A slipper of snails sounds a great idea - I expect we'll run another competition later in the year, so you could always enter it then.
I tend to grow plants less attractive to slugs and snails, after finding that trying to battle against them was a Sisyphean task.
For any 'specialities' that the slugs and snails like, I try and grow them off the floor, either in hanging baskets, pots suspended from brackets, or up on shelves, staging or tables. It doesn't totally stop the damage, but does reduce it considerably.
My Delphiniums for instance, I grow in a huge tall pot with some old copper wire wrapped around.
Any snails that I find near vulnerable plants, I pick up and move into my wildlife patch or into the neighbouring field - of course, they come back again before very long!
Many thanks for your informative reply. I find the snails are very sneaky and devour the plants when I am not there. (Have never seen one in action). It's not until the next day when I go to the allotment I find the damage. Have tried the broken egg shells but that didn't make any difference.
Was thinking of putting a spot of Tippex on the shell ( if that's not unkind) and after disposing of them I would know if they had found their way back! If they had I suppose I should congratulate them!
Don't really have the means for hanging baskets but plenty of pots. At least I do know which plants they are not interested in as they flourished. Quite soul destroying sometimes when you see the damage.
Lovely to hear from you and thanks for your advice. All will be revealed come Spring.
P.S. pbff are the initials of my sisters and me. (One now sadly departed)
SLS supporters might enjoy this story. At a summer fete last year, I organized a competition for children to collect wild flowers in a bag and bring them to be identified. One little girl also picked up a couple of snails. By the time she brought her bag to me, they had found each other and were busy making more snails. "Oh look!"" said the child, "they're kissing!"
Love your story and as you say it is more entertaining than day time TV. What isn't?
Sounds like a school project my Granddaughter would have to partake in. Nothing at school these days seems easy. When the time comes I shall try it out. Would have to carry them across the road and put them out the back and as it is a terrace it would be a miracle if they found their way back. But who knows...
Also I would like to mention in support of my application that one of the first occupants of my new pond this year was a snail; a tiny, black thing that grazes on the algae on the pond liner. Lovely.
Philippa - Good idea I shall bear that in mind. Loved the story of Patricia Highsmith. Just googled her and will look out for one of her books. Could be a good read.
Excellent retort from Papi Jo. Very quick off the mark.
I would never have known what the necklace was Cloggie. Lovely photo. I am sure you will be welcomed by the other posters in SLS.
Fran - your Tippex idea sounds a good one - as Philippa said, perhaps a project for you and your grand-daughter to do together and you can at least pretend that it's all in the name of education!
Josusa - love your summer fete story.
Philippa - you seem to have had great fun tracking your snails - maybe an idea for an SLS competition later in the year - 'Longest Distance Covered By A Snail'.
I don't think I should like to keep snails in such an unusual place as Patricia Highsmith - nor would I like to set fire to my hair to liven up a dinner. I suppose I could try releasing some snails out of a handbag at the dining table though....
Cloggie - welcome to the SLS!
Glad to hear that you're gardening for the benefit of snails!
Can't see your photo at the mo, as for some reason it won't load - hopefully will be able to see it soon though.
How fast do you think these speedy snails are moving?
A study a few years ago, led by Dr Dave Hodgson of the University of Exeter, found that snails can move at a speed of about 1 metre an hour, which is faster than had previously been thought.
Researchers attached multicoloured LEDs to snails, so that their movements could be tracked over a day.
They found that the snails were fast enough to travel the length of the average British garden in a single night - no surprises for gardeners there!
The study also found that snails travel in the 'slipstream' of others, moving along the slime trails of other snails to save making their own.
Slime-making apparently uses up to 30% of a snail's energy, so this usage of other snail's trails would seem to be a sensible idea.
The study was commisioned as a pet-owner resource, regarding the lungworm parasite carried by snails and slugs - the more negative aspect of our gastropod friends.
When tidying the GH , Ive found that snails can get out of a nice deep bucket in about 5 minutes, so a metre an hour sounds like an underestimate to me
Posts
Fran - glad that you've been enjoying our thread.
A slipper of snails sounds a great idea - I expect we'll run another competition later in the year, so you could always enter it then.
I tend to grow plants less attractive to slugs and snails, after finding that trying to battle against them was a Sisyphean task.
For any 'specialities' that the slugs and snails like, I try and grow them off the floor, either in hanging baskets, pots suspended from brackets, or up on shelves, staging or tables. It doesn't totally stop the damage, but does reduce it considerably.
My Delphiniums for instance, I grow in a huge tall pot with some old copper wire wrapped around.
Any snails that I find near vulnerable plants, I pick up and move into my wildlife patch or into the neighbouring field - of course, they come back again before very long!
pbff
Many thanks for your informative reply. I find the snails are very sneaky and devour the plants when I am not there. (Have never seen one in action). It's not until the next day when I go to the allotment I find the damage. Have tried the broken egg shells but that didn't make any difference.
Was thinking of putting a spot of Tippex on the shell ( if that's not unkind) and after disposing of them I would know if they had found their way back! If they had I suppose I should congratulate them!
Don't really have the means for hanging baskets but plenty of pots. At least I do know which plants they are not interested in as they flourished. Quite soul destroying sometimes when you see the damage.
Lovely to hear from you and thanks for your advice. All will be revealed come Spring.
P.S. pbff are the initials of my sisters and me. (One now sadly departed)
SLS supporters might enjoy this story. At a summer fete last year, I organized a competition for children to collect wild flowers in a bag and bring them to be identified. One little girl also picked up a couple of snails. By the time she brought her bag to me, they had found each other and were busy making more snails. "Oh look!"" said the child, "they're kissing!"
Hi Philippa
Thanks for your welcome.
Love your story and as you say it is more entertaining than day time TV. What isn't?
Sounds like a school project my Granddaughter would have to partake in. Nothing at school these days seems easy. When the time comes I shall try it out. Would have to carry them across the road and put them out the back and as it is a terrace it would be a miracle if they found their way back. But who knows...
@philippa,
Interesting bit of information about Patricia Highsmith. To paraphrase Shakespeare, "Thereby hangs a snail".
Can I join please?
Also I would like to mention in support of my application that one of the first occupants of my new pond this year was a snail; a tiny, black thing that grazes on the algae on the pond liner. Lovely.
Philippa - Good idea I shall bear that in mind. Loved the story of Patricia Highsmith. Just googled her and will look out for one of her books. Could be a good read.
Excellent retort from Papi Jo. Very quick off the mark.
I would never have known what the necklace was Cloggie. Lovely photo. I am sure you will be welcomed by the other posters in SLS.
Hi all,
Fran - your Tippex idea sounds a good one - as Philippa said, perhaps a project for you and your grand-daughter to do together and you can at least pretend that it's all in the name of education!
Josusa - love your summer fete story.
Philippa - you seem to have had great fun tracking your snails - maybe an idea for an SLS competition later in the year - 'Longest Distance Covered By A Snail'.
I don't think I should like to keep snails in such an unusual place as Patricia Highsmith - nor would I like to set fire to my hair to liven up a dinner. I suppose I could try releasing some snails out of a handbag at the dining table though....
Cloggie - welcome to the SLS!
Glad to hear that you're gardening for the benefit of snails!
Can't see your photo at the mo, as for some reason it won't load - hopefully will be able to see it soon though.
How fast do you think these speedy snails are moving?
A study a few years ago, led by Dr Dave Hodgson of the University of Exeter, found that snails can move at a speed of about 1 metre an hour, which is faster than had previously been thought.
Researchers attached multicoloured LEDs to snails, so that their movements could be tracked over a day.
They found that the snails were fast enough to travel the length of the average British garden in a single night - no surprises for gardeners there!
The study also found that snails travel in the 'slipstream' of others, moving along the slime trails of other snails to save making their own.
Slime-making apparently uses up to 30% of a snail's energy, so this usage of other snail's trails would seem to be a sensible idea.
The study was commisioned as a pet-owner resource, regarding the lungworm parasite carried by snails and slugs - the more negative aspect of our gastropod friends.
The article can be found here
http://www.exeter.ac.uk/news/featurednews/title_315519_en.html
I hope that you, your slugs and snails all have a nice weekend.
pbff
Last edited: 06 January 2018 15:42:00
When tidying the GH , Ive found that snails can get out of a nice deep bucket in about 5 minutes, so a metre an hour sounds like an underestimate to me