snail repellent

[John Savage]

On the tv gardening program 'Vasilis Garden' on Ch 31 (a community tv channel here in Sydney), the host described how to make a snail repellent spray.

He collected about 15 live snails, crushed them in a saucepan and added a litre of hot water. This was boiled for 10 minutes, allowed to cool and the liquid strained into a spray bottle. He then sprayed this liquid over the foliage of garden seedlings and on the outside of pots, anywhere that he wanted snails repelled from.

I'm describing this in case someone with a snail problem cares to try it and can let the rest of us know whether it works. I'm skeptical but open minded. :)

One final word: one of her good kitchen saucepans might not be the wisest choice...

-- John Savage (my news address is not valid for email)

[Jonno]

Sounds like how they create biological weapons...

[Kimberly]

If you're talking about usual garden snails then they are edible. Putting them in a pan with hot water would make soup. :)

Kimberly

[Farm1]

That's a completely new twist on an old recipe. Dunno if I like the sound of boiling the snails.

The more usual way to make this spray for any insect pest is to collect the bug that is to be destroyed, to put it in her blender, add cold water then blend it and then to leave the resulant stew to ferment for a few days before straining and then using the strained juice on the plant which had the problem bug.

[OmManiPadmeOmelet]

Does this actually work? I'd like to try it with cabbage worms......

[Gary Woods]

It's hit or miss; if some of your cabbage worms are already infected with BT, you'll spread it around to the others, which is good. The commercial BT wettable powder works well for me. Of course, some of the GM products out are actively breeding BT resistant bugs, so farmers will have to use the [unnamed chemical company, without whom profits themselves would be impossible] products.

But that's just my opinion.

I may be wrong.

Gary Woods AKA K2AHC- PGP key on request, or at home.earthlink.net/~garygarlic Zone 5/6 in upstate New York, 1420' elevation. NY WO G

[Farm1]

strained

:-))) I only have one blender so there is NO way I'm going to try it till I can find another blender cheap in a second hand shop.

It's touted to work by the organic mob (or is it the biodynamic??? or perhaps I've read of it in Jackie French's books???). It does make some sense to me though. The smell of a fellow humans rotting remains would be enough to turn me off going near a place so I suspect that it may just work with bugs.

Let me know how it works please ;-)))

[Farm1]

Om were you thinking of the cabbage grubs that are laid by the white cabbage butterflies? If you were then this does work. Make up some fake cabbage butterflies (I use the white opaque plastic form old milk cartons) and mark then so that they have the black markings of real cabbage butterflies with a felt tip pen and then put them on bamboo stakes and put them around your cabbages. The cabbage butterfly is territorial and will go elsewhere if it thinks that that cabbage is already taken by another cabbage butterfly.

[George Shirley]

The best thing I've ever found for cabbage worms is Bt, Bacillium thurengenis (sp?). Mix with water per directions on the bottle and spray the cabbage plants on a regular basis. Moth comes by, lays eggs, eggs hatch and the first thing they eat is Bt,then they die.

For snails and slugs we use stale beer, just a little in an old shallow bowl or lid. They get in it and don't get out.

George

[OmManiPadmeOmelet]

Anyone that trusts Monsanto is a fool....

If the only reason to do this is to harvest BT, it'd be less trouble just to buy it. ;-) I understand it's not expensive.

I've honestly never tried it but I think it's about time I did.

[OmManiPadmeOmelet]

I really do need to try it....

I've successfully used beer pans for both slugs and snails for years. I've found that a dark Ale attracts even more.

I've just quit posting about it because I got too many flames.

[OmManiPadmeOmelet]

That sounds interesting... I've never seen the actual butterflies. These are the little bastards that killed my horseradish and did a number on my chard and brocolli:

largest was maybe 1" long at most. I killed dozens of them but I had to get them at dawn and dusk. They were so destructive so fast! I lost the horseradish but managed to save the other stuff. I just killed everything by hand.

The chickens I had at the time feasted happily.

[peter]

what an elegant solution, I'll use that idea. Thanks

[Jonno]

It may not work. Ive seen them come through in flocks and it doesnt seem to deter them...

[Farm1]

any. Last year I tried the opaque plastic fake butterfly trick and didn't ahve any probs with my broccoli.

[Farm1]

bamboo

One more trick. I put the little fake butterflys on the tiny bamboo sate sticks then push these sticks into the tops of bigger bamboo staking sticks.

[OmManiPadmeOmelet]

Hm. I'll have to try that this fall......

Thanks!

[Farm1]

years.

But it works so why would you get flamed?

The other things that works are derris dust and corflakes mixed to a mush and if you were in the UK then you'd probably know to use Marmite and water or in Aus you'd use Vegemite and water.

The thing that both Marmite and Vegmite have in common with beer, is that they are yeast based and snails and slugs die when they slobber on yeast. But doesn't everyone know that? :-))

[OmManiPadmeOmelet]

Some people don't believe it. ;-)

Huh! I can get Marmite at the Greek market in Austin. Might be cheaper than beer so I should try that.

[Loosecanon]

Just remember if you try this to watch your eyes. Is far better to use something like the plastic bread bag sealer thingos and to cover any sharp bits.

Richard