Snails!

I don't object to snails existing, but I do object to the fact that they wreck my acanthus and my tradescantia.

The acanthus is planted in the lawn so keeping that short does some good, but not enough. The tradescantia though is in a bed with pokers and picta grass closely planted so it's harder to keep them at bay there.

Any suggestions? I do have chickens that I could let out but probably not often enough to make a lasting difference,
and they aren't fussed about adult snails!

 

Another vote here for hand-picking with a torch by night. I have tried beer traps too but found the local foxes or cats or something came and destroyed those. May try again with some grapefruit shells, which I recall my mother using with some success.

Is the tradescantia the upright (spiderwort) kind? Take a look at that in the daytime and you may well find some of the culprits nestled inside the hollows where the leaves join the stems - at least, they like to do that here.

 

Nikirushka, You have tradescantia....a delicacy for snails and slugs....with kniphophia, another delicacy, etc. when they flower
Here tradescantia is with a large hemerocallis, another delight for these pests when the flowers are out. However, my method of control is both simple and effective, viz., a visit at night with torch and bucket. Doesnt take long and my plants are pest free.
My belief is that with these plants pellets are simply useless....the pests are tucked up in the base of the congested foliage and rarely come into contact with pellets.
If it is of any consolation, I find damage is done by just a few snails, etc., and if these are collected early in the year plants cope very well and look good thereafter.

 

I have used slug pellets in the past and they do work on the snails as it dries out the snail body inside of the shell

If I had a permanent Song Thrush in the garden then they would feed on the snails like they used to where I used to live but sadly only get one in the garden each year until the Blackbirds spot it and see it off.


I either go out early in the morning especially after a drop of rain and find them attached to my plant leaves,(any plant seems to be a victim for me) and I now put them in my garden waste recycling bin as I can’t bear treading on them like my mum used to I have also put them in a coffee jar and taken them to places we go walking locally and release them so that hopefully the Song Thrushes in the wild will find them

Also check the sides of any containers that you have plants in as they will often stick themselves to the side of the pots to escape the hot sun.I have also found them hibernating in the box that houses my meters as there is a hole in the casing at the bottom where pipes or cables could run through and they will concregate in the box so have to remove them.I have also found them stuck to my house wall where any plants touch the walls and I have even found them attached to some of my garden trees,although they are normally the banded snails that do that not the big garden snails.

Trying to find them in any hiding places will help to reduce the numbers but apart from pellets it is a difficult task to get rid of them

 

Encourage toads to eat them

 

We sprinkle used coffee grounds ( you can get them for free from a coffee shop ) on the soil. Snails and Slugs don't like cofee or tea and so stay away.

 

Touch wood, I grow several hostas here and none are damaged by snails or slugs.

 

Seaweed works. I tried some around a Shasta Daisy that they found tasty and it stopped them.

 

Sure does lucius....snails, etc., cannot tolerate raw bulky seaweed