Well, not really. I don't advocate drinking and gardening (drinking while relaxing in your garden is all together different though!), but did you know that by leaving a dish of beer in your garden, you can save the earth?Okay. Once again, not really. BUT, beer is a natural solution to warding off slugs and snails! Yes, my friends! Beer! Slugs and other garden invaders can do serious damage to any garden. Instead of going straight for that bottle of commercial slug killer/pesticide, opt for a friendlier alternative. BEER.
Icky!
Icky!Just put a bit of beer in a shallow jar and bury it in the soil with only the neck exposed. Use the lid to partially cover the jar opening (so that when it rains, you won't dilute the beer). You can prop the lid up with sticks or soil...or whatever works best. The slugs are attracted to the beer and will go straight for it instead of your lovely veggies! The poor things will just drink themselves into oblivion...or just drown.
Personally, I'm not a beer drinker. I'm a girlie girl and like girlie drinks. It's good to know that beer has its purpose though! :) Okay, if you are a beer lover, I don't recommend using your best ale on the slugs. I don't think they're discriminating in their beer preferences.
Have a great day! Remember to try to do at least one green thing a day!C XOXO
8 comments:
I'll drink to that! Or actually I won't because I also don't care for beer. I used to... but not so much anymore.
The beer trick is a good one. They also can't cross copper, so if you have raised beds, you can put copper strips along the beds. Clearly a more expensive solution and not nearly as green.
Eric and I walked 1.5 miles to downtown today and are kicking it at a cafe and will later walk back. That's kinda green eh?
That is a great idea. I wonder if it works for snails. Our yard is an escargot factory, not by choice.
Cherry:
YES! I have hear about the copper too. There are all sorts of neat tricks that don't involve using harsh chemicals, eh? :)
I noticed that whenever Chance's water dish is left out overnight, the next morning there are massive amounts of slugs in there! Icky icky poo poo!!
Jan:
YES! It does work for snails too! :) Give it a try and let me know how it goes. An escargot factory, eh? *shudder* I always like to think that I love all creatures on the earth, but that totally is not true. I wish it were. but slugs and slimy things reaally creep me out.
Funny how I can handle red wigglers for the vermicompost though!
I've been gardening since I was a kid. I remember hearing this trick when I was a little kid & my mom & I tried it. We used a pie pan to put the beer in. It certainly did attract the snails & slugs (& we had LOTS of them!), but I certainly didn't see it killing them........but maybe that's not the point, maybe the point is to attract them there & then you can easily remove them from your garden........not sure really.........
Diane:
A pie pan! What a great idea! I think you're right about the beer not killing the snails and slugs, but attracting them. I know whenever I've caught snails in a dish, the dish was always high enough that the slugs can't escape and they pretty much just drown...or at least, I think that's what happened to them! ;p OR I'd forget about the dish and the slugs and the sun would dry everything up...slugs included. Gross. I know!
I was just asking my husband if it's possible that slugs could get drunk and just drown? LOL! He kind of looked at me funny.
Great tip, C!!
Snails also hate coffee grinds... so I sprinkle those over my plants and it keeps them away. Apparently it is good for the soil too.
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