What do I do?? I've NEVER seen so many snails in my life... they're all over my beds...climbing the bricks on the house.... YUK!!! The wierd thing is they don't seem to be doing any damage.... how do I get rid of them without killing everything I have??
snail, snails, EVERYWHERE!!!
We were told by the extension office that the very best method is to brew a cup of regular non-decaf coffee, add it to a gallon of water and spray either right after a good rain or a good soaking and early in the evening. I tried it and it works! They're dead the next morning. Doesn't hurt your plants and is safe for all the other critters in the yard.
K-
thanks so much.... who would've thought? as many as I have, I think I'll brew a whole POT FULL... I assume I can apply it with my garden sprayer hose attachment thing-a-ma-bob??? Ttoday would've been perfect to apply... we got the gully-washer around 6pm this evening... I'll get out there tomorrow... hmmmm, I wonder why non-decaf?? And do you think it'll work quicker since I drink STRONG Cajun coffee?? HA!!
I know.....I was stunned when I first heard. It's the caffeine that kills 'em. It's on the plants, they eat the plants and their system can't handle it.G o for the strong stuff!
Interesting about the coffee and snails, I will try it if needed, although I hope not to need it. Thank you for telling us about it.
Josephine.
I'm going to try that. Recently I'm also seeing hordes of snails. Thanks!
I too have had a bumper crop since the rains started. I think they come up from the storm drains when it rains and overflows! LOL! I put out a lot of coffee grounds this year and I am seeing a few dead snails, but they tend to climb up when it rains on buildings and trees, plants yard art anything to escape the high water from a hard rain. If I knew what ate them I may bring in another critter to help get them!
Some might say they are dwarf escargot....a little butter, a little garlic, a little wine. Oh, no no no....I don't think so. LOL.
Uughee!!! I will stick to enjoying hearing their shells crack when I squish'em. I will leave the snail eating to someone else.
LOL... y'all are too funny... I'm gonna try a good dose of Cajun brew... who knows... they may end up living thru it and I'll find them dancing to cajun music all over my yard...HA!!! that would make a great circus side show.... ;-)
I religiously put grounds and diluted coffee on my front bed every morning. Since I have done that I have had a giant decrease in slugs and snails and the plants are looking great. But, then, the rains are causing my bougainvillea to "bloom" beautifully. Go figure.
Ann
I religiously put grounds and diluted coffee on my front bed every morning. Since I have done that I have had a giant decrease in slugs and snails and the plants are looking great. But, then, the rains are causing my bougainvillea to "bloom" beautifully. Go figure.
I love escargot but mine comes from stores and not my garden. Yuk!
Ann
I will try the coffee too. I have never seen this many and they are huge, striped ones. If I could sell them, I'd be rich. My two year old grandson was holding a plastic bag while I picked 'em up and threw 'em in. He did great until he saw something in that bag move and he was do done with that. I think I may have scarred him for life.
He thought they were just pretty rocks at first I bet! LOL!
Uh hum...I happen to like escargot. But, lest you think I do not have discerning taste, I only eat escargot hailing from north of the Canadian border, where I first tried them, years ago. And since they didn't kill me then, I'll figure I better only eat those...tee hee hee...
Now. Can we talk java? I am from STRONG coffee country. New Orleans, Louisiana to be exact. We KNOW strong coffee, as do all Louisianians and refined Southerners worth their weight in coffee grinds. I've been conducting an experiment with diluted brewed coffee, but for a totally different purpose you all may be interested in. Seems like the acid loving plants in the garden are refined enough to enjoy diluted coffee. Especially my foxtail ferns, which are now proudly waving their little tails with delight and joy! I am also experimenting with a hydrangea that seems to crave more and more joe each day. She's taking kindly to a stop at the morning coffee shoppe.
Imagine my TOTAL surprise to find that the snails here can't take the caffeine! Mind you, these are NOT your refined Louisiana snails which would be lined up for that coffee quicker than you can put up a "free Coffee" sign outside a Starbuck's shop!
This is a very interesting thing to know. Thank you for sharing.
Very cute Gymgirl.
Gymgirl, this is off topic, well sorta', but have you tried the Cafe Du Monde coffee? It's Louisiana style dark roast coffee with chickory and if you haven't tried it, you gotta' get some. It's the best coffee I've ever had. They used to have it at a Foodtown close to me and they also carry it at Spec's. Try some, you'll love it!
Good info, Gymgirl. Hmmmmm...I'll take some of those coffee grounds of yours after all.
Crowellli,
I drank Cafe du Monde coffee at home from the time I was 6 yrs. old....never fell asleep in school, either....LOL
If the coffee doesn't kill 'em, beer traps will.
Get ducks!! LOL ..my call ducks take care of my snails and slugs..
Am I the only one that thinks snails are cute? They're like little critters on vacation with their own Winnebago. Traveling around the yard with their little homes....if that isn't cute, I don't know what is. lol
Gemmie, and address Fly, and I can fill your yard with Winnebagos! LOL!!
Seriously, they eat my plants is my main complaint. I have yard art that are snails, with my gnomes, but the real thing just isn't welcome here.
That's our Fly!
Personally, I think they're cute and gross at the same time. It's hard for anything slimy to be too cute but they're little antennae and 'winnebagos' makes them cute. I'll send them on vacation your way. You've got a few years notice to stock up for them. They're leaving tomorrow.
The ones I really don't like are the big fat ones without the ( winnebagos ) and those are the ones I have, but thank goodness not too many.
I don't have many of the slugs, but I have bumper crops every year of the shell type some white, some brown with white stripes. I am going to stick bumper stickers on the big ones that say 'Follow me south to Fly's' house!! LOL!
Haha.....how long would it take them to get here......traveling at a snails pace and all?
In these here parts, a snail without a shell is a slug! Those, I can do without.
I thought I was the only one with snail problems. I used to play with them when I was little, now they don't bother me until i find big chunks of my plants are missing. At first I could not figure out what the problem was until I moved mu hydrangea to plant and when i shook it all these little snails came flying out! I went and bought sluggo the next day. It seems to work but after this last rain they are back now. I am going to try the coffee as that is probably more inexpensive and may work better. Thanks for the tip!
You're very welcome! Let us know your results.
Sluggo works like a charm every year for me and there is no danger to pets or wildlife!
I was going to suggest the new Sluggo Plus. I also spray my plants with a garlic-pepper spray and they (snails & slugs) definitely don't like that!
I noticed you mentioned the rain, has it drowned any of your plants? I am losing many different kinds. I have standing water in some locations. I am serious into composting. I'm on my second compost effort and have read alot of books on the subject. I will elevate my beds each year with last years compost pile. This should help with the water problem.
I haven't lost anything yet, but my lemon thymes are barely hanging on! Fortunately, our yard slopes a little bit toward the street, so all our water runs off.
We haven't gotten enough rain to do any harm, thank goodness. I know Cowelli has had to deal with flooding further into Houston several times. However, where I am at, it seems like we are least likely to get any percentage of rain unless it is like 80%. lol Most of my plants are loving the rain, with the exception of my portulaca but it is still hanging in there. For now, it seems to be enough to keep them happy and me from watering 3 times a week, but not too much to drown them.
Tried the coffee - noticed some still on the plants, but that was after the rain had passed. Maybe I did not use high enough concentration - set the hose-end to 4oz/gal. Also the window bed is mostly coffee grounds and it still has a colony working - I don't see them, but can sure see what they have done - and I don't see any dead ones.
Will try again tonight - been saving the coffee for another try.
Well, I haven't been having a major slug / snail invasion, but being a new gardener, I'm watching! I've also heard all the benefits of coffee grounds, but neither I nor my boyfriend drink coffee.
However, I'd be willing to brew a pot just for the plants as both compost and snail preventative. How diluted should it be? Do I spray it on the leaves or just water into the ground with it?
Thats a good question!
Funny how caffeine isn't good for us, but it's good for our plants! hehe
I thought Kristi (knolan) said both follage and ground. That is what I did.
Over a year ago, I spread a line of Force II and the next day there was a line of dead snails. Now I'm trying to control pests without any manufactured chemicals. Murphy's Oil Soap is as strong as I want to use.
Bubba, what do you use the Murphy's Oil soap for? I began using whatever would do the job but am now realizing the importance of natural and organic. Plus I have dogs now so I wouldn't want to harm them. I used to think, ' I don't have vegetables so what is the harm in using chemicals'. Pretty ignorant I know. Live and learn right? I only used the sluggo because it said it was safe for pets and people so hopefully it wasn't too bad. I did see dead snails after that too.
Kristi, may have covered that....I was just too lazy to scroll back up to see. Sorry.
Hmmm, Bubba. Maybe a stronger concentration. They did tell us to spray the foliage (especially the undersides) and the ground and to do it AFTER a good rain or you have soaked the ground well. And to do it early in the evening, when they start coming out.
BTW - I was right by Circle S yesterday. Would have stopped if I had more time.