One thing that is driving me crazy about the garden is the snails and slugs and stopping them can seem impossible.
Losing my seedlings
I spend so much time getting the seeds growing and planting them, just to have them disappear overnight because of snails and slugs.
They are driving me mad. When you start looking around on the internet there are so many different theories on how to get rid of them. Eggshells and coffee grinds, I’m told don’t work. In the past, I’ve tried them, but I didn’t have any luck with them.
There are snail pellets, but I really don’t want to use them. So I have been looking at alternatives.
Trying some copper tape
Here is a quick video I have done about the copper tape.
Sacrificing a snail
I had to try the copper tape to see if it actually worked. So, I’m sorry to say I had to find a snail in the garden to see if the copper tile would be any good in stopping them.
I put one tile on the ground and then found a snail to put it on it. The snail did it’s best to get off it. I put it back on and I think it might have died.
Now I need to do another test, which is to put four tiles together and see if one will climb over them to get away.
This seems like the best way to stop the snails that I have. It means they don’t die, but hopefully, I can protect my plants.
With lots of rain coming this week, the snails and slugs are always worse straight after it, so I need to get some protection ready.
What do you do to stop the snails?
I know you need to know properly way to seed growing and planting. This is not easy task. But we should be carefully.
It is confusing and I am getting a lot of failures, but hopefully I will learn over time.
If you don’t mind the lives lost, beer attracts snails and slugs. Put some beer in a shallow plate overnight and the morning, drowned snails and slugs. I can only hope they died inebrieated and not aware of their fate.
I have tried that, but didn’t have much luck. I have even tried using some of my sourdough starter, but they seem to avoid it as well. I get what you mean. Thank you Gary.
I had a similar problem many years ago. the first thing to do is very time consuming but it works. You must go out every night when its dark and hand pick them all up and kill them. Stop them reproducing. Do this for a few years and the numbers really do decimate. Secondly i now grow all my seedlings in the greenhouse, planting them outdoors once they are established and have fairly robust stems. Slugs dont seem to bother with these plants as much. Whatever you decide, good luck.
I have to admit when it is dark I’m asleep, lol, I know that is sad, but by the time night comes I’m long gone. I might try it when daylight savings finishes. I do get rid of any that I do see.
Thank you Ian.
Leanne,
A friend of mine told us of a similar problem in her garden, she had to resort to putting her plants in large containers.
Unfortunately I have no other advice, good luck with the snail wars!
Yeah, I’m not sure what the solution is either, at the moment I am trying just about everything. Thank you.
My garden is surrounded by marble gravel which is very powdery. I never get slugs, but my parents in the same neighborhood get tons of them. I don’t use pesticides so I think they hate the gravel 🙂
I am so jealous, I am really hoping my copper tiles do the trick, if it works there will lots.
Sounds like you have cracked it, thank you for sharing that.
I hope it works out for you 🙂
Me too, lol