Snails attacking my garden? Should I poision them?

Question

There are bushy areas beside my garden full of snails which come every night and eat anything I plant, I mean anything. I am so fed up!! There are too many to bother with traps, dishes of beer etc. But I finally want to use my garden!!! Just a few flowers and veggies, so the kids can enjoy using it too.
People keep telling me to use poison, which I avoided until now. I thought it might hurt the birds which may eat them, but now I´ve been told this isn´t true ( and that a dying snail shrinks back into his shell anyway, which makes sense). I´ve also been told that this poison is NOT toxic, and doesn´t hurt anything else, plants or animals. Or my kids, of course. Now I´m ready to use a few boxes and just get rid of them. Have I been wrongly informed?
(PS I live in Germany, so maybe there are different poisons here than in N. America).

Answer 1

Use one of the iron phosphate based products. Diatomaceous earth is OK, but doesn't persevere very will. And don't use diatomaceous earth any where near a fish pond. It kills fish very effectively (voice of experience).

Slugs and snails are attracted to the iron phosphate pellets. They eat them, but can't digest it. They end up starving to death fairly quickly.

There are snail poisons that I've used with some decent results, but they don't work anywhere near as well as the iron phosphate does.

Answer 2

From childhood, I learned to pick up a snail and put a pinch of salt on its flesh. They sort of curl up and die.

Now, the most convenient way of getting rid of snails is to go out and look for them, especially after rain when they all come out for some reason, pick them up (they can't run away can they?) and put them into a plastic dustbin bag and throw them away with the trash.

The snails that eat up my phalaenopses are so tiny and hide within the pot that I have to sprinkle snail pellets. Or soak the pot in a bucket of water, and ten minutes later all the snails are out because they can't stay underwater for long.

You could put the snail pellets on some plastic sheet (like a sandwich bag) and they can crawl there to eat instead of having the pellets dissolve all over your plant roots and maybe cause harm or chemical burning.

Or, wait a minute! Believe it or not, our local papers ran an article saying some of the common snails we see around are quality escargots. Hmmm. I'll take their word for it. Won't see me eating snail poison with my escargot.

Answer 3

If they're all one a few bushes or trees, I'd fill a bucket of water and pick them off - pay the kids a penny per snail. At least that way your conscience will be clear.
I never know the answer to this one - every one comes up with different reasons. I do and have used snail pellets around my most precious plants but I am uncomfortable with it.

Answer 4

Instead of poison you can use a grit product that you sprinke in your garden. It has long name but it's very sharp and basically cuts up the soft bodies of snails and slugs. Diametrreous earth or soil? (This is not the right spelling.sorry.)
Poison is poison. I trynever to use it. There are many natural products like setting beer out in flat lids in your garden that works great. They like the stuff and it kills them,too.
Keeping mulch and leaves out of the garden will also help as that is where they hide in the day where it is cool and moist.
H

Answer 5

No! Exodus 20:13!

Answer 6

Egg shells are supposed to help and filling little containers of beer is supposed to do the trick! They crawl into the beer and die!

Answer 7

okkkkkk. put some salt on lettuce and put it down, the snails then fizzle from the inside!!!!
MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
HA