Apropos of Nothing v.15

Has anyone ever tried putting a ring of epsom salt around a targeted plant? I wonder if that might also deter them...

I hadn't heard of that- but a quick Googling shows lots of sites that recommend it. And I just happen to have some, too.

A quick Googling. Does that make you a Googler? :-D

Greenhouse_gal, what a fortunate experience with the French doctor! I love the low key approach. No big front office and plenty of forms, just good medical care. What are we missing here?

I am amazed at the number of slugs this year. They are out of control. Pony, be sure you get your ammonia water to run down into the crown of plants such as hostas. They breed there and hatch there. I spray every plant, even if I don't see slugs on the leaves. I'm thinking of just putting ammonia water into my pump sprayer because by the time I'm finished with the whole garden, my hand is hurting from all that spraying. Now I'm getting ready to leave for 3 weeks, so I'm thinking by the time I get back lots of things will be decimated. We'll have people in the house, but they are not gardeners and are not inclined to spend time spraying plants with ammonia water.

Googlers work for Google- I'm just a Googleholic. LOL!

Doesn't the espom salt just melt with the first rain?

Do also remember that epsom salt is a plant feed, great as a foliar feed for greening up the leaves, and pumpkins and tomatoes love it - big feeders. I'm wondering though if you could over do it and end up with weak growth from making the soil too magnesium rich.

I take it that we are going through the list because coffee grounds aren't working? How about chopped pine needles (through the shredder?) or 50/50 coffee grounds and sand? Anything rough around the base of the plants should stop them from riching the plant.

Those were my thoughts about the epsom salts, laurie. We've had so much rain here that I would be loathe to put something water soluble around the base of my plant.
Personally, I don't think there are enough eggshells, coffee grounds, etc. to make a dent in the number of slugs attacking plants in my garden. I just have way too many plants that slugs like to eat, and my gardens are too extensive.
I posted on the plant doctor thread, but I'll ask here, too. Anyone had any luck with using copper strips to keep slugs away from plants? Allegedly they do not cross copper due to the electrical charge they suffer when they contact it.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PNWMountainGirl! I can think of better ways of spending one's birthday than road work and chores, but at least the sun is out for you (at least I think it is the sun...can't really see the valley for all this steamy mist which I think/hope is our hill trying to dry out a bit!) I love you!!

Pony, I use an ammonia solution of about 1 to 7 or 8 parts water. It has never hurt a plant with the exception of my irish moss, which it does burn. Pixy, I bought a 1 gallon sprayer just for ammonia water this year. Whenever I clean out or plant a bed I give it an overalll spray, particularly the ones that are edged with rocks. Yes, we have NEVER seen such an AWFUL year as this. Of course, part of the problem is that any bait gets demolished too soon by the rain. No matter what the claim, rain-proof just doesnn't exist.

One of my large hostas has suddenly huge chunks out of the middle. I'm thinking that the deer are now joining the slugs in hosta decimation.

Thanks, Sharon- I'll try 1:10 first and then go a little stronger if I need to. :) And Happy Birthday to you! Yay! So that's why the sun has come out! :D

Copper strips do work, but they are expensive and if the leaves extend over the strip and down (ie Hostas) they are fair game. since you are living in a coniferious area, why not try running some dry pine needles through the shredder (or mower, or chop with a spade) and spread these like a mulch?

I think you are also having so much trouble with the snails/slugs because you had a mild winter - short, shallow frost doesn't kill off/decrease the population enough. that coupled with the wet weather that is making lush, short growth makes slug heavan.

Happy, happy, Birthday, Sharon!!!!!

Happy Birthday Sharon!!!!

On the orchid forum I was advised to use copper strip on bench legs to keep slugs away. But the next poster said he/she had tested this method with new strips and 2 big fat slugs who promptly crawled across the strips, not even slowing down.

Laurie, I think you're exactly right.

Happy Birthday, Sharon. Sun's just for you!

Yay! Another DL has popped its first bloom! This is a NOID that Pixy gave me. :)

Pretty!!!!

Thanks, Kur! :)

The little old lady next door just came by to tell me "her" flowers are looking lovely, and I'm doing a good job taking care of them "for her". (she loves that I garden because she enjoys flowers but has no interest in growing them herself, so she calls my garden hers. LOL)

Aw, that's sweet . . . it's nice to know that your flowers bring joy to other people. And what a nice lady for taking the time to tell you that.

She's a hoot- she's this tiny, wiry gruff thing who will totally talk your ear off. She's got an opinion on just about anything you can imagine. hehe. She holds court on her porch, calling people over to sit with her and chat. Her daughter lives right across the street, I think that's pretty cool.

I hope to be like that some day. :-)

*grin* Me too.

Hey Pony I want to see the leaves on the stem. LOL. Itoo like the art.

Pffffffft Steve! :p

I dunno if I'm tough enough to ever follow through and add leaves- this one hurt too bad! LOL!

Yes, Laurie, so true. We had a very nasty deep freeze in November that lasted for two weeks, but after that it was all mildness and damp. The slugs are in heaven.
Regarding the pine needles, I have plenty of fir needles under the giant firs, but that does not slow the slugs down. I do not have any pines in my area, which would have longer needles. I think the slugs around here have evolved to deal with sharp pokey ground cover because it doesn't appear to slow them down. I think they just go underneath it. I think we all are going to have to diligently get into population control for slugs. Likely they will come back into some kind of balance anyway. This is a bumper crop. Sharon, you are right. There is no such thing as rainproof slug bait.

I just spent the eening with Dan Hinkley talking about caring for our aging parent s. We. Both cri
ed. He is a good soul.

So Dan's in Montana with you? Or are you here? Sorry to hear you're both going through that - but I guess most of us here are. It's a universal thing, isn't it? Thank goodness you have one another to share with.

Check out the sedums these guys have . . . http://www.wildgingerfarm.com/Sedum1.htm

Wowie wow wow - is it wrong that I want them all? I have at least five or six of the sedums they show and have been stalking 'Voodoo' for a while now, now more to add to the must have list. I had no idea that Ogon liked shade and moist. May have to move it if the rain has really let up.

I'm really surprised by how many are native to Oregon and/or the PNW. Who knew? (Okay, maybe you all knew and I was the only one laboring under the delusion that all sedums came from somewhere far away that was really dry and hot.)

No - it surprised me, too that there are sedums in the PNW. I have killed Ogon so many times . . .

Highly recommend Wild Ginger Farms! I've gotten great plants from them-and they really know their stuff, too.

Kymm, I've got one that I think might be Voodoo, it's definitely got the dark red leaves and the name sounds familiar, but I'll have to see if I still have the tag. If I do, you're welcome to a chunk of it.

Oooh, thanks SusyBell - I'll take you up on that at the next get together. Hey, we should have a sedum swap :) - they're so easy to chunk off and propagate, that's part of what I love about them.

Pretty daylilies Pony! I agree that it is great that your neighbor enjoys your garden and tells you so. It is kind of fun knowing that others enjoy your labors too!

Sofer, Helping aging parents/grandparents when faculties start to deteriorate is a hard thing to deal with, and it makes you feel so much better when you can chat with other's who are going through/have been through the same thing.

Kathy, I swear you and your links are just pure EVIL! Fortunately, I added the sedum flat this year, so will be waiting until next year to even think about adding more. They are such fun plants, and can grow where not much else would be happy.

Kymmco, I think a sedum swap would be a great idea... the ones that are happy in my yard are HAPPY! I have Autumn Joy coming out my ears, but I keep transplanting it to other spots in the yard because I just love it for fall color!

I have to share a giggle from the weekend. When I work in the yard, Phoenix "guards" me... keeps me in her sight and plays, hunts, or rests in the immediate area I am working in. Hunting is her favorite pasttime... squirrels, mice, frogs, bugs... anything that puts off a smell that she can stalk and she is in heaven. I have a huge toad ( softball size ) that lives under the bridge by my greenhouse, and that is the area that I was working in on Sunday. I have learned in the past that toads don't have much scent, as the dogs can only find them if they move. Phoenix spotted the toad as he scurried out of the sunbeam he was enjoying and hid under the bridge. She saw where he went, and let me tell you... she will sit there for hours waiting for a critter to resurface. After a while, the toad poked his head out of a narrow spot under the bridge, and sure enough... she spotted him. Puppy went on point, toad eyed puppy suspiciously but was not really concerned because he had a quick escape tucking back under the bridge if necessary. After a couple of minute staredown... Phoenix licked the toad! Apparently toads don't taste real good, because I have never seen anything so comical as a dog trying to get a tast off of it's tongue! I will add that she's been stung by bees and bitten by ants, and she still continues to try to eat them. Right after that lick, she left the toad completely alone.....

that is hilarious. That is one ugly looking toad. Poor Phoenix.

Poor little girl! I'd love to see a picture of her on point. Mine "point" when they're interested, but of course, not the extreme of yours.

Is this your guy? It says they secrete poisons, but doesn't say anything about taste, so maybe this isn't the right one.

http://www.californiaherps.com/frogs/pages/b.b.boreas.html

Kathy,

Yep, that's him. I had read this before, but found it again here:

http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/wld/frogwatch/whoswho/factshts/westtoad.htm

"The “warts” on the Western Toad are not warts at all, but glands that produce a bitter, sticky, white fluid when the toad feels threatened. The fluid can cause an animal’s eyes or mouth to tingle or feel numb. This makes Western Toads unpleasant to eat, but will not give you warts! "

I can tell you that I don't plan on licking one myself any time soon to find out for sure!

He came out to enjoy the sun a bit later, and Phoenix didn't even give him a second glance.

This message was edited Jun 14, 2010 9:12 PM

LOL, Julie. I think that's a good idea.

I've heard about this self defense mechanism in toads and frogs, but haven't ever had the opportunity to observe it in action. And I'm glad the toxicity isn't more than numbness - there's way to much to worry about in that arena.

What a great toad. Also Julie, I have many daylily babies coming up. They are about two inches tall.

LOL poor Phoenix! Ooooh but I love the toad! I've never even seen a toad in person- just pictures. I wish some would find my garden! I'm guessing there probably aren't any in my neighborhood, though.

Oh, and Julie, I thought most of my baby DLs I started from your seeds had failed, but they came back! I have 4 each of the Halloween Hocus Pocus and Bittersweet Holiday crosses! :D They're still tiny, but they look really healthy and strong. I guess the first sets of leaves just died off but the roots hung in there and finally popped up new growth. :)