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Is the Snail really a
pest
Snails can destroy a row
of emerging vegetable seedlings overnight, they can eat the flowers off
our specimen plants, and they can certainly do untold harm to a plant by
removing the new leaves the plant would rely upon for growth, they can
even cause die-back by eating away at the soft layers of plant stems, but
I have to ask if this requires we immediately go to the garden centre to
buy the currently available slug & snail killer compounds.
For years gardeners have
relied upon a number of safe organic methods of slug and snail control,
ranging from the application of once freely available soot around plants
that need protection, through to crushed egg shells deployed in the same
way. Even very fine silver sand can act as a deterrent to the slugs
and snails that wish to run the gauntlet of the organic obstacles we can
place between them and our cherished possessions.
Indeed any material we can deploy that clogs up a snail's mucus producing
system will act as a serious deterrent to it seeking out our prize plants
as a banquet that will satisfy the evening feasting.
Now with a very
unhappy ravenous diner roaming our garden, looking for a greasy cafe now
that the Savoy is out of bounds, it would be only fair of us to provide
the equivalent of a burger bar where a quick satisfying meal can be found
(OK I have not had a burger recently).
Remember that finished half a
grapefruit from Sunday morning breakfast, that slightly "off" tomato, or the
lettuce off-cuts, if they are placed under an accessible rock or piece of
slate in a cool moist place in the garden, they will provide our uninvited
dinner guests with an alternative platter that cannot be turned down.
Now place a few
largish stones around the garden, and hopefully you will see many broken snail
shells accumulating around them, where Thrushes have picked off those gluttonous
little beasties before they can return to the sanctuary of their daytime
resting places.
Unfortunately with the
decline in our bird populations, due to loss of habitat and sources of
food, you may be unlucky and be unable to rely upon a neighbourly Thrush
eliminating your snails.
Please do not be
tempted to pick up your snails and throw them into your neighbour's
garden, no matter how much you may feel he deserves them. Snails have an
excellent homing instinct and will quickly find their way back to your
garden.
The most humane way to
dispose of snails and still preserve their value as a food source for our
wildlife is to spend an afternoon collecting them, and chauffeur them to a
countryside retreat, where they can live out their lives until they become
a part of the food chain.
However, you may feel
that all the above is being too soft on the greedy little blighters, and
that you want to take some direct action that will lead to their immediate
demise. In which case may I suggest death by beer.
Sink a plastic
container in the ground, a "Pot Noodle" sized vessel will do,
then fill it with beer. The perfect Beer Trap.
If you thought that
snails have specially developed lettuce radar, then prepare to be amazed
at how quickly they will find your beer, drink their fill, get drunk, fall
into the dark amber throat charmer and drown.
The only downside is
the disgusting mess that needs removing should you forget to regularly
attend your trap.
However, you may want
the certainty of a chemical solution to your snail problems.
In days gone by,
before we became conscious of how our behaviour affects our wildlife, slug
pellets were liberally sprinkled anywhere there was a slug or snail
problem. Not only did this serve to eliminate most of the slugs and snails
in our gardens, but it also led to the poisoning of Hedgehogs and Cats as
well as the intended foe.
Not that I really have
any time for Cats. For where I live they make the garden a very unsafe
area for the birds I would much prefer to encourage; many of which will
eat insects such as aphids or eat weed seeds that I would rather did not
survive to raise another brood of tap rooted pests. Indeed I would much
prefer that it was Thrushes cleaning up the snail problems in my garden.
However, I cannot with any conscience justify poisoning cats to promote
bird life in my garden.
My real concern has to
be for Hedgehogs, nature's flea transporters. Many of our garden pests
such as slugs and snails form the basic diet of Hedgehogs. I accept
that they will also take worms and eggs, but they also do an excellent job
of controlling pests such as mice which will make a meal of our bulbs etc,
yes Hedgehogs rather wickedly eat baby mice.
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