Much has been written in various coffee forums over the years, regarding
research done by Robert Hollingsworth's at the USDA facility in Hilo Hawaii.
The killer effects of caffeine on slugs and snails appeared in 'Nature' on
the 27 June 02 :-
http://www.nature.com/news/2002/0206...s020624-8.html
http://preview.tinyurl.com/6f54hoq

They used a drench containing 1 - 2% caffeine. This is quite strong, perhaps
20 - 40 times the strength found in a cuppa Joe, which only contains about
0.05% caffeine. However it did state that only "0.01% caffeine puts the
pests off their dinner". This being only one fifth the
amount found in a cup of instant.

On the downside is the comment by Notts Uni about the likely harmful effects
on beneficial insects. This has to be weighed against the possible adverse
effects of Metaldehyde (blue pellets) added to the soil.

If anyone wishes to experiment with coffee, I would suggest making up a
strong solution of say, 10 rounded teaspoonful's of instant to a lire of
warm water. If you are about to buy instant coffee, go for the cheapest
brands available. These are likely to be Robusta coffee from Vietnam. Avoid
Arabica coffee, it tastes nicer, but it has a lower caffeine content.

I don't drink instant, but since November, I've been saving the spent
grounds and pucks from my cafetiere and espresso machine. I boiled up about
2 kilos and added to 5 litres of water. The day before spraying (in late
June) I found under a piece of slate) a medium sized light brown slug, a
giant dark brown and a garden snail. Here's what happened:-

2 slugs and one snail get woken with coffee
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7913357...in/photostream

Rapid exit of all 3 but slugs trail their innards
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7913357...in/photostream

Pot overlaid to keep off sun
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7913357...in/photostream

Next morning, slugs have dissolved, but snails survived in roof of flowerpot
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7913357...in/photostream

Ok so 6 weeks ago I sprayed my lettuce, courgettes and dwarf beans. So far
no slug damage despite the torrents of rain of late. Snails have been
deterred, but I noticed one or two visiting this pm, so I will make up
another batch tomorrow. Enjoy your supper.
Bertie

g'day bertie,

we've used coffee for snail/slug controlm usually buy the el-cheepo
instant then mix it to road tar strenght sort of, and spray it around
the base of the plant and the adjacent soil need re-application after
rain/watering, we find it works best on the youngest slimmies.

can't imagine any beneficials suffering, as we apply it just before
dusk to work through the night.

On Sat, 13 Aug 2011 18:59:01 +0100, "Bertie Doe"
wrote:

snipped
--

Matthew 25:13 KJV
"Watch therefore, for ye know neither
the day nor the hour wherein the Son
of man cometh"

Mark 13:33 "Take ye heed, watch and pray:
for ye know not when the time is".

and also: Isaiah 38:1&17-18 KJV

1: Thus saith the Lord, set thine house in order: for thou shalt die and not live.
17: for thou hast cast all my sins behind my back.
18: For the grave cannot praise thee, death cannot celebrate thee: they that go down in the pit cannot hope for truth.

len

With peace and brightest of blessings,

"Seek truth and understanding will follow"

http://www.lensgarden.com.au/

"gardenlen" wrote in message
...

g'day bertie,

we've used coffee for snail/slug controlm usually buy the el-cheepo
instant then mix it to road tar strenght sort of, and spray it around
the base of the plant and the adjacent soil need re-application after
rain/watering, we find it works best on the youngest slimmies.

can't imagine any beneficials suffering, as we apply it just before
dusk to work through the night.

On Sat, 13 Aug 2011 18:59:01 +0100, "Bertie Doe"

Thanks Len, I thought it was too hot and dry in Oz for slugs. One of my
neighbours loves Hostas, but she refuses to use slugs pellets. She's getting
cheesed off using a torch and salt-cellar and is going to give 'em a coffee
treat instead.

On Sun, 14 Aug 2011 04:42:20 +1000, gardenlen
wrote:

g'day bertie,

we've used coffee for snail/slug controlm usually buy the el-cheepo
instant then mix it to road tar strenght sort of, and spray it around
the base of the plant and the adjacent soil need re-application after
rain/watering, we find it works best on the youngest slimmies.

can't imagine any beneficials suffering, as we apply it just before
dusk to work through the night.

On Sat, 13 Aug 2011 18:59:01 +0100, "Bertie Doe"
wrote:

snipped

Have you tried the garlic spray method discussed here recently? I'm
currently using it on hostas.

Pam in Bristol

On 13/08/2011 19:42, gardenlen wrote:
g'day bertie,

we've used coffee for snail/slug controlm usually buy the el-cheepo
instant then mix it to road tar strenght sort of, and spray it around
the base of the plant and the adjacent soil need re-application after
rain/watering, we find it works best on the youngest slimmies.


Having watched the buggers crawling across a mountain of lime last
night, I've given up trying to protect my chrysanths

On Sun, 14 Aug 2011 11:50:16 +0200, Martin wrote:
Let them drink Heineken.

Sooner them than me!



--
Bob Harvey

"Robert E A Harvey" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 14 Aug 2011 11:50:16 +0200, Martin wrote:
Let them drink Heineken.

Sooner them than me!



--
Bob Harvey

Not had much trouble with slugs or snails this year. UK midlands.
I put it down to the hard frosts we had round here last Winter, down
to -14degC.

On 14/08/2011 22:13, Martin wrote:
On Sun, 14 Aug 2011 13:23:57 +0000 (UTC), Robert E A Harvey
wrote:

On Sun, 14 Aug 2011 11:50:16 +0200, Martin wrote:
Let them drink Heineken.

Sooner them than me!

Exactly -)

One thing I have observed is that washing off their slime trails seems
to disorientate them slightly so that they wander about aimlessly rather
than honing in on the previous night's feast.
Also, I wonder if that slime somehow suffocates plants. I'm washing it
off each morning to see if anything recovers

On 15/08/2011 12:11, Martin wrote:
On Mon, 15 Aug 2011 10:30:39 +0100, stuart noble
wrote:

On 14/08/2011 22:13, Martin wrote:
On Sun, 14 Aug 2011 13:23:57 +0000 (UTC), Robert E A Harvey
wrote:

On Sun, 14 Aug 2011 11:50:16 +0200, Martin wrote:
Let them drink Heineken.

Sooner them than me!

Exactly -)

One thing I have observed is that washing off their slime trails seems
to disorientate them slightly so that they wander about aimlessly rather
than honing in on the previous night's feast.

I've noticed the same thing with local Heineken drinkers.

Can Heineken really be the cheapest source of alcohol these days?
There was a time when Carlsberg Special Brew (aka "Easy Start") was the
clear market leader, but I notice Lidl's cider seems popular nowadays.
Anyone got the latest statistics?

"Robert E A Harvey" wrote in message ...

On Sun, 14 Aug 2011 11:50:16 +0200, Martin wrote:
Let them drink Heineken.

Sooner them than me!

Give them cake!! Cheaper still, next time you go to the big city, give
Starbucks a ring and they will supply huge amounts of spent coffee grounds.
Howard Shultz (owner in the States), prefers the cafes to give it away for
gardening purposes, rather than it dumped in an infill site.
I phoned a couple of branches today, Bullring Brum and Deansgate Manchester
and they confirmed that it's also UK policy. They did request that you phone
them beforehand, so they can set some aside.

I use stockinette (polishing) roll. Cut off a metre, place into 2 Kg grounds
and knot each end. Place in stock-pot, pour over 3 litres of boiling water,
bring back to the boil and allow to cool. You can then top this up to 5
litres. Don't be tempted to squeeze the juice out of the stockinette, the
grinds are very fine and may clog your sprayer.

I've found that the spent (twice) grounds are neutral acidity and make a
great mulch:-
http://www.sustainableenterprises.co...coffeefert.htm

Bertie

"Bertie Doe" wrote in
:

Much has been written in various coffee forums over the years,
regarding research done by Robert Hollingsworth's at the USDA facility
in Hilo Hawaii. The killer effects of caffeine on slugs and snails
appeared in 'Nature' on the 27 June 02 :-
http://www.nature.com/news/2002/0206...s020624-8.html
http://preview.tinyurl.com/6f54hoq

They used a drench containing 1 - 2% caffeine. This is quite strong,
perhaps 20 - 40 times the strength found in a cuppa Joe, which only
contains about 0.05% caffeine. However it did state that only "0.01%
caffeine puts the pests off their dinner". This being only one fifth
the amount found in a cup of instant.

On the downside is the comment by Notts Uni about the likely harmful
effects on beneficial insects. This has to be weighed against the
possible adverse effects of Metaldehyde (blue pellets) added to the
soil.

If anyone wishes to experiment with coffee, I would suggest making up
a strong solution of say, 10 rounded teaspoonful's of instant to a
lire of warm water. If you are about to buy instant coffee, go for the
cheapest brands available. These are likely to be Robusta coffee from
Vietnam. Avoid Arabica coffee, it tastes nicer, but it has a lower
caffeine content.

I don't drink instant, but since November, I've been saving the spent
grounds and pucks from my cafetiere and espresso machine. I boiled up
about 2 kilos and added to 5 litres of water. The day before spraying
(in late June) I found under a piece of slate) a medium sized light
brown slug, a giant dark brown and a garden snail. Here's what
happened:-

2 slugs and one snail get woken with coffee
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7913357...in/photostream

Rapid exit of all 3 but slugs trail their innards
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7913357...in/photostream

Pot overlaid to keep off sun
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7913357...in/photostream

Next morning, slugs have dissolved, but snails survived in roof of
flowerpot
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7913357...in/photostream

Ok so 6 weeks ago I sprayed my lettuce, courgettes and dwarf beans. So
far no slug damage despite the torrents of rain of late. Snails have
been deterred, but I noticed one or two visiting this pm, so I will
make up another batch tomorrow. Enjoy your supper.
Bertie



When will you slug haters learn?
No fancy coffe grinds!

Save the egg shells from your familly and friends and neighbours. Crush
them up and use it on problem areas untill you have enough to give away.

Have you ever seen a slug or snail creeping over gravel?

Egg shells are similar but also are worm food and break down over time.

Baz

"Baz" wrote in message ...


When will you slug haters learn?
No fancy coffe grinds!

Save the egg shells from your familly and friends and neighbours. Crush
them up and use it on problem areas untill you have enough to give away.

Have you ever seen a slug or snail creeping over gravel?

Egg shells are similar but also are worm food and break down over time.

Baz

The big advantage with coffee made from old grounds, is that it kills slug
eggs in the soil. I have 12 rows of spuds which I intend to lift at the end
of September. Coffee will keep them protected until then.
With 2 allotments, I would need an awful lot of egg shells.

yep martin,

beer works well also.

On Sun, 14 Aug 2011 10:48:22 +0200, Martin wrote:

snipped
--

Matthew 25:13 KJV
"Watch therefore, for ye know neither
the day nor the hour wherein the Son
of man cometh"

Mark 13:33 "Take ye heed, watch and pray:
for ye know not when the time is".

and also: Isaiah 38:1&17-18 KJV

1: Thus saith the Lord, set thine house in order: for thou shalt die and not live.
17: for thou hast cast all my sins behind my back.
18: For the grave cannot praise thee, death cannot celebrate thee: they that go down in the pit cannot hope for truth.

len

With peace and brightest of blessings,

"Seek truth and understanding will follow"

http://www.lensgarden.com.au/

On Tue, 16 Aug 2011 17:42:00 +0100, "Bertie Doe"
wrote:

Have you ever seen a slug or snail creeping over gravel?

Yes!

And I have had garlic eaten by slugs or snails (didn't see them, just
trails)

Gardening on Wilts/Somerset border
on slightly alkaline clay.