snail attacks

Note about pellets - the usual kind are poisonous to cats, my daughter's cat was blinded. Get the safe kind!

I've found beer is best and was 25p a can....

PECS
It's a waste of time and money spraying nematodes at this time of year. You have to start in March when the little buggers are starting to grow underground. Once they have grown nematodes won't do anything
This year has been practically slug free but I have a feeling that it could be the very cold winter we had as the cold is supposed to kill them.

We had a definite rise in slug/snails last year after our neighbour put that fence up, but the cold winter and dry spring has sent the little b****rs underground. But the weather has brought more birds in and they seem to be our best defence.

Oh, and DH found hedgehog poo in the garden this morning! No idea how it’s getting in.

Do frogs eat small slugs? We’ve got loads of frogs.

I am surprised that slugs and snails form only 5% of the diet of a hedgehog. Years ago our then garden was filled with snails which a resident hedgehog family would steadily munch each evening. We originally discovered them because of the very loud crunching coming from some shrubs at the base of our garage wall where they all gathered. (Snails first hedgehogs later! )
Our garden really suffered from the wretched things so DH gathered loads in a large bucket and knowing that they do return if you merely throw them away but not what to do with so many he then had one of his bright ideas. He emptied the bucket in front of the car and drove over them very thoroughly! I have to admit that it did make a difference to the plants although the rest of us were disgusted.
I made it up to the hedgehogs by providing them with a saucer of cat meat which they clearly enjoyed because they turned up at 9 pm every night for their feed. That year there were 5 very cute babies scuttling along behind mum and they were very healthy. They continued to eat snails when they found them because we still heard 'le crunch'!
At our last garden we had all kinds of pests but fortunately we were next to water and had loads of frogs which ate the slugs. We had hedgehogs again fortunately but also the snail's were a much smaller kind than those at the previous garden and seemed easier to deal with somehow.
Our current garden was full of large overgrown trees so we had to clear those - what one of our neighbours described as 'extreme gardening'! We do not intend to move again! I am pleased that there are hedgehogs here too and pests seem to be well controlled so far but no hedgehog babies as yet. I watched the hedgehog actually climb over our wall to get into the garden, I was amazed!

Nice to know frogs eat slugs. We do have a lot of frogs. I only know we have the occasional hedgehog visit because it leaves a calling card. Rarely see one.

We have cut a hedgehog hole in the fence at the top of our garden in the hopes that we may encourage any local hedgehogs into the garden, what should i look out for to tell me they are visiting please.

Snail Attacks - PS to my previous thread.

Have found a remedy that seems to work on pot plants: chop 2 or 3 large garlic cloves and put in one litre water. Add 1 tbsp veg oil and 1 tsp dish detergent. Leave 24 hours. Filter and decant to spray bottle.

Important to spray not only onto the plants but under the plants, to the stems rising out of the soil.

It doesn't kill snails but it seems to discourage them effectively

Have used it for French marigolds, verbena and tradescantia.

Strulch is a mulch made out of straw. It suppresses the weeds and slugs and snails don't like it. I am nothing to do with the company. It's pleasant to put on and seems to work.

Travelsafar Look out for the small droppings of dark and fairly solid poo that hedgehogs leave behind them.

thank you Synonymous I have left fallen logs under a tree and some dry twigs and leaves in the hopes that they will set up home if they do come to my garden.

Travelsafar That should do it if there any looking for a home. Their favourite place in our garden is a huge pile of leaves under the camellia and rhododendron bushes.