Slugs and snails!

[derialc]

Hi all!
I'm new to this group so apologies if this has been dealt with many times before! Basically my garden is over-run with slugs and snails who love nothing more than to devour everything I plant! I have dogs and a toddler so want to avoid the blue pellets as I have heard a few horror stories about them. I've tried the barrier tape but find it very awkward and the traps seem like a dirty job! Does anyone know of any other way of deterring them? Are there any non-toxic pellets or similar solution? I also want to avoid poisoning the local bird population!
Thanks in advance for any tips!

 

[Chuck]

Hi all!
I'm new to this group so apologies if this has been dealt with many times before! Basically my garden is over-run with slugs and snails who love nothing more than to devour everything I plant! I have dogs and a toddler so want to avoid the blue pellets as I have heard a few horror stories about them. I've tried the barrier tape but find it very awkward and the traps seem like a dirty job! Does anyone know of any other way of deterring them? Are there any non-toxic pellets or similar solution? I also want to avoid poisoning the local bird population!
Thanks in advance for any tips!

If you live in the US there is an organic product called SluggoPlus. If you don't want to use that you can make beer traps. I know a person who spreads contact cement on a board and sprinkles ice cream salt on the wet contact cement andwhen the slugs crawl over it they kind of melt.

 

[firelily99]

I spread dried pine needles around the plants that are being attacked by the slugs. Kosher salt works well too. I don't use beer because it is a waste of a perfectly good beer. Most garden centers do sell products that repel the nasty little buggers.

 

[ChanellG]

I'm planning to try copper, though I've heard from @zigs that it has to be bitter beer, not lager, if you try that approach. Dampness seems to attract them so do what you can to elevate your pots and promote good drainage in beds. Too much salt will be bad for the plants, so best to stay away from that.

 

[zigs]

I can't use slug pellets as it would kill the Hedgepig. Bitter beer is working well for the slugs, but not the snails.

Have made a snail mill to deal with those

 

[Trellum]

I spread dried pine needles around the plants that are being attacked by the slugs. Kosher salt works well too. I don't use beer because it is a waste of a perfectly good beer. Most garden centers do sell products that repel the nasty little buggers.

Bitter beer can do as well i heard bitter beer will do as good for getting rid of the snails as the one you just bought and want to drink yourself. It sounds quite simple and nice to me Just set some beer traps and see what happens

 

[Chuck]

I can't use slug pellets as it would kill the Hedgepig. Bitter beer is working well for the slugs, but not the snails.

Have made a snail mill to deal with those

The only language I speak is Texan. What is bitter beer? The opposite of sweet beer? The only beer we have in Texas is good beer. And what are slug pellets? Sounds like something a Texan would fire out of his shotgun. And I suppose a hedgepig is a young tender juicy succulent hedgehog? A snail mill? I have a food mill where I seperate skins and seeds from the fruit, so is a snail mill something to seperate the snail shell from the meat?

 

[Edgeofparadise]

I'll second Chuck's question. What is a snail mill?

 

[derialc]

I've never heard of a snail mill either!

I think my main problem is that I'm a big softie and want to just keep the snails away without poisoning them, drowning the, melting them etc!!! Pine needles sound like an interesting alternative. Would bark mulch have the same effect I wonder? Do you need to keep spreading the needles or will one application last for a while?

 

[revolvingtoast]

This is exactly my problem. I feel bad for the little guys. I was recommended eggshells and sawdust but it seemed to make absolutely no difference.

I've heard good things about netting but have never tried it myself. Otherwise if you're willing to sacrifice them, planting marigolds will deter them away from your other plants.

 

[zigs]

The only language I speak is Texan. What is bitter beer? The opposite of sweet beer? The only beer we have in Texas is good beer. And what are slug pellets? Sounds like something a Texan would fire out of his shotgun. And I suppose a hedgepig is a young tender juicy succulent hedgehog? A snail mill? I have a food mill where I seperate skins and seeds from the fruit, so is a snail mill something to seperate the snail shell from the meat?

Translation :

Bitter Beer is flavoured with hops.

Slug pellets are made from Aluminium Sulphate ( I think) Slugs eat them and die, but they'll poison the Hegehogs and Frogs if they then eat the slugs

Snail mill is a concrete block and a section of clay drain pipe, it only separates the Snails from their Souls.

 

[Chuck]

Translation :

Bitter Beer is flavoured with hops.

Slug pellets are made from Aluminium Sulphate ( I think) Slugs eat them and die, but they'll poison the Hegehogs and Frogs if they then eat the slugs

Snail mill is a concrete block and a section of clay drain pipe, it only separates the Snails from their Souls.

Thanks for the translation. The best thing for slugs and snails over here is SluggoPlus. It is made with iron phosphate and spinosad, really good stuff. It is all over the internet. Kills sow bugs, cutworms, earwigs, slugs, snails and other underground bad guys, harmless to everybody else

 

[ChanellG]

I tried eggshells but it didn't work. I'm willing to give bitter beer a try, but I also think elevating pots and not having them sit on the ground where there's moisture to attract snails and slugs in the first place makes a difference. I've been putting mine on plant stands when I can and that seems to help. Still plan to try copper...

 

[Pat]

I was planning on using the crushed eggshells but I see you say it does not work. For now I will try raising them off the ground. I think I will look for some bait at the garden center to help with these pest.

 

[ChanellG]

@Pat, the whole idea of egg shells is that they are supposed to scratch their bellies, but I used the egg shell as a barrier by placing in around the plant to create a low wall and I still found snails on my plants. This was last year, and garden #2 is more plagued by slugs, but I've been able to just remove them by hand.