Getting rid of snails
 

Does anyone know of a way to get rid of snails? They seem to have taken a particular liking to my newly planted petunias. I know beer works on slugs but is there a home remedy or commerial product that will stop the snails from noshing on my petunias?

Coming from the "snail" capital of the country, Los Angeles, I can tell you from experience, it is a very hard problem to overcome totally but you can with a lot of dedication.

a) beer didn't have enough strength to reduce the population so I resorted to a snail killer that we bought at Home Depot, which is a liquid, can't remember the name, but its a dark, gooey, liquid that instantly kills the snails upon contact. Even at that, they populate by the hundreds, so you need to be dedicated to using this poison.

b) also, do some research, there are some plants/flowers that the snails are more prone to liking. I'd stay away from those plants in particular.

Good Luck, and I must admit that I never was "snail-less" in LA...

Most home and garden centers sell Slug and Snail Bait which is spread around the plants in pellet form. Just sprinkle it around the plants every few weeks and the snails/slugs will eat the bait and die. They seem to prefer the bait over the plants.

Thanks for the tips. Off to the home and garden center I go!! Hate to use poisons but love my flowering plants especially at this time of year so I will yield my aversion and try a commercial product. Just hope I don't come back in the next life as a snail.;)

Very cute....

The product Kathie is thinking of is Deadline. And it works great. One advantage is that it doesn't wash away easily from rain or irrigation. I used it extensively in San Diego because of the agapanthus in my yard. I started calling the plant a snail condo because of all the snails that lived in it.

OOORRRR- you could call chef pierre. He'll show up once a week with a saute pan , some white wine, and a pound of butter.

OK Mulligan. Give me his number but he'll have to come over more than once a week. Hope he doesn't charge extra for that!!