# slugs / snails problems



## Kavanaru (Aug 24, 2011)

Need help!

I currently have problems with slugs and small snails in my greenhouse. I have tried snail pellets without much success [Gesal 3.5% Methaldehyd & Neudorff 0.99% Iron (III) Phosphate]. Furthermore, both products, once applied in the greenhouse, are quickly covered by fungis within one or two days.

Does anyone has a tip to get rid of the slugs/snails in the greenhouse? I would be especially interested in feedback from european growers, due to the products availability here, or from the USA in case there is a product easily available that I could buy and bring with me in my next trip.

Thanks in advance!


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## Erythrone (Aug 24, 2011)

I use Iron phosphate and it is successfull. Too bad it does not work for you.


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## Kavanaru (Aug 24, 2011)

Erythrone said:


> I use Iron phosphate and it is successfull. Too bad it does not work for you.



How do you manage to avoid it being covered by fungi? it is specially the ironPhosphate pellets that get fungis quicker...


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## Shiva (Aug 24, 2011)

Perhaps you could begin by spraying a fungicide then apply the iron phosphate pellets. 

You could use copper metal strips around the legs of you benches or tables. I heard that slugs don't like it. That would do nothing for the slugs and snails already top side but it might prevent more climbing up. I found that insecticidal soap is also useful. It doesn't kill them but it can dilute the sticky stuff they ride on and they fall off the leaves or stems and you can pick them up. 
If all fails, then there are biological controls possible, like a couple of frogs or lizards picking them up.


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## Ernie (Aug 24, 2011)

Iron phosphate has worked wonders for us too! This time of year it rains almost daily and it's always humid; had serious slug issues last summer. None this year. We sprinkle them around once a week or so when weather calls for it. You don't need a lot. We use one or two pellets (ours are about tic-tac size) per square foot roughly; spread on the ground around the benches. Had some stored outside in a shaker container (empty grated parm cheese container... with MR. Yuk sticker and proper labels of course) and they fungused up pretty quickly. They store fine in the garage in the original zip-lock bag though.


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## Kavanaru (Aug 24, 2011)

Hi Ernie, my problem with the fungus is when I sprinkle them on the ground of the GH and also on top of the pots (as I have some tiny snails living in some pots now). I must admit, I do not know whether this fungi would attack the orchids, but looks very weird 

I have no problem with it on teh ground... where I continue sprinkling the pellets even though I do not see major effect..


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## Lycaste53 (Aug 24, 2011)

In Germany, there iss ´Mesurol flüssig`available (if you have a fried there) from professional growers, which have a license to buy products like that. It is quite dangerous for human health.


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## JeanLux (Aug 24, 2011)

The most effective pellets I have used are *Bayer Schneckenkorn Mesurol®*: Unfortunately I bought those some years ago, and when I was back to my garden-shop where I got them, they were no longer available there !!! I use the remaining quantity very carefully now, mixed with the cucumber slice method, but this one is very laborious because you have to be in the gh at night to catch the killers!!! Jean


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## mormodes (Aug 24, 2011)

Pellets etc have their uses but if they don't seem to be working for you place a few fresh lettuce leaves or cucumber slices in the area where you suspect the slugs reside. The next day in the *early AM* go out and see what is still eating the leaves. Its better to go out at night just before bedtime and see who is eating the leaves, but I always forget to do that. I have trapped more slugs with fresh produce than baits. YMMV.


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## Lycaste53 (Aug 24, 2011)

There are some people, which apply some pellets of ´Schneckenkorn` on to the upper side of a cucumer-slice and put it into the pots. 
This ´old´ ´Schneckenkorn´is used against millipeds too.


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## Kavanaru (Aug 24, 2011)

hhhmmm... I will try to get some "Mesurol Flüßig" with friends... in the mean time, probably try the Cucumber topped with pellet method... and see... as for teh other methods, cucumber slices /lettuce and go and collect the slugs.... hhmm... with over 400 plants not very viable... 
Jean, I think the Schneckenkorn Mesurol was prohibited in the EU. That's why you cannot find it anymore. It is Methiocarb, which is pretty dangerous, and can be purchased only by professional growers with a especial permit.


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## T. migratoris (Aug 25, 2011)

I've had problems with slugs in my GH as well. I've started (but not yet finished) the process of becoming a certified pesticide applicator - it's not hard - so then I can buy Mesurol for use in California. It's expensive but so are miticides, and frankly slugs can be more devastating more quickly than mites, and extremely good miticides are available to the hobby grower without an applicator's certificate (for a price). The traditional slug baits that contain metaldahyde are not effective in greenhouses so don't waste money or time on them. Iron phosphate (e.g. Sluggo) has its own issues. Methiocarb, toxic as it may be, is the only really effective commercially available slug killer around. I hate to use harsh chemicals but when it boils to keeping rare species alive or not, I'll use the chems when absolutely necessary. The chems I apply are in a GH and they don't ever see the outside environment, so I don't worry about larger environmental effects.


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## Bjorn (Aug 25, 2011)

I am very familiar with that problem Ramón. My green-house is a heaven for slugs - at leasty looking at the rate they multiply:sob:
I have tried several things, coffe; as caffeine should be poisonous to snails; and the baits, yes they work, but get full of mould after a while and it gets quite unsightly. The darn grains has a tendency of falling into cracks and crevices that you do not want them either - like getting stuck between a flower stalk and the leaf. It may not harm the flower bu does not look good.
The mould that attacks the ironphosphate grains seems not to attack the plants, so I believe its harmless. As a matter of fact, perhaps its even beneficiary, iron and phosphate nutrition when it breaks down:clap:
My best solution so far is to wait until it gets dark, and then go down into the greenhouse, switch on the lights (or use a torch) and go slug-hunting. The catch is immediatly disposed off - I use a pair of scissors and cut them in two:evil: The remains are left as "a nutritional snack" for the plants. Early morning, the procedure is repeated, this time also with watering and general inspection etc.
I have not been able to get rid of them, but the number has declined to a level where it is acceptable. Vigilance is needed though a few days vacation and the pest is there again.:sob:


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## bcostello (Aug 25, 2011)

Like Bjorn I have used caffeine on the tiny litte rat bastard snails. I buy caffeine capsules that you can get at drug stores and make a strong solution and pour it over the media of the plant. Seemed to work on a Bulbo hanging basket that got infested. Don't ask me how they got in a hanging basket in the first place, unless the eggs were in the water that I was watering with.


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## hhartung (Aug 25, 2011)

Ramon,

I have a greenhouse 30 x 30 m = 900 m2 with over 8,000 orchids. For some years I had people taking care of it until I would retire.

For some reason I got slugs and bush snails into the pots. Some day I discovered that the guy who was taking care of the greenhouse was "sawing" the snails into fresh replanted Community Pots. So I fired him and took care of my plants for myself.

Now I had to get the slugs and snails out. I used metaldehyde liquid and pellets and other products but there is no way to erradicate the slugs and snails with those products because the little bush snails put their eggs into the medium and worse under the rhizomes of Cattleyas.

So I had to do it the hard way: I covered the whole floor with salt ( white salt for animal feeding) to kill all slugs and snails on the floor (earth). I did that twice.

Second: I repotted all plants, one by one, in fresh medium. Catts got all roots completely cutted (they have enough food in the pseudobulbs and make new roots soon). All the bark is now steamed for 20 minutes because I found that the bark I get here came with bushsnail eggs.

All that took took a lot of time and was a lot of work but now I havn't seen any snail nore any slug in the whole greenhouse for now more than 5 years and I check my plants often at night especially in rainy nights and high humidity.

Helmut

Venezuela



I belive that this is the best way to get them out definitively.


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## mormodes (Aug 25, 2011)

hhartung said:


> Ramon,
> 
> I have a greenhouse 30 x 30 m = 900 m2 with over 8,000 orchids. For some years I had people taking care of it until I would retire.
> 
> ...



I feel your pain. While I only have ~1200 orchids, mostly Cattleyas, I too went through the collection repotting/washing/toothbrushing every plant in order to get rid of bush snails. They get under the rhizomes and amongst the roots. I don't use sphagnum moss anymore because of bush snails. It took me from the beginning of April through the 4th of July to repot. I haven't gone so far as to salt the floor of the greenhouse, but if that helps defeat algae buildup I may try it. But no more slugs or bush snails. But the day ain't over yet, LOL!


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## nikv (Aug 25, 2011)

Have you tried the beer in a saucer trick? I haven't tried it myself, but I've heard that a saucer of beer will attract them like a magnet. You can then kill them as they show up for a drink. And it's not harmful to pets or humans!


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## Kavanaru (Aug 25, 2011)

nikv said:


> Have you tried the beer in a saucer trick? I haven't tried it myself, but I've heard that a saucer of beer will attract them like a magnet. You can then kill them as they show up for a drink. And it's not harmful to pets or humans!



yes, it does it... like magic! the problem, it attracts also the slugs in the neighbour garden as well and so on... and it is not so effective killing them as people think


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## Kavanaru (Aug 25, 2011)

hhartung said:


> Ramon,
> 
> Helmut
> 
> Venezuela



Are you from Venezuela?


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## Eric Muehlbauer (Aug 25, 2011)

You don't have to waste any beer...a simple yeast solution in water does the same job. Unfortunately, whether beer or yeast solution, as many slugs find shelter beneath the saucer as drown in the water.


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## likespaphs (Aug 25, 2011)

i've never had the beer thing work
perhaps two boards separated by a small space and in the mornings, get rid of the spacers and crush 'em


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## Lanmark (Aug 26, 2011)

I've used caffeine tablets successfully in the past. It wiped out the snails completely. I had those tiny orchid snails, Zonitoides arboreus, which came in on a new plant. I dissolved the tablets in water making a very strong solution of caffeine and then sprayed and drenched everything with it.


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## paphreek (Aug 26, 2011)

Lanmark said:


> I've used caffeine tablets successfully in the past. It wiped out the snails completely. I had those tiny orchid snails, Zonitoides arboreus, which came in on a new plant. I dissolved the tablets in water making a very strong solution of caffeine and then sprayed and drenched everything with it.



What was the concentration of the spray?


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## hhartung (Aug 26, 2011)

Are you from Venezuela?
__________________
Ramón 


I am German but I live in Venezuela since 1968. 

Where are you living?

Helmut


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## Kavanaru (Aug 26, 2011)

hhartung said:


> Are you from Venezuela?
> __________________
> Ramón
> 
> ...



hehe... born Venezuelan, nationalized German (9 years living in Germany)... currently living in France near the swiss and german borders... 

where are you in Venezuela? CCS?


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## Lanmark (Aug 26, 2011)

paphreek said:


> What was the concentration of the spray?



It was very strong at around 2% caffeine. This is probably not practical for large scale use, but for home use on a couple of small plants I crushed and dissolved 13 200mg tablets of caffeine per 8 ounces (.24 litres) of water. I was treating very small vandaceous plants like Trichoglottis triflora, Trichoglottis pusilla and Neofinetia falcata. I quarantined the infested plans. Then I completely drenched the plants in the morning with the solution and misted them with the solution late in the afternoon. The plants became covered with a yellow crystalline coating. The following day I drenched and sprayed the plants with plain water to removed the caffeine. I repeated this procedure once per week for three more weeks (a total of four treatments). It was probably overkill, but it did the trick. I've never had snails since then.


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## Clark (Aug 29, 2011)

Manually removing at night/early morning worked here.
Thought they came in with the sphag I bought.
Think I got 'em before reproduction began.

IN all fairness, pest was only located in terrarium.
Been snailfree for over a year.


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## keithrs (Aug 31, 2011)

I have used coffee grinds, potatoes, oranges, beer, whisky, yeast mixed in water, sluggo plus, and cinnamon sprays.
I found that a mix of sluggo and cinnamon spray does work the best for me..... They all work and yes, mold does grows on sluggo, but will not hurt anything and will wash away.... You may have to apply it more frequently at first to get the stragglers . slug/snails don't die right away but they can't eat anymore. The cinnamon spray will kill the eggs in the mix/soil as well as any other pest. Cinnamon also has anti fungal properties. You can use coffee grinds on the ground as a maintains thing. That really is the key..... maintains.


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## Eric Muehlbauer (Aug 31, 2011)

I dump my coffee grounds on the bases of my rhododendrons. The coffee grounds are all covered with slug/snail tracks. They certainly don't seem to mind the caffeine.


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## orchids3 (Apr 9, 2012)

*Snail control media.*

Does anyone use diatomaceous powder? I rarely see snails anymore and the small bush snails were a problem to me a few years ago. My mix is simply stalite gravel and diatomite. The diatomite I get from the auto parts store and the gravel from the gravel yeard. Paphs and prags both grow well in it as do 2500 cymbidiums. Think snails dont go into anything that scratches their slimy bellies. The medium is proving guite good for both plants and snail control. 
The diatomite I use is for soaking up the oil spills under automobiles. Make sure its diatomite - not something else. 
Stalite is a light weight aggregate use for manufacturing light weight concrete. Made by heating shale to 3500 F - it pops like popcorn and forms a very porus ceramic with a rough surface. Snails dont it either. 
Maybe put it on your floor if you dont like the idea of potting in it.


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## SlipperFan (Apr 9, 2012)

Is the diatomite you are using in powder form, or rocks? I've used the powder as a dust on hosta leaves and around the plants outdoors. Very effective, but it has to be re-applied often, especially after a rain.


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## orchids3 (Apr 10, 2012)

It is a mix of mostly granular with a little bit of powder.


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## SlipperFan (Apr 11, 2012)

Granular? I've never seen that offered, but it should work.


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## orchids3 (Apr 21, 2012)

Snail bait of all kinds seems to mold a little (or a lot) but it only takes a few pellets in each pot. It all seems to wash into the media. It has never cause me any problems other than being unsightly for a few days.


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