Getting Rid of Snails

Getting Rid of Snails

I am new to this list, I stumbled upon it as I was searching for remedies to get rid of snails. A neighbor gave me a plant and it had snails in it and now they just ate an amaryllis that is on my balcony. I read about using coffee. They gave a % of a solution, but I have no idea how to dilute any coffee to those proportions. Just made a pot for them and thought that I would just put it in a spray bottle and spray the plants and then put the grounds around the plant. Any advice or opinions.

TIA
VED

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RE: Getting Rid of Snails

Two good remedies are wood ashes or table salt. I would recommend that you put them around the base of your planter instead of in the planter so as not to harm your plant. This also works with slugs. (they are like a snail without a shell.) (11/11/2004)

By Harlean from Arkansas

RE: Getting Rid of Snails

Snails love BEER! Place a shallow dish of beer near the plants and they will drown themselves. (11/11/2004)

By Annie

RE: Getting Rid of Snails

I sprinkle ordinary table salt out of the shaker in a long continuious stream around the perimeter you want to protect. Snails will not cross it and if they do they 'sizzle' and die. No poisons to worry about for animals or children or birds. And very frugal. Replace after rain. (11/11/2004)

By Ang

Keeping Snails Away

Crushed eggshells or diatomaceous earth (found in pool stores) sprinkled around your plants will keep the snails away. (02/09/2005)

By Linda

RE: Getting Rid of Snails

I keep my egg shells all year long and crush them up and put them in the garden. it keeps snails away , provides calcium to the plants and bonus helps the birds. They eat the crushed egg shells to provide calcium for their own egg production. Egg shells will not smell if put in an open container. They dry out and are easy to crush. (02/11/2005)

By Susan from Hamilton

RE: Getting Rid of Snails

Pour beer into a small dish. The snails will be drawn to it and die. (02/11/2005)

By Teresa

RE: Getting Rid of Snails

A % solution of anything means 'part of 100' so if you want to make a 10% solution in water you put 10 parts of coffee, or whatever the liquid is, and 90 parts of water. It can be 10mls coffee and 90 mls water or 10 teaspoons coffee and 90 teaspoons water. If you want a smaller amount 1 teaspoon of coffee and 9 teaspoons of is the same concentration.

30% solution would be 30 units of coffee and 70 units of water, and so on. (02/12/2005)

By Jo Bodey

RE: Getting Rid of Snails

If you put copper around the top of the pot of your plant and scrub it with sand paper it will give the snails a shock and keep the snails away (10/22/2006)

By Jake

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Getting Rid of Snails

This is only my second summer at my new home. Last year I was so pleased to see plants and trees growing nicely until I started noticing holes in all the leaves. It appears I have some very hungry visitors in the form of snails. I was told snails indicate good soil but I would prefer to do without them. How can I get rid of snails or at least discourage them from visiting this summer

Hardiness Zone: 6a

Lynn from Toronto, Ontario

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RE: Getting Rid of Snails

I use the blue bottle of Bayer Rose 3-in-1 I believe it's called. It works on everything, from green bugs on roses, to my tree that we happened to spray it with. The tree was losing its leaves on the top (after a week it looked completely healthy again like before). We use it on our garden even. It works wonderfully, I recommend it. Anytime you see anything from a bug, to insect bites and other remedies don't work quick enough, then use it. (04/30/2008)

By Cathy

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Getting Rid of Snails

How can you get rid of snails eating your potted plants?

Hardiness Zone: 8a

By jr112748 from Dallas, TX

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RE: Getting Rid of Snails

When I was little I remember my dad pouring salt on snails to kill them. (05/10/2009)

By theseamstress

RE: Getting Rid of Snails

I've read that you can fill saucers with beer and set it among your plants. The snails crawl in to get the sweet (?) smelling stuff and drown...must be like people who "drown" their troubles a little too often in the stuff! (05/11/2009)

By Glenn'sMom

RE: Getting Rid of Snails

A saucer of beer works with slugs also. (05/11/2009)

By jabsgram

RE: Getting Rid of Snails

Coffee might be good, only you can't use it all the time or even fresh, cause the acids with eventually burn the plants. I have tried the beer thing, and maybe my pests don't like to drink, I don't know, but it didn't work. I have heard that diatomaceous earth is really good, cause it's the skeletons of diatoms and cuts them up when they crawl over it.

I personally use a product called "Green Light" snail and bug bait. It works on a lot of those critters that damage plants and do most of their eating at night. Just water well, sprinkle it like salt around the plants and the 1st night there won't be many, the 2nd night there will be more, but from the 3rd night on, it looks like they came to have a party and died. This stuff is great and it looks like small saw dust, so you can hardly see it. (05/16/2009)

By c t

RE: Getting Rid of Snails

Find their family nests before killing only a few, by turning over rocks, boards, anything they can crawl under, even flower pots, or around garbage.

Once found, apply table salt to them. Then sprinkle buggetta snail bait pellets, not powder, around each plant right after a rain or your own watering, but never before because water will melt the bait into mush. Do not over-do, but sprinkle enough so you can see it where you saw the snails last. If your ground is dark, try mixing play sand with the pellets so you can tell where you have been and how much you are using.

They like darkness, moisture, screens, and foliage of most any kind, especially veggies and edible flowers/leaves. The bait will kill sow-bugs/pill bugs/roly-polies (all same) as well, earwigs, centipedes, and I believe silver-fish.

Read the directions on the container very well, apply only on a still day, marking on the container when you used it first, wear gloves. Keep container closed when not using or when storing residual. Do not breathe any dust that might be found in the product. Apply around piles, wood, and even old stumps. If it rains, you must reapply immediately. Watch the weather for when you have three days or more of sun instead to apply so that when the snails are drawn to it, they will also have plenty of time to eat it. Reapply every ten days until no sign of any live snails are anywhere. God bless and help you. : ) (05/18/2009)

By lyndagayle62

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Getting Rid of Snails

What's a homemade way to get rid of slugs and snails?

Hardiness Zone: 5a

By Holly from Lancaster, WI

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RE: Getting Rid of Snails

I've never had enough slugs or snails that were bothersome, but I've heard putting a shallow dish filled with beer out will attract them and then they drown or to sprinkle them with salt. It's worth a try and at least it's a living being and environmentally safe way to go. (06/10/2010)

By Deeli

RE: Getting Rid of Snails

Slugs usually don't come to bother us till about end of August into September. The beer is a good thing, set it near the garden and also in the garden. They like the beer, they bloat and die from it, here in MN, zone 4. (06/10/2010)

By T&T Grandma

RE: Getting Rid of Snails

1. Put out a jar lid full of beer and the snails and slugs will go in it at night and be killed. Replenish daily as needed.
2. Get a duck. They eat snails. (06/11/2010)

By kemperjl

RE: Getting Rid of Snails

I think salt kills snails, but not sure if it will also harm the plants. (06/14/2010)

By mollyring