Did I use too much snail bait?
 

Hello, all: I'm a new homeowner and first-time gardener so you'll have to
forgive questions that no doubt will seem naive and silly.

In any event, I bought some Safer's Slug and Snail Bait because I have
snails in my front garden. Which has some assorted annual and perennial
plants and flowers in it. The box says that it contains ferric phosphate
at .76%.

I spread these pellets throughout the garden, but was a bit concerned that
I had used too much. It's hard to say in a newsgroup how much is "too
much" (like "there are on average 97 pellets per square foot"). For the
sake of argument, let's say I did use too much. Will these pellets hurt my
plants?

I'm not excited about the idea of going out there with a teaspoon and
fishing most of the pellets out.

Many thanks for any information!

David in Toronto

"WPB" wrote in message
...
Hello, all: I'm a new homeowner and first-time gardener so you'll have to
forgive questions that no doubt will seem naive and silly.

In any event, I bought some Safer's Slug and Snail Bait because I have
snails in my front garden. Which has some assorted annual and perennial
plants and flowers in it. The box says that it contains ferric phosphate
at .76%.

I spread these pellets throughout the garden, but was a bit concerned that
I had used too much. It's hard to say in a newsgroup how much is "too
much" (like "there are on average 97 pellets per square foot"). For the
sake of argument, let's say I did use too much. Will these pellets hurt
my
plants?

I'm not excited about the idea of going out there with a teaspoon and
fishing most of the pellets out.

Many thanks for any information!

David in Toronto

Were the snails harming your plants?

Were the snails harming your plants?

Yes, eating the flowers in the little bit of summer gardening I had last
year after moving in.

"WPB" wrote in message
...
Were the snails harming your plants?

Yes, eating the flowers in the little bit of summer gardening I had last
year after moving in.

If the active ingredient in your slug and snail bait was iron phosphate, 1%,
then the application rate on the stuff I use says one tablespoon per square
yard.

you will be fine. the stuff is extremely diluted. I am guessing that
even a pound per 10 square feet would be OK, if there is any organic
matter in the soil. I use the same bait and I am guessing 50 to 100
pellets per square foot is my dose, once a year, right now.

"WPB" wrote in message
...
Were the snails harming your plants?

Yes, eating the flowers in the little bit of summer gardening I had last
year after moving in.

Well, if the poison makes you nervous, and you have a friend with a
fireplace, ask them to save you some ashes. It annoys slugs and snails.
Obviously, not the precise effect you're looking for, but still......

Many thanks to everyone for the information and advice.

Eventually I'll learn everything I need to know about my garden . . . . in
about ten years or so.

David
____________________________________________

you will be fine. the stuff is extremely diluted. I am guessing that
even a pound per 10 square feet would be OK, if there is any organic
matter in the soil. I use the same bait and I am guessing 50 to 100
pellets per square foot is my dose, once a year, right now.

In article , WPB
wrote:

Eventually I'll learn everything I need to know about my garden . . . . in
about ten years or so.

David

Not even world-famous gardeners, landscape designers, & horticulturalists
who have devoted their whole lives to gardening ever learn everything they
need to know.

-paghat the ratgirl
--
Get your Paghat the Ratgirl T-Shirt he
http://www.paghat.com/giftshop.html
"In every country and in every age, the priest has been hostile to
liberty. He is always in alliance with the despot." -Thomas Jefferson

At what application rate did the label on the container say to apply
these slug pellets?

wrote in message
oups.com...
At what application rate did the label on the container say to apply
these slug pellets?


Don't be a smartass. Nobody reads instructions. :-)

Don't be a smartass. Nobody reads instructions. :-)

Ha! Not true. *I* read the instructions . . . . . after applying the slug
bait.

The instructions said to apply 5 grams per cubic meter. The box is 500
grams. So about 100th of a box/cubic meter. I applied a lot more than
that. But 5 grams (which to me would be about 5 pellets per cubic meter)
just didn't seem like enough. I'd say I laid about 50 pellets/cubic meter.

David

This is why there should be a test at point of sale for pesticides!
No doubt some group would claim discrimination against dyslexics and
idiots.
Really difficult questions like- - -
How many fingers am I holding up.
Which is bigger a teaspoon or a tablespoon.
If a teaspoon is 5 cc how many cc are 2 teaspoons
What is a respirator
What telephone number is 911
Whose telephone number is this- 1-800-222-1222

"WPB" wrote in message
...
Hello, all: I'm a new homeowner and first-time gardener so you'll have to
forgive questions that no doubt will seem naive and silly.

In any event, I bought some Safer's Slug and Snail Bait because I have
snails in my front garden. Which has some assorted annual and perennial
plants and flowers in it. The box says that it contains ferric phosphate
at .76%.

I spread these pellets throughout the garden, but was a bit concerned that
I had used too much. It's hard to say in a newsgroup how much is "too
much" (like "there are on average 97 pellets per square foot"). For the
sake of argument, let's say I did use too much. Will these pellets hurt
my
plants?


I've found that you don't need to shotgun the entire yard with snail bait
for it to be effective. There are typically only key areas where you
want/need snail bait, such as near roses, flower gardens, near key plants.
Surprisingly you don't need a lot of bait to do the job, the snails/slugs do
a good job of finding the bait on their own.

Also if you have dogs or small children, consider using the powdered
version, instead of the pellets, until the pellets soak up enough water to
turn into a clump of sawdust you run the risk of a kid or pet thinking it's
something tasty to eat. I like the powdered kind, because I can take an old
laundry soap cup and use it to lightly dust the stuff around and get better
coverage with less product.

If you drink coffee, the old coffee grounds supposedly works as a repellent.

-S

It all depends if you intend to use it to kill snails or fertilize your
garden with it.

How many times over do you intend to kill the snails? Don't you know you can
only kill them once?


"WPB" wrote in message
...
Hello, all: I'm a new homeowner and first-time gardener so you'll have to
forgive questions that no doubt will seem naive and silly.

In any event, I bought some Safer's Slug and Snail Bait because I have
snails in my front garden. Which has some assorted annual and perennial
plants and flowers in it. The box says that it contains ferric phosphate
at .76%.

I spread these pellets throughout the garden, but was a bit concerned that
I had used too much. It's hard to say in a newsgroup how much is "too
much" (like "there are on average 97 pellets per square foot"). For the
sake of argument, let's say I did use too much. Will these pellets hurt
my
plants?

I'm not excited about the idea of going out there with a teaspoon and
fishing most of the pellets out.

Many thanks for any information!

David in Toronto

Yeah, by then you would have killed everything!!!!


"WPB" wrote in message
...
Many thanks to everyone for the information and advice.

Eventually I'll learn everything I need to know about my garden . . . . in
about ten years or so.

David
____________________________________________

you will be fine. the stuff is extremely diluted. I am guessing that
even a pound per 10 square feet would be OK, if there is any organic
matter in the soil. I use the same bait and I am guessing 50 to 100
pellets per square foot is my dose, once a year, right now.