Snails.

[Ember]

Snails have stripped my petunias down to the stalks.  I noticed they had not touched the  begonias, so have bought another  load to replace the petunias.   Do they not like begonias, or perhaps they just left them alone while they scoffed the petunias?    They did the same last year to my French Marigolds, so I didn't put any in this year.    Are there any flowers they will leave alone. My snails are SAS models, they even climb grit - any hints to deter them?

[shaneystar]

I don't think there is much they won't eat!! The swines. Even as I write they are galloping round my garden as we have just had a heavy shower of rain and out they come.I give them a happy death by drowning them in beer.I buy the cheapest beer I can find and put it round the garden in shallow marge tubs.Vitalite tubs are ideal.I don't use pellets because of the birds.It's a bit messy disposing of dead drunk snails and time consuming filling up the beer tubs but it does help.I also buy a big pot of cheap vaseline from Boots or Superdrug and paint this round the tops of any tubs and pots.They can't grip on the grease.Again you have to reapply it after rain but worth it to save the plants.I throw a lot of them up on my shed roof for the birds to find.

[lindapinda]

I use beer as well,shaneystar,but although it's good for getting snails and slugs,I have to keep checking the tubs in case bees or ladybirds are caught.I grow nasturtiums every year,and they definetely do not suffer the dreaded slug onslaught!

[Ember]

Thanks folks, will try the vaseline trick Shaneystar it sounds cheap and effective.    Tried the beer too many of the little guzzlers it was too expensive.

[judypark]

slugs and snails need a smooth surface to move across, if you can get hold of some holly leaves , and put them round your plants, they will not cross them. Even cheaper than beer.  Judy

[Lil-Ol-Me]

I sprinkle a few bits of broken egg shells around my plants which seems to deter them. Also if you buy some copper tape you can put it around the tops of pots and this also stops the bliters in their tracks too! I have also used the pellets, but make sure they are covered with a bit of compost which stops birds from eating them (or so I have been told)

[Dom Tuk]

Slugs dont eat begonias, margeruites, busy lizzies, osteospermums, roses, lupins, geraniums, geum, oxalis, and poppies. I have grown them after losing my battles with slugs snails over the years.

[marcus5771]

This was on a radio station in London and this was put out to its listeners. Beer Salt Sand and some thin fixed copper wire. Or in the large supper markets slug pellets will stop them. Good Luck.

[judypark]

I wish someone would tell the slugs in Leicestershire that they don't eat lupins, they've stripped mine.

[Dom Tuk]

judypark my dwarf lupins have not been touched this year. I agree in the past my lupins have been trashed.

[Ember]

I,am answering my own question here, but thought you might be interested.   The other night on a sky programme the presenter said that slugs and snails don't like copper, it gives them a sort of an electric shock (static electricity I presume).   She showed a large clay pot with a strip of copper round the rim.    I don't know how expensive that would be, but I am willing to try anything, I shall enquire at my hardware store.

[Lil-Ol-Me]

Hi again! You can also buy sheets of copper from art suppliers which is very easy to cut and shape round pots etc. It may work out cheaper than harware stores.

[Eddab]

Its a bit mean to punish slugs for wanting to eat. For a year, I kept themoff my plants by feeding them lettuce.

I just put out lettuce in one part of my small garden in the evening, and I watched them all going to eat it. They very quickly learnt where the lettuce was.

The problem was I got rather alot of slugs. However, it was no problem. I picked them up carefully and carried them off to an empty field.

Result, I was happy, and the slugs were happy.

estelle