Tiny snails eating my morning glories

I have never had a problem with snails before. Slugs, yes (used beer for those) but not these little itty bitty round snails.

What works to get rid of those? I'm trying to start some Morning Glories, and they keep eating them faster than they can grow.

I have problems with them on a lot of my plants every spring. Get the snail bait granuals at HD or Lowes. You put it out and water late in the evening. In the morning you start seeing dead snails. It stays on the ground and others will come eat and die. Don't use it out in the open where birds feed or pets might lick it. Might make them sick.

If you get a slug/snail bait made with iron phosphate instead of metaldehyde it is safe for pets, birds, etc

Thanks ecrane3, I don't know what the one I use has, but I hate those snails! They eat my plants at the base. This year I caught the slugs or cut worms dropping stems of my white Ms. Duelburg salvia! It looked so beautiful last year, this year only about 5 stems survived!

If you look on the package, they're required to tell you what the active ingredient is on the front of the package. Metaldehyde is the nasty one which is very toxic to pets, and iron phosphate is the friendlier one--toxic to slugs/snails but not much else! I don't know if either one takes care of cutworms though if that's what is eating your salvias though--I'd check the label and see what it says but you may need something different for those.

Thanks guys. I definitely don't want anything toxic to birds or other wildlife. I'll look for the iron phosphate one.

Two more morning glory seedlings gone. At this point, not even sure the vines will grow enough to bloom. I didn't have a flower bed in March when I should have planted them.

Sluggo is one of the safe baits. I use it and it works wonders!

Sorry, I just saw this thread and had to reply. My husband calls me the great snail hunter. I'm outside every morning before work and every evening just before dark hunting snails. We have so many birds and other wildlife in our yard I didn't want to use any type of bait. So here I am killing slugs and snails by picking them up and putting them into soapy water. It kills them immediately, but you do look a little crazed by any neighbors watching you. I reduced the population to zero and my plants are doing great.

Well it's funny you mention that because I've been picking them off myself. . .I've been throwing them out in the street. I figure they won't find their way back. The soapy water sounds faster and less mean though. :) I figure it's so hot out on the street here in Texas that they die almost instantly anyway. We have them all over our house "cooked" onto the cement slab. Hundreds!

I'm going to try the soapy water.

I kathunk my milkweed bugs in soapy water, but I didn't know that it would do in the snails too! Great news, the squished snails always cause flies. I hate them worse than snails!

Hi there momma in Keller! Hope you make the RU this fall in Arlington. Keep up with the TX Gardening thread so you don't miss it. I know they set the date for Oct 18th. Hope to meet you.

I almost forgot to tell you, look under rocks or any other type of solid ground object. They love to breed there away from the sun. It is the fastest way to reduce the population.

What's the RU, Sheila?

RU is Round Up. It is a plant swap, meet friends, and eat. You go home with a whole set of new friends, and a car load of plants. Even if you don't bring plants, you will leave with some. No one wants to carry home what they brought! LOL!
Click on my ID and then go to view my diary. I have a lot of pictures from the RU they just had in Tyler / Jacksonville area on the 28th.

You might also try mulching with cocoa shells around the plants you want to save - snails don't like the sharp edges. You might also do well to acquire a possum or skunk. They'll eat them all up!

Possum eats snails?? Then this guy may be my friend; I hate snails! Neighbor's dogs go nuts about 2am if she isn't home to keep them inside.

Yeah, they love snails. They will also dig up your entire yard if you have juicy grubs!

Too late. . . LOL My husband used to work for a company called Critter Control where he'd humanely remove Possums that were causing trouble and bring them to a better area and release them. He could have hooked me up LOL