slug and snail control

[Snooze]

Does anyone know of an effective organic snail and slug control or atleast a
solution that relies on less pesticide.

I've tried the pan of beer method, and frankly it's area of affect is not
that wide. I'd rather not have to pepper the garden with half buried cans of
beer.

Using the shotgun approach with lines of Cory's or Ortho slug/snail bait
across the yard is highly effective and not as noticable as a pan or half
buried can of beer. And it often reminds me of the French Maginot Line

Sameer

--
Sameer

change the two in my email address to a 2, when replying

[Daniel Hanna]

In .net> Snooze wrote:
> And it often reminds me of the French Maginot Line

How 'de rigeur'! You must be a very senior rosarian! :-)

[SugarChile]

Ahh, spring must truly be on the way, if we are to talk again of slugs and
snails!!

Try "Sluggo" or the similar "Escargo". It's lethal to slugs, harmless to
mammals, and breaks down harmlessly in the garden. I've found it to be very
effective. It seems slightly expensive, but it goes a long way, and is a
lot better than messing around with tuna cans of beer.

Escargo is sold by Gardens Alive, do a google search to turn up places that
sell Sluggo.

To get a large infestation under control quickly, mix one part household
ammonia with 3 or four parts water in a spray bottle, go out at dusk, and
spritz individual slugs with it. It dissolves the slime coating and does
them in.

Sue, watching the snow fall *again*

Zone 6, Southcentral PA


"Snooze" > wrote in message
hlink.net...
> Does anyone know of an effective organic snail and slug control or atleast
a
> solution that relies on less pesticide.
>
> I've tried the pan of beer method, and frankly it's area of affect is not
> that wide. I'd rather not have to pepper the garden with half buried cans
of
> beer.
>
> Using the shotgun approach with lines of Cory's or Ortho slug/snail bait
> across the yard is highly effective and not as noticable as a pan or half
> buried can of beer. And it often reminds me of the French Maginot Line
>
> Sameer
>
> --
> Sameer
>
> change the two in my email address to a 2, when replying
>
>
>

[Allegra]

Snails traditionally breed in March so if you start your
seek and destroy campaign right now and persist in doing
so for a couple of years to come, it is almost a sure thing
that your escargot population will visibly decline.

I second the Sluggo suggestion; we have used it last year
with great success and our Hostas among other plants
were happier than we have ever seen them. And there is
also the flashlight and empty can brigade solution.
Get out after the sun goes down, empty can in one
hand and flashlight in the other and collect the escargot
by hand, cheaper and no damage to the environment
except perhaps to one's perception of the garden ;>)

Allegra
in wet, wet Portland Oregon

[ALEX MacGILLIVRAY]

Xref: news7 rec.gardens.roses:89171 rec.gardens:209380

I sprinkle my used coffee grounds among the hostas and have seen no damage
to the plants for the past two years this has been done.

[mmarteen]

What about copper tape around the affected area? I am going to try that this
year in a raised bed.

mm

"ALEX MacGILLIVRAY" > wrote in message
...
> I sprinkle my used coffee grounds among the hostas and have seen no damage
> to the plants for the past two years this has been done.
>
>

[Snooze]

"Daniel Hanna" > wrote in message
home.com.au...
> In .net> Snooze wrote:
> > And it often reminds me of the French Maginot Line
>
> How 'de rigeur'! You must be a very senior rosarian! :-)

There is a distinct line of snail shells along the lines of snail bait. I'm
just glad a smart snail hasn't stood up on a rock and shouted "hey guys, we
can just go around this brown stuff"

[Daniel Hanna]

In .net> Snooze wrote:
>> How 'de rigeur'! You must be a very senior rosarian! :-)
>
> There is a distinct line of snail shells along the lines of snail bait.
> I'm just glad a smart snail hasn't stood up on a rock and shouted "hey
> guys, we can just go around this brown stuff"

They mustn't be a German species then. Good luck with the invaders.

[Fleemo]

> Does anyone know of an effective organic snail and slug control or atleast a
> solution that relies on less pesticide.

I use some stuff called Worry Free Slug & Snail. It's basically iron
phosphate which is harmless to humans, pets, and other critters, and
even adds nutrients to the soil once it breaks down. It's a win-win
situation and seems to work very well for me.

-Fleemo

[Maryanne]

Where do you buy it? Who makes it?

regards

Maryanne
"Fleemo" > wrote in message
om...
> > Does anyone know of an effective organic snail and slug control or
atleast a
> > solution that relies on less pesticide.
>
> I use some stuff called Worry Free Slug & Snail. It's basically iron
> phosphate which is harmless to humans, pets, and other critters, and
> even adds nutrients to the soil once it breaks down. It's a win-win
> situation and seems to work very well for me.
>
> -Fleemo

[Daniel Hanna]

In > Fleemo wrote:
> I picked it up at my local nursery. The name of the company is Worry
> Free. I don't have any experience with these, but as I understand it,
> the active ingredient in "Sluggo," and "Escar-Go!" is iron phosphate
> as well. If you can't find Worry Free Slug and Snail, go with one of
> those two instead. You can find Sluggo online at
> http://www.gardeners.com/sell.asp?ProdGroupID=12755&CMP=IL8894

Don't any American remedies use rotenone as the active ingredient?
Snails aren't really a problem here in Australia - they don't eat roses
anyway - but if you must kill them then any Rotenone bait causes them to
mass suicide.

[Radika Kesavan]

Daniel Hanna wrote:

> Don't any American remedies use rotenone as the active ingredient?
> Snails aren't really a problem here in Australia - they don't eat roses
> anyway - but if you must kill them then any Rotenone bait causes them to
> mass suicide.

Rotenone is sold as an insecticide here, and metaldehyde was the product
used for mass suicide of snails and slugs until Iron Phosphate slug
baits came on. I have never heard of rotenone being used to poison
slugs, but since it is toxic to fish, may be it is toxic to molluscs as
well.

However, at the start of this thread, Sameer said something to the
effect of wanting an effective organic snail and slug control or
atleast a solution that relies on less pesticide. It also appeared that
he knew of slug baits that cause results that remind him of the French
Maginot Line, so, everyone seems to be focussed on recommending Iron
Phosphate slug baits to him.

--
Radika
California
USDA 9 / Sunset 15

[Daniel Hanna]

In > Jane wrote:
> Hi Sameer, I just read on another gardening group that if you sprinkle
> ground, un brewed coffee around the garden it will kill slugs.

Coffee trees produce caffeine as a self-defence insecticide. This is
why coffee from different regions has different levels of caffeine,
varying with the amount of predators.

One of these days I'll try some of my old instant coffee on my roses to
see what it does for aphids and mites.

[Jane]

Thanks for your clarification paghat.
Why waste good coffee on unappreciative slime anyway.


Jane
"paghat" > wrote in message
...
> In article >, "Jane"
> > wrote:
>
> > Hi Sameer, I just read on another gardening group that if you sprinkle
> > ground, un brewed coffee around the garden it will kill slugs.
> > Jane
>
> Not exactly. If you SPRAY a 1 to 3 percent solution of caffeine ALL OVER a
> plant, the solution may damage the plant, but when the slugs have finished
> eating it, the BABY slugs & snails will die, so that in the long run there
> will be fewer slugs to reach adulthood. It does not kill adult slugs &
> snails; it does not stop any slug or snail from eating the plant; it has
> zero prophelatic value. It just lowers the slug population over time.
>
> The Hilo study has been widely misrepresented, since it did not run tests
> on coffee or on coffeegrounds, but on a caffein solution sprayed all over
> the subject plants. Plus the findings are clear that this method does NOT
> stop slugs from eating plants, it just kills the youngest ones that do so.
>
>
> The many "it works for me!" testimonials appear to be poor observation of
> the many things that influence slug activity -- temperature, humidity,
> rainfall, time of year & slant of sun as season progresses, age height &
> accessibility of plants, & what choice things are available to eat at any
> given time -- but if someone just broadcast some worthless spent
> coffeegrounds & there's no slug activity the rest of the week, none of the
> actual factors are even considered.
>
> The grounds do at least provide a mild slow-release acidifying fertilizer,
> so no harm done by the practice unless it is repeated so often that the
> whole surface ofd the ground is covered with mold. Folklore dies a hard
> death, however, so expect testimonials to continue pretty much forever "I
> spread coffeegrounds under my hostas & have never had slugs again!" It's
> like those alternate-medicine treatments for cancer that have plenty of
> testimonials from people soon after dead -- because it is human nature
> that belief trumps reality.
>
> http://www.paghat.com/coffeeslugs.html
>
> -paghat the ratgirl
>
>
> > "Snooze" > wrote in message
> > hlink.net...
> > > Does anyone know of an effective organic snail and slug control or
atleast
> > a
> > > solution that relies on less pesticide.
> > >
> > > I've tried the pan of beer method, and frankly it's area of affect is
not
> > > that wide. I'd rather not have to pepper the garden with half buried
cans
> > of
> > > beer.
> > >
> > > Using the shotgun approach with lines of Cory's or Ortho slug/snail
bait
> > > across the yard is highly effective and not as noticable as a pan or
half
> > > buried can of beer. And it often reminds me of the French Maginot Line
> > >
> > > Sameer
> > >
> > > --
> > > Sameer
> > >
> > > change the two in my email address to a 2, when replying
> > >
> > >
>
> --
> "Of what are you afraid, my child?" inquired the kindly teacher.
> "Oh, sir! The flowers, they are wild," replied the timid creature.
> -from Peter Newell's "Wild Flowers"
> See the Garden of Paghat the Ratgirl: http://www.paghat.com/

[Carolyn Jean Fairman]

mmarteen > wrote:
>What about copper tape around the affected area? I am going to try that this
>year in a raised bed.
>
>mm

I swear by this. I had two raised beds last time, 4' x 6' and I ran
the copper tape around the top edge. I would recommend sanding the
wood a little so the tape adheres well and that you wear gloves. The
thin copper edge will slice you easily and deeply.

I had NO slugs or snails disturb my bush beans, sugar snap peas or
eggplants (ok, maybe they didn't want the eggplants). It was amazing.
Certainly the garden has thousands of the things, so I concluded that
the tape worked. I'm putting in 3 more raised beds for veggies this
year and all will get the tape. I think it should last several
seasons.

I also use Sluggo in the beds, around plants I know the slugs love to
eat down to the ground. It works pretty well.

--Carolyn


--
Carolyn Fairman
http://www.stanford.edu/~cfairman/

[Zphysics1]

<<
I also use Sluggo in the beds, around plants I know the slugs love to
eat down to the ground. It works pretty well.

--Carolyn >>


What is 'sluggo'?
I use Cory's Snail Bait which claims that it can be used safely around
vegetables . My snow peas are being devastated by slugs. Interestingly enough,
they haven't attacked the newly planted roses. I am in a new place and am not
too familiar with garden denizens yet -- since I am starting a new garden from
scratch.

/z.
Los Angeles

[slackjeep]

(Zphysics1) wrote in message >...
> <<
> I also use Sluggo in the beds, around plants I know the slugs love to
> eat down to the ground. It works pretty well.
>
> --Carolyn >>
>
>
> What is 'sluggo'?
> I use Cory's Snail Bait which claims that it can be used safely around
> vegetables . My snow peas are being devastated by slugs. Interestingly enough,
> they haven't attacked the newly planted roses. I am in a new place and am not
> too familiar with garden denizens yet -- since I am starting a new garden from
> scratch.
>
> /z.
> Los Angeles

i heard something about putting some beer in a shallow pan. my
father-in-law tried this and he swears it worked. not sure why, the
snails get drunk and forget where they were?? anyone hear of this?

Dorys

[Jane Lumley]

In article >, slackjeep
> writes
(Zphysics1) wrote in message news:<20030223022421.22723.000000
>...
>> <<
>> I also use Sluggo in the beds, around plants I know the slugs love to
>> eat down to the ground. It works pretty well.
>>
>> --Carolyn >>
>>
>>
>> What is 'sluggo'?
>> I use Cory's Snail Bait which claims that it can be used safely around
>> vegetables . My snow peas are being devastated by slugs. Interestingly enough,
>> they haven't attacked the newly planted roses. I am in a new place and am not
>> too familiar with garden denizens yet -- since I am starting a new garden from
>> scratch.
>>
>> /z.
>> Los Angeles
>
>i heard something about putting some beer in a shallow pan. my
>father-in-law tried this and he swears it worked. not sure why, the
>snails get drunk and forget where they were?? anyone hear of this?

Yes, it's popular with the organic brigade, who call it a Slug Pub. The
idea is that the little dears smell the brew, fall in and drown. Then
you clean them out and start again. Never works for me.
>
>Dorys

--
Jane Lumley

[NTANTIQUES]

Just a quick reminder to remember your pets when using snail bait. Just when I
think everyone knows this, I get a tearful call from a friend who's new puppy
is fighting for her life at the vet's after ingesting a small amount of pellet
type snail bait...looks waaay too edible to be safely used around pets or small
children.

NT
>
>>> I also use Sluggo in the beds, around plants I know the slugs love to
>>> eat down to the ground. It works pretty well.
>>>
>>> --Carolyn >>
>>>
>>>
>>> What is 'sluggo'?
>>> I use Cory's Snail Bait which claims that it can be used safely around
>>> vegetables . My snow peas are being devastated by slugs. Interestingly
>enough,
>>> they haven't attacked the newly planted roses. I am in a new place and am
>not
>>> too familiar with garden denizens yet -- since I am starting a new garden
>from
>>> scratch.
>>>
>>> /z.
>>> Los Angeles
>>
>>i heard something about putting some beer in a shallow pan. my
>>father-in-law tried this and he swears it worked. not sure why, the
>>snails get drunk and forget where they were?? anyone hear of this?
>
>Yes, it's popular with the organic brigade, who call it a Slug Pub. The
>idea is that the little dears smell the brew, fall in and drown. Then
>you clean them out and start again. Never works for me.
>>
>>Dorys
>
>--
>Jane Lumley
>
>
>
>
>
>

[George D]

Snooze wrote:
>
> Does anyone know of an effective organic snail and slug control or atleast a
> solution that relies on less pesticide.
>
> I've tried the pan of beer method, and frankly it's area of affect is not
> that wide. I'd rather not have to pepper the garden with half buried cans of
> beer.
>
> Using the shotgun approach with lines of Cory's or Ortho slug/snail bait
> across the yard is highly effective and not as noticable as a pan or half
> buried can of beer. And it often reminds me of the French Maginot Line
>

If there is a trail you can find, salt it with table salt. This dries the slime and does away with
the snails. You can also salt them individually if you can find them and there are not to many of
them.

--
George D
Phoenix, AZ

The reward for a good deed is to have done it.

Please use this address to mail me. Or remove the arizona in the link.
Remember there is no Arizona.


ALL emails incoming and outgoing are run thru Norton and AVG anti virus.

[BT]

"Snooze" > wrote in message
hlink.net...
> Does anyone know of an effective organic snail and slug control or atleast a
> solution that relies on less pesticide.

Sure, buy a couple of ducks...they control the slugs and give your garden some
fertilizer at the same time.

BT






>
> I've tried the pan of beer method, and frankly it's area of affect is not
> that wide. I'd rather not have to pepper the garden with half buried cans of
> beer.
>
> Using the shotgun approach with lines of Cory's or Ortho slug/snail bait
> across the yard is highly effective and not as noticable as a pan or half
> buried can of beer. And it often reminds me of the French Maginot Line
>
> Sameer
>
> --
> Sameer
>
> change the two in my email address to a 2, when replying
>
>

[Molvik Family]

I am brand-new to the group and not very knowledgeable about roses (yet),
but I do know about slug control. As many have suggested, beer in a very
shallow pan will attract slugs, the climb in, and are killed by the SALT in
the beer. you could try putting salt around any plant you don't want to
have violated, but I have NO idea what the salt would do to the plant you
are trying to protect. Another very good idea is to take broken egg shells
and place around the plant in question. When the slimy little beasts try to
get to your plant, they slice their little bellies to shreds, and will avoid
the area in the future. I have seen this done successfully.

--
JJMolvik
"If you're gonna be stupid, you'd better be lucky!"