When nature offers lemons, let's make Lemonade!

I used to whine and cry about sweetgum's ball all over the back deck patio. Every spring in the garden when these balls came down like rains. Then I learned that the tree's is invalueble hostplant to some beautiful moths. Now, instead of crying, I make use of those gum's balls. Anyone is doing the same for your butterflies heaven right in your backyard?

This is a brug's seedling that has been visited by slug/snail. I used the gum's ball as a barrier to prevent those critters returning and slobbering, not to mention chewing on my tender seedling.
Kim

Way to go Kim! Cute little brug baby, and those sweetgum balls look nice and vicious- great defense against the slugs and snails.

We have three pine trees in the yard and I use their needles as mulch in the back garden. Shredded oak leaves are another one of my defenses against those pesky slugs- we have huge slugs! If I leave a tasty/tender plant with bare dirt, it's like putting a neon sign out for the slugs :-(

I've started some nicotiana and have a few tomato plants to sacrifice for any moth caterpillars that find my brug plants. Got to plan ahead!

Cathy

Shooottt! My hypothesis didn't work! The slugs managed to climb up the young seedling once again. Found two of them just now. Sob, sob.

The slimmy little thing just crawl around the gumball without much difficulty! Now my question is, will the slug bait harm my caterpilars in the garden? Please help.
Kim
p.s. I gave the darn little thing some salt shaking shower!

Have you heard o fputting some beer in a shallow cup? They are supposed to climb in to get the beer and drown. I don't think any caterpillars would be interested in the beer so it should be safe for them.

Meredith, yes indeed I've. Thanks for your response. I've tried to create a sand barrier around some of the plants that the slug & snail often visit. That seemed to have worked well too.

The beer method works best for me. I found a trap made especially for beer. It has a covered lid and slits in the base for the slugs/snails to crawl through. Inside there are three fairly large pockets to pour beer into. The beer lasts a lot longer in this trap than using cups or other containers in which it evaporates rather quickly

Martha

Hi Martha,
Where can I find such trap. Please tell.
Kim

Kim, I bought my trap several years ago, and I may be mistaken, but I think I bought it from Gardener's Supply Co. I just checked Gardener's Supply online, and it is not offered. It was said to be the kind popular in England.

Nevertheless, I found a set of mushroom slug traps at Gardeners Supply. They are not as large as mine, but there are two of them. Looks like they are covered and the beer should last a pretty long while. I might order a set for myself because not only will they kill slugs, but they are kinda cute for the garden. Here's the link:
http://www.gardeners.com/Slug%20Traps,%20Set%20of%202/GardenPests_New,37-458,default,cp.html

Kim, FORGET THE ABOVE. I just found the identical trap I have at Lee Valley:
http://www.leevalley.com/garden/page.aspx?c=2&p=44726&cat=2,51555

I think I'll buy a couple of cases of beer. Golly, I hope I don't see anybody I know when I go to buy. They will think Martha fell off the wagon! LOL

Hey Kim, I just bought another beer trap and I also ordered a set of those mushroom traps. I needed more traps to put out in several beds at the same time.

Martha

Thanks Martha, I'll be looking for some.
Happy gardening,
Kim