snail attacks

Thanks everyone for the tips! Wheniwasyourage - just love your excuse for stuffing pistachios to keep snails away! Cider not easily available here in Italy.
Am trying with coffee grounds around my French marigolds and Miseria.

Snails are evil. I picked a handful of them off my flowerbed this morning. I had newts in the pond last year and the snail population seemed to diminish but they are back again. Grrrr.

I don't like the idea of pellets because I encourage birds into the garden. I check out the plants affected in my case Hostas. Kill the little blighter's (not going into detail) that I can find.
If the plant is like lace I cut back the plant and you get a second growth if it's not too late in the season.
You need to keep checking.
I have hostas in pots and they are still eaten, tried the copper tape, no use. I tried lots of different methods to discourage them but nothing does the trick.
Even when the snails fall in my bird bath they still climb out, I don't think they can be drowned.

I've taken to experimenting with plants which like my garden and the slugs and snails hate!!

I still have to use slug pellets on the hanging baskets thought, 'cos the blighters chew everything to shreds otherwise. Wish I didn't have to though.

And a word to the wise, I don't know if its me but I've used Million bells (Calibrachoa) for the first time, and the s's & s's absolutely love them. I wont bother again!!

I'm going to try sea weed mulch on the garden, as I understand they don't like it. But its going to be difficult to find as I don't live near the coast!!

Plus apparently it smells pretty badly

I'm back again to say my experiment with coffee grounds around my French marigolds doesn't seem to work. It's six in the morning and there are two in the pot right now!

Could be that the recent heavy rain washed the grounds into the earth and it no longer "sticks" onto the snails (which is what they don't like).

Namsnanny: They don't attack my Million Bells. Is it because my pots are plastic? I'm surprised they can get into hanging baskets. Do they crawl down the cords/chains the baskets hang from?

Well, we have a Laburnum Tree that the snails love to cluster onto! We have to de-snail the tree trunk every so often, or the snails make their way down to the baskets.

When we moved in the house was empty for a year before, and the tree was covered like a boat with barnacles!!
We took buckets and buckets off and believe it or not took them for a ride in the car to some waste ground to get rid of them, cos we thought if we dumped them near by they would all crawl back!!
So we were told anyway. Unless someone was playing a joke on us
I just couldn't face trying to kill that many of them Yuck!!

Small gravel in the top of pots does work with Hostas or any other pot plants, our Dahlias and vegetables are being eaten by snails and had to use slug pellets as a last resort, first time ever.

So far this summer my hosta has not been attacked by these pesky creatures.

I have been putting crushed egg shells around the plant so wether it is just coinsidence or not i dont know.

Just happy my beautiful plant is surviving so well thus far.

Just read that only 5% of a hedgehogs diet consists of slugs and snails. I am amazed!

Really? I wonder how they found that out. I only know that since the signs of hedgehog habitation vanished from our garden (the neighbours put up a new fence with concrete gravel boards), we’ve got an increase in slugs and snails.

Lots of studies are proving this (See The Hedgehog UK)
Their main diet is beetles,earthworms and insects.
They eat slugs and snails more if they are extremely hungry.
They can die from lungworm from the slugs
Another reason for exterminating the evil critters.

PECS What are nematodes?

Am about to sprinkle coursely ground chilli peppers on the earth in my pots, around my French marigolds. My attempts with coffee grounds didn't seem to bother the snails at all. Am even thinking of dribbling Tabasco on the rims of the pots - but that could be costly.

Yes I kill them in jam jars of salty water. It's war. Also Strulch is very good. Love the stuff.

I can’t help but had to say when I saw the thread title an ominous voice in my head echoed ......WHEN SNAILS GO BAD ....... a la Nat Geo !!

Sorry ???

loopyloo - what is STRULCH?

Sounds like a cue for Nick Park and Aardman animation, N&G!

I have had the same copper slug tape around my hosta pots for a few years now and it certainly seems to be doing the job, though it will have to be replaced soon. We watered our garden earlier this evening and were appalled by the amount of snails we found. Strangely, they even follow the aerial wire up the house wall - you can see the meandering silvery trail at the side of the wire. I have absolutely no idea why they do that! I can only hope they are all going up onto the roof to commit suicide!

I've tried every method there is except pellets but this year I gave in. Last year it was such a wet summer in Scotland I tried everything from crushed egg shells to the woollen pellets trying to get rid of the large snails and Spanish slugs that had invaded us. The Spanish slugs in particular really sickened me and I had to get rid of them before they got a grip again. They devour everything in site - have been known to eat dead birds! I have seen where they have been eating snails which you would think would be a good thing but they just left a nasty mess on the paths of crushed slime and shell. The pellets have been a big success - easy to apply as there is an applicator on the top of the container - and then it is just a case of picking up the dead bodies in the morning! It's definitely better than being out with a torch in the damp and wet picking them up and disposing of them in a bag of salt!!!

I saw a chap yesterday who boils garlic cloves in water and pours the cooled water onto the plants, plants thrive and don’t get eaten by slugs and snails.

Not tried it myself though

Oopsadaisy - That's interesting!! I will try it today. Thanks.

Grrr! I've just had the b*ggers attack some plants I'd only just used to fill some spaces in my pots - calceolaria (sp?) or something - haven't tried them before.

I do wish garden centres would put a warning on labels that such and such plants are considered gourmet dinners for slugs and snails! I've had the ravening wretches absolutely strip petunias and verbena overnight before, so I knew about those.

I'm afraid I'm just going to use slug pellets now - I've tried so many eco friendly things in the past, including beer, and none of them have really worked.

Has anyone tried smearing Vaseline round the bottom of the pots?

I tried vaseline but it got very unpleasant looking.

The copper tape and gravel has worked up to now for me.

Quick update; the marigolds and nemesia which are surrounded by pistachio shells are still alive and well, and we have bought a large bag of salted pistachios, which we are doggedly eating our way through. (It's a tough job, but there you go )

The thrush has been joined by another one and we have broken snail shells all over the paths. I love thrushes!!

We have dunnocks, starlings and blackbirds as well as thrush and I wonder if they eat slug and snail eggs. Certainly having a small waterfall and pond and feeding the birds to encourage them in has had a big effect on the slug, snail and aphid population.

The downside is the pigeon poo all over the lawn as they finish up what drops from the feeders.