This picture is always worth a re-show for those that haven't seen it. It was removed without harm..... and then thrown over the garden wall (at night...) into next doors garden .
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One thing I did do last year, and it seemed to work OK was to put a little bit of tinfoil in the trough where the loovres are and some more in the plate where the door frame runs across the flags. Into that tinfoil I put a liberal dose of salt.
The dose in the door frame of course gets wet, so would need replacing, but the stuff in the loovres seemed to stay quite dry for the few weeks it was there (most of September, when snail season is at it's worst......)
It did SEEM to reduce the amount of snails present in the GH.
The tinfoil bit is (I think) important as it can be removed, not sure what large doses of strong salt water would do to aluminium greenhouse frames......
Chris L wrote: ↑Mon Jun 21, 2021 10:59 am
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The tinfoil bit is (I think) important as it can be removed, not sure what large doses of strong salt water would do to aluminium greenhouse frames......
Not good! Aluminum is easily corroded by salt water, including salt water spray or in the atmosphere
Endeavouring to grow Aylostera, Echinocereus, Echinopsis, Gymnocalycium, Matucana, Rebutia, and Sulcorebutia. Fallen out of love with Lithops and aggravated by Aeoniums.
Currently being wooed by Haworthia, attempting hybridisation, and enticed by Mesembs.
Hi Chris
There was a experiment on tv recently , where they devided the garden into quarters and gather all the snails from a garden marking the snails from each corner with a different color. They also had some snails they brought from Cornwall.
They put all the snails in the middle of the garden . Most of the snails return to there own corner of the garden, and the control group from Cornwall were found to be heading south west.
Homing snails ,, whatch out.
Chris L wrote: ↑Mon Jun 21, 2021 10:59 am
This picture is always worth a re-show for those that haven't seen it. It was removed without harm..... and then thrown over the garden wall (at night...) into next doors garden .
I seem to remember a study showing that snails would return to the garden they regard as home over quite a remarkable distance. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
I am not sure whether the study included an airborne leg to the journey out.
fero wrote: ↑Mon Jun 21, 2021 6:05 pm
Hi Chris
There was a experiment on tv recently , where they devided the garden into quarters and gather all the snails from a garden marking the snails from each corner with a different color. They also had some snails they brought from Cornwall.
They put all the snails in the middle of the garden . Most of the snails return to there own corner of the garden, and the control group from Cornwall were found to be heading south west.
Homing snails ,, whatch out.
Pattock wrote: ↑Mon Jun 21, 2021 6:08 pm
I seem to remember a study showing that snails would return to the garden they regard as home over quite a remarkable distance. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
I am not sure whether the study included an airborne leg to the journey out.
I've had a theory for a long time that killing snails is no good. [I've mentioned the below previously]
My thinking is there is always going to be a certain snail population density.
If I kill the snails then all that will happen is that the snails in surrounding areas will breed more to fill the lower population density in my area.
If I lob a snail away from where it was living, then it will land near other snails causing that area to have a higher population density, so the snails there will have less to eat and will breed less, therefore actually helping my neighbour.
For me, snails don't do too much damage to my plants - so I adopt a bit of live and let live attitude.
Endeavouring to grow Aylostera, Echinocereus, Echinopsis, Gymnocalycium, Matucana, Rebutia, and Sulcorebutia. Fallen out of love with Lithops and aggravated by Aeoniums.
Currently being wooed by Haworthia, attempting hybridisation, and enticed by Mesembs.
I too go by, live and let live approach. Occasionally when we've had a lot of wet weather , I'll go out and collect a bucket full, though I make sure to take them quite a long way from the house, hoping something will eat them on the journey home,,
maybe with some garlic butter
We have a Thrush in the garden who goes through dozens of them. The smashed shells are all up the concrete steps, especially in spring. I guess an abundance of snails perhaps highlights an imbalance in the local nature i.e. not enough predators. When I was a boy it was rare to see many snails but there were plenty Thrushes around. Now it's unfortunately the opposite
Ross
Dunbar, SE Scotland.
BCSS member #46264 (originally joined 1983).
Growing cacti since 1978, with a particular interest in Sulcorebutia and Rebutia.
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