Snails snails snails

This is Harry.

 

We must have hedgehogs somewhere in the garden but havent seen them this year but the snail population has decreased so they must be hiding somewhere saw one several times last year

 

That recipe says boil 2 bulbs of garlic in 2 litres of water, then sieve and dilute. Is there any special reason why you need as much as 2 litres of water, if it is going to be diluted anyway?

2 litres is about 4 pints, which is a lot of water using a lot of energy to boil. I was wondering if you can get away with boiling less water, and then afterwards diluting it more.

I may try this, as you say the ferric phosphate slug pellets don't seem to work at all. I have been using them about twice a week and my violas are still getting eaten and I am finding tiny slugs on them and in their pots.

 

Thanks, I will definitely try that.

 

We get plenty of snails but they don't seem to do much damage. I don't do anything about them.

My garden is carefully developed to support a broad array of wildlife though, so presumably something eats them. I'm not sure if it's the birds or the frogs, or maybe the hedgehogs which I see occasionally. The only thing I really do to protect plants from slugs and snails is when I grow anything from seed, I do so in pots, kept on an old table, with a few slug pellets around them. I find once stuff is established it tends to cope fine.

 

Lately I too have seen many slugs trails but no damage??? Something must be eating them but l not sure what as I haven't seen any hedehogs even the birds are less maybe foxs are eating them?

 

Pheasants and badgers will eat slugs Janet.

 

Hi sheal didn't know that thanks but I have never seen badgers and pheasants but next door garden a jungle so hedgehogs even badgers could be hiding in there and coming in my garden late at night

 

Maybe you should add the slugs into the mix before boiling it. I'd add a little bit of carrots for flavour too...

Jokes aside, the only thing I found to actually repel slugs is dry weather and planting thing the slugs don't like (onions, garlic, thyme,...). It also helps to regularly pick them off or snip them with a pair of scissors. Slugs love to eat their own dead friends, so come back a few hours later and make sure you get them too. Any time they spend munching on Gary isn't spent in your salad field.

 

Snail mail…

Northumberland postbox closed because snails eating mail

 

Here's a letter I once received with some mail:

 

Hence the term snail mail.