Hi all

What is the best thing to use to combat snails..?

Last year my poor red hot poker was destroyed by them. I dont know what the reasons were ie climate, less predators but I was totally inundated with them!

This year I want to be "armed and dangerous" and fully prepared!

Much appreciated

Gem

They're delicious cooked in garlic butter. :-)

Hi Gem, yes, the combination of a very warm April followed by a moist summer meant that slugs and snails had a field day last year ! Obviously there are pellets available but if like me your not keen on that approach you might like to try 'Liquid Sluggit' which you mix up in a can and water it on. It means that its safer for children and animals but you do need to re-apply it after rain as it
does wash off. What I do for my hostas etc is to wait until its been dark for an hour, go out and literally pick up the slugs and snails and dispose of them.
Obviously, this only works on a small scale but if its one plant that your protecting it might be an option. Another very good way is to use those 'slug pubs' filled with beer, the beer attracting the !!
There are also a myriad of 'in' methods of controlling slugs with using copper wire/tape, coffee grounds, egg shells, sharp sand etc etc. but if conditions suit, very few will work !!
Lannerman.

On Tue, 20 Mar 2012 16:48:38 +0000, Granity
wrote:


Gem;953763 Wrote:
Hi all

What is the best thing to use to combat snails..?

Last year my poor red hot poker was destroyed by them. I dont know what
the reasons were ie climate, less predators but I was totally inundated
with them!

This year I want to be "armed and dangerous" and fully prepared!

Much appreciated

Gem

They're delicious cooked in garlic butter. :-)

They don't seem to eat my pokers but they do love hiding in the leaves
I find. There's no real alternative to picking them off by hand I have
a little bucket filled with very salty water. Pick them off and drop
them in. Simples.

I used to put some in a container for thrushes to get at but for some
reason, all the thrushes have deserted me for the second year in a
row. Perhaps it was because I didn't cook the snails in garlic butter.

Cheers, Jake
=======================================
Urgling happily from the dryer end of Swansea Bay.