Is there anything I can do now (Spring) that will prevent my garden and whole backyard from getting creepy snails? I know a few tips on getting rid of them, but I would prefer preventing them from visiting altogether.
Lynn from Ontario, Canada
If you look under loose paving slabs, waterbutts, or anything else free standing you should find slugs and snails sleeping. Pick them off and dump them somewhere else, or kill them. Remember though, that snails will return unless you take them a long way away. There's no point throwing them over the fence. They will come home! (03/18/2009)
You could put broken eggshells in your garden. Snails don't like walking (crawling) across them. Plus, they are a good source of calcium for your soil. (03/19/2009)
Try putting unused, dry coffee (not instant, has to be regular) in a ring around the plants. Supposedly, the snails hate the caffeine in the coffee and won't cross it. Good luck! (03/20/2009)
By Lynn Marler
Believe it or not, slugs love beer! If you fill a tuna can with beer, the slugs will climb into it and die. They'll be happy, but dead. Perhaps snails are beer lovers, too. I'd suggest a lower, slightly broader container and see how that works. (03/20/2009)
We used to have an oak tree were told that the acorns attract slugs so maybe they attract snails, too. We no longer have the tree so the slug population is much smaller, but we still have to protect certain slug-tempting plants. We sprinkle crushed egg shells on top of the soil around the plants and the slugs can't glide over them. Sorry that I don't know how to completely eliminate snails, but maybe this will help. We never had any luck with the beer method. (03/21/2009)
By Chris
Snails don't like to crawl over anything scratchy or sharp. I've used eggshells (as mentioned above), gravel, and oyster shells. (03/23/2009)
By Scooter
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