Anti - snail plots and plans!
By spritzhenry
17 comments
You may recall that I had a lot of trouble with snails eating three of my Clematis earlier in the year. My ‘Mrs Cholmondeley’ which was new last year and flowered well got munched no less than FOUR times! That was in spite of using slug pellets. Poor thing, she tried so hard to shoot from the gobbled stem. I even found a snail crawling purposefully up her supporting cane! Something had to be done! I worked out a plan which I hope will save her. I bought three large bottles of water, my husband cut off the tops and the bottoms and split them up the side. Then I placed one carefully around the pathetic bare stem and tied the bottle together. After about a month – this is what has happened!
Next I shall buy an extendable willow trellis and train her up it so that she doesn’t go near the wall. I am certain that the shelled fiends hide in the crevices and come out when I am not around – at night? – to climb up and have their supper. They also ate two baby Clematis that I rashly thought would thrive if I planted them into the soil. One was C.alpina ‘Constance’, which was eaten right down to her roots. I dug her out and potted her up. She was nurtured in the greenhouse and then parked outside while I cooked up my plan. Now I’ve planted her again – I’d like her to climb through a Viburnum tinus away from the wall.
The other baby was C.‘Henryi’ planted, of course, because of my Henry – unfortunately, he didn’t survive the snail onslaught. So I have replaced him and planted him to climb up the obelisk.
Well, if I find any snails trying to climb up the bottle-guards, I have another line of defence planned. This is a pot of Vaseline – it’s by the kitchen door ready to smear on the plastic. Can you imagine how puzzled the snails will be when they slide back down and land on their rumps! In one way, I hope one will have a go so that I can laugh at him!
12 Aug, 2008
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Comments
LOL well done Spritz :)
12 Aug, 2008
excellent spritz,,,,
12 Aug, 2008
Thank you! Please feel free to try this out - it's not copyright! lol. I just hope it works!!!!
12 Aug, 2008
let us know spritz, we will all be copying this
12 Aug, 2008
Good on you Spritz....any tips on helping Hosta's? I have used beer traps, copper banding, gravel, kept pots away from walls, other plants etc. that they could use to reach the leaves and for a time it all seemed to work. But now they are munched to pieces...the little devils.
12 Aug, 2008
Great idea Spritz.It looks like you are winning the battle to keep the snails away.Hope they don't decide to vacate your garden and swim up the River Avon to have a go at our garden. We have had more than our share of snails this year with all the rain we have had in Bristol, although the snails have never attacked any of our young Clematis so we have been very fortunate!
12 Aug, 2008
Thanks for that blog Spritzhenry. I bought 3 small clematis last week and now I'll try your method of protection when I plant them in the ground. Best wishes, Hywel :o)
13 Aug, 2008
Great idea Spritz I will be giving this a try myself asap
13 Aug, 2008
Nice one Spritz! A good read and I'm delighted you refused to give up! Slugs and snails can be beat as you've showed here. (I also posted a blog on the subject way back on March 18 for anyone interested).
The trick is to plan your 'campaign' much earlier than you first imagine (who said it wasn't war out there?). I begin my campaign in January and I need do very little against them right now. Kill generation one in January and the others are far less likely to follow is my motto!
Dusk is a good time, particularly on the eve of a wet winter's night that's forecast after a dry spell. No problem there at the moment! Secateurs and an old rag (for cleaning the blades) are my preferred weapon of choice. But if you don't like the sound of that, try a home-made metal skewer - you'll still need the rag of course!! Rain and the Blackbird will tidy up after you.
13 Aug, 2008
good idea as I lost a couple of young clematis to the dreaded slugs and snails this spring, so I'll be definitely be stealing your idea
13 Aug, 2008
I sprinkled a little salt on the slugs I found last night - wow, that was fun :-)
13 Aug, 2008
Yes Andrew.... I join you on this one as well.... Ive lost count of the number of times the salt pot has come out of the kitchen!
13 Aug, 2008
MMMMMmmm... I guess I have been lazy this year, last year I went out in the evenings with salt or vinegar. This year I was trying to conquer them without being there! It doesn't work does it?!
13 Aug, 2008
This is a useful idea. Thank you. I have no hope of eliminating many slugs and snails from my garden because they live in my neighbour's overgrown garden, and then come through to mine in their hundreds.
I've lost so many plants because of this. Do you think you'll have to leave the bottle guards on permanently, or will the clematis stems become tough enough at the base that you can eventually remove them ?
20 Aug, 2008
It's a problem to decide. As another bigger C.alpina near the wall has been totally destroyed, I suspect I'll leave them in and 'disguise' them with other plants in front! It would be safer, wouldn't it!
20 Aug, 2008
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lol brilliant spritzhenry, what a brilliant idea ive got the same trouble with 1 of my clematis im going to try this tommorrow. good luck :-)
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