Slimy little engines of destruction
First, a zucchini seedling disappeared. Then two pumpkin starts
vanished. When the petunias went missing, I knew exactly what was
causing the problem.
Snails. Big, fat juicy snails are slithering their way through
my yard. You would expect a herd of snails to be causing this much
damage. But in reality, all it takes is a handful of these
creatures to cause such major grief.
Slimy little engines of destruction
First, a zucchini seedling disappeared. Then two pumpkin starts vanished. When the petunias went missing, I knew exactly what was causing the problem.
Snails. Big, fat juicy snails are slithering their way through my yard. You would expect a herd of snails to be causing this much damage. But in reality, all it takes is a handful of these creatures to cause such major grief.
Because of our very wet spring weather, snails and their kissing cousin, the slugs, are a big problem. They flourish in dark, damp places, and come out during the cool nights to crunch and munch their way through the tender new seedlings and established plants in our yards.
I handpicked a dozen of them, put them in the Green Waste container, and then went hunting at the garden center for snail solutions.
Poison baits: These are widely available under assorted brand names such as Corry’s. Before you wrap your hands around this bait box, consider the danger. The primary active ingredient is metaldehyde. It’s lethal to snails and slugs but it is also dangerous, even lethal, to children, pets, wildlife and birds that might ingest it. Why fool around with this stuff when there are other safer choices to use?
Other baits: The most promising products are Sluggo by Monterey Garden Products, which contains iron phosphate; and WorryFree Slug and Snail Bait by Lilly Miller, which containers ferromol. Both can be used around pets and wildlife, and both remain effective after rain or sprinkling. I’ve had good success with Sluggo, but since WorryFree is the newest product, that’s the one I bought. I’ll report at a later time on its effectiveness.
Copper: Because some of my vegetables and flowers are planted in containers, I also loaded up with Corry’s Copper Tape Barrier. Snails and slugs are deterred from crossing copper tape because their slime secrets react with the copper tape, providing a mild shock. You can also purchase pieces of thin copper at most hardware stores and these can be laid down as barriers around garden beds. The trick to using copper barrier is to remove by hand picking all the snails within the container or protected area. Otherwise they are trapped inside the barrier and will certainly enjoy the feast. One caveat: the edge of copper tape is sharp so handle it carefully or you will end up slicing your fingers.
Barriers: There are many choices. A barrier of sharp sand, or egg shells, or diatomaceous earth, or rough-cut cedar chips, or sawdust are some of the things that can serve as barriers. I’ve read that hair – human or horse – will discourage the creepies. Cut the hair into very small pieces, and lay it around each plant. . These barriers all acomplish the same thing: they irritate the soft moist skin of the snail or slug. The creature dehydrates itself to death in an effort to get rid of the irritant.
Traps: Many gardeners rely on traps to catch their snails and slugs. These include boards or flower pots propped on the ground under which snails and slugs hide during the heat. I like this one: Eat your half of grapefruit or orange, then invert the empty rind, open side down, and wait for the snails to arrive. They seem to like the citrus smell as a shady refuge.
Regularly collect the snails and crush them to death, or toss them in the Green Waste container and send them off to the landfill.
Beer and sprays: Snails are lured by the yeasty smell of beer, not the alcohol content, so don’t waste the good stuff. To set the trap, find a shallow dish deep enough to drown a slug. Pie tins and empty tuna or cat food cans work well. Pour an inch of beer in the container and leave in a shaded spot where snails seem to gather. Press the container down in the soil until the rim is even with ground level. The snails and slugs crawl in, sample the brew and drown. If you have a dog that likes beer, this won’t work for snails, but your dog sure will be happy.
Vinegar, juice and slug juice: Mix a 50-50 vinegar and water solution and spray it directly on slugs. Lime juice accomplishes the same thing. Let us not forget “slug juice.” This is created by putting the bodies of a dozen or so dead slugs in a blender, pureeing them and then straining the resulting mush. This is not everyone’s, ah, cup of tea. Be careful where you store the used blender jar.
If you want to know more about excellent pest control strategies, try “Bugs, Slugs and Other Thugs: Controlling Garden Pests Organically” by Rhonda Massingham Hart; and “The Gardener’s Guide to Common-Sense Pest Control” by William Olkowski, Sheila Door and Helga Olkowski. Both books served as sources for this story.
Is it possible to win the snail and slug wars? Truthfully, they are with us year around, more so in the spring than in the heat of summer. But they endure. So never let up. Even if it means sacrificing your best bottle of beer.
An aside here: Every time I write about taking care of snails and slugs, a certain reader sends me a note that says “Shame on you. Snails and slugs have the right to life, too.”
Yes, they certainly do. But, please, not in my garden.
