I have tree climbing snails!

[TimNDansMom]

I have a lot of snails in my gardens. I don't know if it was to get away from the damp ground after it rained, but yesterday I noticed that they are now climbing my trees! It was the oddest thing to see.

I've got to find something to put around the base to prevent this and I'm going to have to really get busy this year and try to get rid of them!

Anyone else have any expertise to pass along?

 

[Snowwark]

Hi Julie!

That must of looked very strange indeed. I've tried to find some info on this but haven't been successful so far.

I wonder if the usual snail/slug bait put around the bottom of the tree would work.

Of course there's always the beer moat.......

Any other ideas Buds?

Kim

 

[TimNDansMom]

Thank you, Kim! I took a look through the new Lee Valley catalogue I just received and they have a slug and snail trap that I might get. They crawl up inside a small green box and get trapped and drown in wells you can fill with beer. A little nicer to look at than beer-filled dishes in the garden, I thought.

This morning I saw another odd sight. It was raining and there was a big snail about half-way up the driver's door of the van! I can only imagine that it didn't fly there but must have had a very interesting voyage, climbing up the tire onto the axle and somehow found its way onto the body of the van. A very determined snail!

 

[bananiem]

On "Gardening by the Yard" Paul James once said that when a slug touches copper it gives the slug a shock and they die or slither away. I haven't tried it but I've thought about trying it. He said to put a band of copper in the soil around hostas, but I would think it would work around the base of a tree as well.

 

[TimNDansMom]

Thank you, bananiem! I went to the Gardening By The Yard website and found the info you mentioned. I hadn't heard that before but I think there's some copper piping left over from a project, somewhere in our basement. If I can find it, I might just give it a try. He also suggested laying down sand-paper, among other deterrents.

 

[bananiem]

Let me know if it works!