Getting Rid of Snails

I am new to this list, I stumbled upon it as I was searching for remedies to get rid of snails. A neighbor gave me a plant and it had snails in it and now they just ate an amaryllis that is on my balcony. I read about using coffee. They gave a % of a solution, but I have no idea how to dilute any coffee to those proportions. Just made a pot for them and thought that I would just put it in a spray bottle and spray the plants and then put the grounds around the plant. Any advice or opinions.

Answers:

Getting Rid of Snails

Two good remedies are wood ashes or table salt. I would recommend that you put them around the base of your planter instead of in the planter so as not to harm your plant. This also works with slugs. (they are like a snail without a shell.) (11/11/2004)

By Harlean

Getting Rid of Snails

Snails love BEER! Place a shallow dish of beer near the plants and they will drown themselves. (11/11/2004)

By Annie

Getting Rid of Snails

I sprinkle ordinary table salt out of the shaker in a long continuious stream around the perimeter you want to protect. Snails will not cross it and if they do they 'sizzle' and die. No poisons to worry about for animals or children or birds. And very frugal. Replace after rain. (11/11/2004)

By Ang

Keeping Snails Away

Crushed eggshells or diatomaceous earth (found in pool stores) sprinkled around your plants will keep the snails away.
(02/09/2005)

By Linda

Getting Rid of Snails

I keep my egg shells all year long and crush them up and put them in the garden. it keeps snails away , provides calcium to the plants and bonus
helps the birds. They eat the crushed egg shells to provide calcium for their own egg production.
Egg shells will not smell if put in an open container.
They dry out and are easy to crush. (02/11/2005)

By Susan from Hamilton

Getting Rid of Snails

Pour beer into a small dish. The snails will be drawn to it and die. (02/11/2005)

By Teresa

Getting Rid of Snails

A % solution of anything means 'part of 100' so if you want to make a 10% solution in water you put 10 parts of coffee, or whatever the liquid is, and 90 parts of water. It can be 10mls coffee and 90 mls water or 10 teaspoons coffee and 90 teaspoons water. If you want a smaller amount 1 teaspoon of coffee and 9 teaspoons of is the same concentration.

30% solution would be 30 units of coffee and 70 units of water, and so on.
(02/12/2005)

By Jo Bodey

Getting Rid of Snails

If you put copper around the top of the pot of your plant and scrub it with sand paper it will give the snails a shock and keep the snails away (10/22/2006)

By Jake