How To Keep Snails Away From Vegie Patch!

[baifra]

Had good results with this product: http://www.multicrop.com.au/mguard.htm

MSDA: http://www.greenharvest.com.au/pestcontrol...lSlugKiller.pdf

These pellets are smaller than the original green coloured brands, they do tend to go crumbly & tend to dissappear pretty fast. But hey, my dogs wander all over the vegie patches & just ignore them.

Cheers

Chipps

I'm pretty sure EDTA can still kill cats and dogs so I'm not prepared to risk it.

Our Vegie patch will be fully fenced soon(ish) but I'd still worry to be honest.

Thanks for the links Chipps

[ozjen]

You could try a sawdust barrier around the perimeter of your vegie patch, apparently they don't like to cross sawdust.

[Pretty Miss Emma]

Roughly crushed egg shells.

Or if the ground isn't soaking wet, rock salt can work. Obviously you need to keep an eye on this and replace it as it goes, and also make sure that the salt content of your soil doesn't get too high.

Use both/either to create a bit of a ring around the vege patch or plant.

[InspectorRex]

Sprinkle table salt around each plant. as soon as the snail gets in to the salt they gorge on it then "blow up and burst"

No more snails and very pet-frienly way to get rid of them

[lilli_star]

Do these ideas work for slugs too? I have great big huge mutant spotty slugs that come out at night and hang out in Ruby's shed. Mostly it's not such a big deal as Ruby isn't outside at night, but on those rare occasions when I am out, and Ruby has to be outside, it would be good if she didn't have to share her shed and kennel with the disgusting creatures. They truly are gross.

[Danois]

They are leopard slugs and they like the dead animal tissue, pet food and pet faeces.

I have regular visitors inside

If you drop salt on them they make a kind of funny sound, swell up and then die.

Edited December 27, 2010 by Danois

[B-Q]

we used to put out saucers of beer I remember.

[Tilly]

I usually try the beer traps ... and then realise why I stopped using them - the dogs love beer and dig all the traps up no matter what I do to hide / cover them!!!

[Chipps]

Hi again. I missed the bit about "without using commercial snail bait"

Had good results with this product: http://www.multicrop.com.au/mguard.htm

MSDA: http://www.greenharvest.com.au/pestcontrol...lSlugKiller.pdf

These pellets are smaller than the original green coloured brands, they do tend to go crumbly & tend to dissappear pretty fast. But hey, my dogs wander all over the vegie patches & just ignore them.

Cheers

Chipps

I'm pretty sure EDTA can still kill cats and dogs so I'm not prepared to risk it.

Our Vegie patch will be fully fenced soon(ish) but I'd still worry to be honest.

Thanks for the links Chipps :D

Hi again.

You said......Our vegie patch is raised which may help a little. How high?

Reason I ask is have you thought of using natural predators? They may not be able to climb up high wall. I am planning to revert to this method.

The idea is is to encourage lizards, birds etc into the patch with bowls of water, birdbath etc & places to hide.

It worked a treat at my old place. Sections of terracotta pipe & besser blocks for the lizards & frogs to hide in. Needs to be fenced off for dogs though, otherwise they won't survive long.

For fencing, Gal mesh panels are cheap & easy to install. They allow natural light and wind, just throw a few star pickets where they join. Plus you can grow vine crops on them.

Try to avoid chemical fertilisers in granules like tropic etc. A diluted homebrew from a variety of manures seem the safest for these little guys.

Can remember my kids squeeling with delight, they'd found 2 blue tongues sided by side under a zuchini bush. I had a closer look and realized it was actually partially hidden carpet python having a snooze

Cheers

Chipps

PS: Don't waste beer

Edited to add photo of gal fence panels......Cows versus my passionfruit :p

Edited December 28, 2010 by Chipps

[Staranais]

I usually try the beer traps ... and then realise why I stopped using them - the dogs love beer and dig all the traps up no matter what I do to hide / cover them!!!

Yes, I'm pretty sure this is what would happen if I ever left beer in my garden. My dog would be very happy that I'd left her lots of little saucers of beer to drink. :p

[Dog_Horse_Girl]

My suggestions:

I've seen this work very well but you have to be vigilant and check daily.

Plumbing pipe off-cuts snail trap:

Place pipe off-cuts on the garden beds in question. They make great places for snails to gather. Every day, get into the garden and tap the pipes above something solid such as a concrete path so the snails fall out. Squash snails using preferred method...mine is a heavy boot directly above the snails.

Beer traps also work. BUT you must bury them so the top of the trap is level with the soil. A tiny amount of beer in the bottom is all that's needed. Simple traps are used margarine containers. But you can also buy proper snail traps which have a cover/lid on them which allows the snails in and nothing else, and they're cheap...

Don't use snail baits. It's cruel because birds, dogs, cats, lizards, etc are also attracted to these poisons.

If you have room, get a few ducks...ducks love to eat snails and it's a natural way to get rid of a pest and have fresh eggs too.

[stormie]

Had good results with this product: http://www.multicrop.com.au/mguard.htm

MSDA: http://www.greenharvest.com.au/pestcontrol...lSlugKiller.pdf

These pellets are smaller than the original green coloured brands, they do tend to go crumbly & tend to dissappear pretty fast. But hey, my dogs wander all over the vegie patches & just ignore them.

Cheers

Chipps

Just so you know, this stuff is NOT safe for pets and can be fatal.

[Tatzelwurm]

Hardware stores, including Bunings sell beer traps, or you can make your own. Snails die happy.

[Nic.B]

My suggestions:

I've seen this work very well but you have to be vigilant and check daily.

Plumbing pipe off-cuts snail trap:

Place pipe off-cuts on the garden beds in question. They make great places for snails to gather. Every day, get into the garden and tap the pipes above something solid such as a concrete path so the snails fall out. Squash snails using preferred method...mine is a heavy boot directly above the snails.

Beer traps also work. BUT you must bury them so the top of the trap is level with the soil. A tiny amount of beer in the bottom is all that's needed. Simple traps are used margarine containers. But you can also buy proper snail traps which have a cover/lid on them which allows the snails in and nothing else, and they're cheap...

Don't use snail baits. It's cruel because birds, dogs, cats, lizards, etc are also attracted to these poisons.

If you have room, get a few ducks...ducks love to eat snails and it's a natural way to get rid of a pest and have fresh eggs too.

The beer traps have worked well here as well, the sawdust also helped-I have never thought of ash, that's a good idea especially in winter when the fire is going.

Our vege garden is rabbit and dog proof, though we had no gate for a few months.

I would fill up the little containers with a little bit of beer and put them at soil level, though find them empty and no snails

Soon realised Bella our Kelpie was heading down for happy hour each afternoon soon after we got a gate! no more happy hour for the Kelpie.

[Parkeyre]

I'm of absolutely no help, but this thread just brought back childhood memories!

When we were younger, Dad had us grow the actual plants in the pot through the middle of an upside down frisbee, and line the frisbee with salt.

He swore this was the only way to protect each and every plant from snails. lol

Oh, memories!

[Whippetsmum]

Never mind the snails, my Whippets ate my vegies seedlings. I made a Vegie cage to protect the second planting, the Whippets broke in. I now have a vegie patch in the front yard.

[Toolz]

Never mind the snails, my Whippets ate my vegies seedlings. I made a Vegie cage to protect the second planting, the Whippets broke in. I now have a vegie patch in the front yard.

little buggers!! lmao

[mita]

There's a Reader's Tip in the Dec 2010 G Magazine. Someone says every time she cracks an egg open, she places the shells in a mortar & pestle bowl to dry. When the bowl is full, she crushes the shells into a fine powder & sprinkles them around her seedlings. She says this provides calcium to the plants & keeps slugs & snails away from the young vegetable shoots.

I have no idea if this works. The reader believes it does. But I have visions of some dogs licking up the powder.