldn't give a wino a liter of Rothschild 29 would you?

.
At home we never let beer go stale, specially pops His love for his edibles was so big he did share some with his loved tomatoes. As for myself... Not a big fan of beer, I could let it go stale easily Might look for other options in the future. What would you recommend?

 

[H.C. Heartland]

I can see I'm going to have a lot of fun posting on this forum! haha Thanks for the tips. I have tried a couple things from your posts and we will see what happens. So far so good. I forgot all about salt! I have recently read that copper might work. I am wondering if this is where the garden 'decorations' that people stick in their pots originally came from. Copper is an expensive alternative though, so it will depend on what I can find. It's not as wasteful as using good beer though!

 

[JAMES CONLON]

Recently, I have noticed a lot of snails in my garden. Does anyone have a solution to removing them? Or are their benefits to having them in my plants?

Yes thy will eat all your vegetable plants

 

[Beverly]

I use copper tubing around my most vulnerable plants. It is great because you can make different shapes and sizes. Yes, it is expensive, but it is a one time expense. No maintenance required and it lasts forever and you can always change the shapes and sizes to suit changes in the garden. We are into the second month of rainy season now, and I haven't seen a slug or snail yet this year. DE and the other powders etc, often become washed out with the rain and/or covered with soil and have to be renewed frequently to be effective. As for beer, i tried that, and something seemed to be drinking the beer but i never found a dead drunk slug or snail. As for salt, you probably don't want that in your soil, especially near your plants. You might kill some slugs/snails, but you might also kill some plants

 

[remnant]

Slugs and snails thrive in wet environments and any solution that runs counter to this would not be favourable to plants. An effective method of controlling them is to dig a hole into the ground and fit a bowl. Fill it with alcohol and wait for the molluscs to come. It might sound funny but slugs love beer and when they come to the edge to partake of it, they would invariably fall into the bowl and drown.