I know we discussed this earlier -- and I am not so sure if it is an urban
legend .... but snails and slugs have been munching on my strawberries ( even
with snail bait all around it). Today, I got a couple of pounds for ground
coffee and sprinkled it on my strawberry patch. Fingers crossed.

/z.

So far coffee has worked for me. I even misted my plants with a light tea
spray-and so far so good.
hope you have the same luck

"Zphysics1" wrote in message
...

I know we discussed this earlier -- and I am not so sure if it is an urban
legend .... but snails and slugs have been munching on my strawberries (
even
with snail bait all around it). Today, I got a couple of pounds for
ground
coffee and sprinkled it on my strawberry patch. Fingers crossed.

/z.


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To find tons of stuff on coffee & slugs, go to http://www.google.com and
type "coffee & slugs" into the search box.




Subject: coffee for snails



I know we discussed this earlier -- and I am not so sure if it is an urban
legend .... but snails and slugs have been munching on my strawberries (
even
with snail bait all around it). Today, I got a couple of pounds for
ground
coffee and sprinkled it on my strawberry patch. Fingers crossed.

/z.
"Zphysics1" wrote in message
...

I know we discussed this earlier -- and I am not so sure if it is an urban
legend .... but snails and slugs have been munching on my strawberries (
even
with snail bait all around it). Today, I got a couple of pounds for
ground
coffee and sprinkled it on my strawberry patch. Fingers crossed.

/z.

that's it! i am pulling out my strawberries and putting them in strawberry
pots. my strawberries were all muched up this morning -- snail bait nor coffee
weren't helpful .

/z.

something ate my Dill last night too...I share you pain.
"Zphysics1" wrote in message
...
that's it! i am pulling out my strawberries and putting them in
strawberry
pots. my strawberries were all muched up this morning -- snail bait nor
coffee
weren't helpful .

/z.


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Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.473 / Virus Database: 271 - Release Date: 4/17/2003

If you can stand a bit of chem- mix 50-50 flour [any kind] and Sevin.
Store in a small cellar that has a closed extra cap [like oderless spice
jar] taping closed most of the holes; very tight cover. Put a pinhead
size dot about 4" apart [snails, slugs dont go very far!] Its a bait.
Repeat when necessary.

Also works for sowbugs, many stem eating beetles. etc.

My small small amt of mix has lasted 4 years- lots left to use/

On Fri, 18 Apr 2003 23:29:21 +0000, Zphysics1 wrote:


I know we discussed this earlier -- and I am not so sure if it is an
urban legend .... but snails and slugs have been munching on my
strawberries ( even with snail bait all around it). Today, I got a
couple of pounds for ground coffee and sprinkled it on my strawberry
patch. Fingers crossed.

/z.


Not an urban legend. I've been using it for two years. I can definitely
vouch for its efficacy in my garden.

Prior to using it, I had already replanted my slug food, err, beans 3
times. I had used, with success, the ferrous sulphate granules, but I was
concerned about adding those nutrients in excess as I applied them
repeatedly. I stumbled across some research from the Univ. of Hawaii
regarding caffeine and amphibians and extrapolated that (point of entry
was the skin) to slugs and ZAPPO! ... I've seen exactly two slugs since.

One in 2002.
One this past growing season (2003).
The slug I saw a couple weeks ago was a good 2" long ... not the usual
variety I am familiar with. I didn't test his response to caffeine and I
hadn't applied any since early spring so I can't begin to form an opinion
as to whether he was resistant to it. I have seen no additional damage. I
am willing to tolerate modest amounts of damage in order to maintain
biological diversity in my garden, but I am not interested in losing weeks
of of (re)planting time to slugs.

Whilst posting as NOYDB I let rec.gardens.edible know what I had found. I
also want to emphasize that I have seen no earthworm die-off. In fact, my
soil is positively rife with the little squirmy things ... I can barely
scoop up a handful without finding 2-3 of 'em. I think the earthworms can
wait out the caffeine by staying below ground for a few days until the
coast clears and then they show their well-known affinity for the spent
coffee grounds. From my perspective, this is a win-win situation in that I
do bad things to the slugs and good things for the earthworms.

Bill

On Fri, 18 Apr 2003 23:29:21 +0000, Zphysics1 wrote:


I know we discussed this earlier -- and I am not so sure if it is an
urban legend .... but snails and slugs have been munching on my
strawberries ( even with snail bait all around it). Today, I got a
couple of pounds for ground coffee and sprinkled it on my strawberry
patch. Fingers crossed.

/z.


Not an urban legend. I've been using it for two years. I can definitely
vouch for its efficacy in my garden.

Prior to using it, I had already replanted my slug food, err, beans 3
times. I had used, with success, the ferrous sulphate granules, but I was
concerned about adding those nutrients in excess as I applied them
repeatedly. I stumbled across some research from the Univ. of Hawaii
regarding caffeine and amphibians and extrapolated that (point of entry
was the skin) to slugs and ZAPPO! ... I've seen exactly two slugs since.

One in 2002.
One this past growing season (2003).
The slug I saw a couple weeks ago was a good 2" long ... not the usual
variety I am familiar with. I didn't test his response to caffeine and I
hadn't applied any since early spring so I can't begin to form an opinion
as to whether he was resistant to it. I have seen no additional damage. I
am willing to tolerate modest amounts of damage in order to maintain
biological diversity in my garden, but I am not interested in losing weeks
of of (re)planting time to slugs.

Whilst posting as NOYDB I let rec.gardens.edible know what I had found. I
also want to emphasize that I have seen no earthworm die-off. In fact, my
soil is positively rife with the little squirmy things ... I can barely
scoop up a handful without finding 2-3 of 'em. I think the earthworms can
wait out the caffeine by staying below ground for a few days until the
coast clears and then they show their well-known affinity for the spent
coffee grounds. From my perspective, this is a win-win situation in that I
do bad things to the slugs and good things for the earthworms.

Bill

On Sat, 01 Nov 2003 18:59:59 -0500, "Bill"
wrote:



Not an urban legend. I've been using it for two years. I can definitely
vouch for its efficacy in my garden.

Prior to using it, I had already replanted my slug food, err, beans 3
times. I had used, with success, the ferrous sulphate granules, but I was
concerned about adding those nutrients in excess as I applied them
repeatedly. I stumbled across some research from the Univ. of Hawaii
regarding caffeine and amphibians and extrapolated that (point of entry
was the skin) to slugs and ZAPPO! ... I've seen exactly two slugs since.

I'll give this a try next spring.

Can you give us an idea of the rate of application? I.e.,
how many ounces of coffee per square foot? Or how many cups
of (dry) coffee per how many square feet?

I've been using white vinegar on witch grass this fall, and
it seems to be killing it. Two applications have been
needed. I just put the vinegar in a small watering can, and
pour it out on to the witchgrass.

Pat
--
To email me, remove the spam trap and type my first
name in its place.

CLICK DAILY TO FEED THE HUNGRY
United States: http://www.stopthehunger.com/
International: http://www.thehungersite.com/

Tales of coffee killing slugs are not entirely true, caffine is toxic to them, but they cannot asorb anywhere near the ammount needed from a few coffee grounds on the soil. Caffine is also slow acting, thus a slug exposed to it's fatal level of caffine (by a method much more effective than coffee grounds) still has several hours of life left. Even if those circles of coffee around plants could be fatal, they would still have plenty of time to eat your plants anyway. The actual research that proved caffene killed them openly abmitted the results were minimal, only affected small immature slugs/snails (adults didn't even notice it), and was using a caffine concentration that you couldn't even make from store bought coffee.

It would be amusing, rather like the junk-science idea bottles of water ward off moles and stop annimals fouling in the garden, if it wasn't for the fact coffee grounds when over applied can make soil become acidic and will actually kill the plants it's suposed to protect in some cases. I've met people who put a circle of coffee around chalk soil plants every week all year long, then wonder why the leaves go brown and it looks sick! Of course, slugs actually eat ill plants first where possible (a *real* scientific fact) which causes the coffee wielding plant-killer to douse the unfortunate plant with even more acidic mulch to combat the slugs, who are aparently "eating it so much it's entirely dying!" which only makes their coffee applications more frantic and thicker.

The advocates of coffee grounds even try to pass it off as some kind of old time Granny's remedy, which is total junk as the lab tests which said caffeine could be fatal are not consistent with most old time remedys, in fact I think it was about the 1960's. I've had 50 year olds assure me their grandmother used it to kill slugs, I doubt his victorian era English grandmother drank coffee, and she certainly didn't know about the caffine tests in the 60's, in fact she probably didn't even know what caffeine was...

On Mon, 03 Nov 2003 15:17:44 +0000, Bry wrote:


Tales of coffee killing slugs are not entirely true, caffine is toxic
to them, but they cannot asorb anywhere near the ammount needed from a
few coffee grounds on the soil.

Well Bry, you never cited any sources and I did. Moreover, I am speaking
from direct experience. While most conversations regarding the use of
coffee grounds against slugs refer to 'spent' coffee grounds, what I have
reported dealt with applying a generous amount of 'fresh' coffee grounds
and I KNOW what results I get EVERY time I do this.

Take your theories and your holier than thou attitude and go outdoors.
While you are there, do some practical research.

Bill

Actually its more of a downward spiral for the snails. At first, the snails
only eat the coffee grounds at social events (parties). But then they begin
to need it every single day. The snails can't go 5 minutes without thinking
about coffee grounds. They usually end up losing their shells because they
can't pay the mortage (because they lost their jobs by stealing out of the
petty cash drawer). After a while, the whole garden knows the snails coffee
habit, and the only place that will hire them is the salt mines.