Cloud,

Thanks for the reply. First, what is DE? Is that, and forgive my
spelling, diatomaceous earth? If it is, we use that for the pool
filterafter backwashing. We get a 24 pound bag for $5 from Island
Recreational.

The snails and the slugs were so bad last year. We are putting down
mulch now and I also got 2 two cubic ft bags of cedar chips. I did
beer once and that is one disgusting mess.

What does the Bug-GETA do to the soil? All year round I eat
vegetables fro the supermarkets and god knows what's on that. I
appreciate that you try to stay chemical free but I'm try to just use
those that aren't super hamful.

Last year in addition to the slugs and snails we had these flee
looking things that ate leaves. We planted 4 zuchini plants and each
one yielded nothing, even though we could see the beginnings of very
nice zuchinis and last year we had mulch but it obviously wasn't
enough or it just didn't stop whatever was eating the zuchinis

My wife put down some stuff, which is at least 100 ft from the garden,
to keep rabits and squirrels away from all the annuals she puts out
around the pool, basically where the pool cover goes so you really
cannot put perenials there. I was thinking of using that poweer
around the outside of the vegetable garden but that one might be
really bad.

Of all the things I listed, there aren't any that are moderately safe?



On Tue, 30 May 2006 14:07:04 -0230, cloud dreamer
wrote:

Alan wrote:

Here is what I bought so far and please tell me if this stuff is bad.
I am on Long Island in NY and we have a slug and snail problem and I
think we had other insects last year but I don't remember which.

Sluggo and those productsd are not available here.



Maxide Slug & Snail Killer- Wife bought that for flowers



Ortho Bug-GETA - I bought that for the slugs and snails\


I've been gardening for years and have yet to need any chemical means to
control snails or slugs (or any insect). There are tons of non-toxic
alternatives. Mulch, rough lumber, copper barriers, landscape fabric,
beer traps, DE...the list goes on. Most of these alternatives (mulch,
lumber, copper) require little maintenance whereas your snail killers
have to be continuously reapplied.

(And I'm not a anti-chemical freak-a-zoid. I use fungicide on my
tomatoes and potatoes and will use a selective herbicide for some weeds
in the lawn...but if a non-toxic alternative exists and is effective,
I'll certainly use it.)

..

Zone 5a in Canada's Far East.