On Fri, 22 Aug 2003 10:14:10 GMT, Frogleg wrote:

You have obviously never poured salt on a slug and watched him fizz to
death. Obviously, since salt *is* bad for ground/plants, this isn't a
wholesale solution. But salt *does* kill slugs. I believe it has
something to do with instant and complete dehydration.

I've seen them shed their orange skin and go back off into the garden
if you don't use enough of it...you pour a tiny sprinkle or two and in
a few minutes it goes on its merry way. You have to pour a good
handful of salt on it and on the ground to finally kill it.

Dan

On Fri, 22 Aug 2003 14:11:27 GMT, Lar wrote:

A bit more toxic than roundup...but ya can't have the
fries without it.

Isn't this why California can't use well water and they're always
fighting over more water from neighboring states? Their own well
water table is heavily salted.

Dan

Why is salt bad for the yard? I have heard of people spreading epsom
salt on their yard. Also, I have used elemental sulfur to reduce the pH
in our yard (we seem to have the only alkaline yard in the area...before
the sulfur all my azaleas died...then I had the soil tested).

Heidi
Raleigh, NC

Heidi wrote:

Last week I set out a beer trap for the slugs which have been munching
down my sorrel. I was not able to trap any slugs into the beer traps,
however I caught numerous crickets each night in my beer filled yogurt
container. Frustrated, I turned to more inhumane means of ridding
myself of slugs. At the sight of two particularly large slugs on the
side of our house, I ran for the salt (not sure why I felt the need to
run, I don't think the slugs were going to run off on me). It was
cruel, but I took pleasure in tossing the salt onto the invasive and
destructive creatures. Two nights later, all my parsley has been
eaten down to the stems. My money is on the slug community. I think
they are exacting revenge.
Heidi

On Fri, 22 Aug 2003 20:50:41 GMT, Heidi
wrote:

Why is salt bad for the yard? I have heard of people spreading epsom
salt on their yard. Also, I have used elemental sulfur to reduce the pH
in our yard (we seem to have the only alkaline yard in the area...before
the sulfur all my azaleas died...then I had the soil tested).

Someone already posted the answer to this. NaCl (sodium chloride, or
regular ol' salt) renders soil unsuitable for plants. Salt was
historically used to poison the fields of an enemy population. Epsom
salt is magnesium sulfate, quite a different animal. And why would you
equate "elemental sulfer" with salt?

On Fri, 22 Aug 2003 13:43:43 GMT, "Phrederik"
wrote:

This sounds like table salt is just about as evil a RoundUp!!!

Much more toxic. The effects linger and are very hard to overcome.
Round-up just kills what it's sprayed on, and doesn't poison the soil.

Heidi wrote in
m:

Why is salt bad for the yard? I have heard of people spreading epsom
salt on their yard. Also, I have used elemental sulfur to reduce the
pH in our yard (we seem to have the only alkaline yard in the
area...before the sulfur all my azaleas died...then I had the soil
tested).

I think the technical answer is that sodium chloride, aka table salt
changes the osmotic pressure in the plant and so prevents water (and
therefore nutrients) from going to where they need to be. I've heard it
compared to people who have high blood pressure and high salt diets. I
suppose the extra chlorine can't be good either.

But the above might be a lot of hooey, as I'm not a botanist or chemist.

I don't know about epsom salts (magnesium sulfate), although I've jumped
on the bandwagon and given some to my tomatoes.

As for the sulphur, azaleas like acid soils and probably have problems
absorbing nutrients if the pH is too high.

-- Salty

"Frogleg" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 22 Aug 2003 13:43:43 GMT, "Phrederik"
wrote:

This sounds like table salt is just about as evil a RoundUp!!!

Much more toxic. The effects linger and are very hard to overcome.
Round-up just kills what it's sprayed on, and doesn't poison the soil.

But, does it kill slugs?

Bob

Another option would be to visit your local garden center and get a bag or
container of diatamatious (I am 100% sure that is spelled wrong - but close)
earth. It is a natural substance that you sprinkle around your plants - it
kills the slugs and is actually good for the garden. Now -m you slug lovers
might want to stop reading now because I'm going to explain how it does in
the little munchetrs. The "earth" has naturally very sharp edges to
igranular structure. The edges don't harm humans or larger animals (pets)
but literally cuts the belly out of the slugs when they crawl over it.
"Heidi" wrote in message
m...
Last week I set out a beer trap for the slugs which have been munching
down my sorrel. I was not able to trap any slugs into the beer traps,
however I caught numerous crickets each night in my beer filled yogurt
container. Frustrated, I turned to more inhumane means of ridding
myself of slugs. At the sight of two particularly large slugs on the
side of our house, I ran for the salt (not sure why I felt the need to
run, I don't think the slugs were going to run off on me). It was
cruel, but I took pleasure in tossing the salt onto the invasive and
destructive creatures. Two nights later, all my parsley has been eaten
down to the stems. My money is on the slug community. I think they are
exacting revenge.

Heidi

In article , (dstvns) writes:

A bit more toxic than roundup...but ya can't have the
fries without it.

Isn't this why California can't use well water and they're always
fighting over more water from neighboring states? Their own well
water table is heavily salted.

Dan


That's a pretty broad statement: California is a very big state.
There's a whole lot of California other than the Southern portion,
to which I imagine you are referring. Most of Northern California
uses wells very "well". Just about everyone up here has a well.
And even those who have city water use well water as all city
water comes from deep wells. It's very good water, too.

As for SoCal, there are a great many very complicated reasons
for their water problems. One simple reason is too many people
in what is essentially a desert. Not only fighting with neighboring
states, but within the state: ask the people in Owens Valley or
at Mono Lake about that! (Read Cadillac Desert)

Oh well enough of that, it's a nice cool morning, after a very hot
summer and I am going to weed and deadhead.

Emilie
NorCal (the "lost" California)

"DickLivy" wrote in message news:JCz1b.231666$uu5.44974@sccrnsc04...
Another option would be to visit your local garden center and get a bag or
container of diatamatious (I am 100% sure that is spelled wrong - but close)
earth. It is a natural substance that you sprinkle around your plants - it
kills the slugs and is actually good for the garden. Now -m you slug lovers
might want to stop reading now because I'm going to explain how it does in
the little munchetrs. The "earth" has naturally very sharp edges to
igranular structure. The edges don't harm humans or larger animals (pets)
but literally cuts the belly out of the slugs when they crawl over it.

From what I read, diatomaceous earth is good to kill insects, but it
becomes ineffective when wet. Slugs' "foot" is basically "wet" with a
mucuous covering.

I myself normally pick them up with a plastic fork, put them in a
transparent cup (like Starbucks cold drink) with water or even
fertilizer solution, then cover it with another cup so the slugs could
not crawl out. One or two days later I pour them back into the lawn
when I am convinced they are "no more". I wonder if someone else in
Pacific Northwest has tried this ...

Southern California does use ground water. I grew up on it. My
brother-in-law is president of a water company in Rialto that uses it.
Arrowhead lake has natural springs from which the water is(or was?) bottled
and sold. As Emelia stated there are many reasons for Southern California's
water problems.... all of them tied to overpopulation. The water that comes
from the Colorado river has the problem of having vast amounts of fertilizer
dumped into it(not literally ... figuratively) and taste as such...
Basically we have too many people on earth to sustain the way of life that
Americans live. We are approximately 5% of the worlds population and we use
~25% of its resources.




"MLEBLANCA" wrote in message
...
In article , (dstvns)
writes:

A bit more toxic than roundup...but ya can't have the
fries without it.

Isn't this why California can't use well water and they're always
fighting over more water from neighboring states? Their own well
water table is heavily salted.

Dan


That's a pretty broad statement: California is a very big state.
There's a whole lot of California other than the Southern portion,
to which I imagine you are referring. Most of Northern California
uses wells very "well". Just about everyone up here has a well.
And even those who have city water use well water as all city
water comes from deep wells. It's very good water, too.

As for SoCal, there are a great many very complicated reasons
for their water problems. One simple reason is too many people
in what is essentially a desert. Not only fighting with neighboring
states, but within the state: ask the people in Owens Valley or
at Mono Lake about that! (Read Cadillac Desert)

Oh well enough of that, it's a nice cool morning, after a very hot
summer and I am going to weed and deadhead.

Emilie
NorCal (the "lost" California)