Diatomaceous Earth

Drew,

Do an Internet search on "Diatomaceous Earth". It's good stuff. Once I put it down I haven't been able to find any slugs and I've tried.

I also have started spreading coffee grounds all around. I read in an article that the USAD had some experiments going where they were using a super strong coffee brew as an insecticide in HI so I figured, "why not".

Happy Gardening!!!

Judy

Judy,

Just FYI, the restaurant grade DE works the best...you can buy it from restaurant supply stores. April

What in the world does a restaurant to with Diatomaceous Earth?

Keeps the escargo from escaping! LOL!

They use it in grease filters, etc. April

Amazing the facts that one learns here at Dave's.

This message was edited Mar 6, 2005 6:13 PM

And here I was...worrying that it was added to certain dishes, side orders, and such. After all, we all need our "fiber"! ( ;>) (hope ya'll know i'm just kidding!)

And I was enjoying the image of all those snails huddled up in the corner of the kitchen contemplating making a break for it!

It's that time again!!! I put out coffee grounds all winter but...

I was repotting canna I had brought into the poly enclosed area on the porch and OMG they were full of slugs. I just plunked them in coffee and sealed their fate, but it took awhile, about 5 minutes.

Although I haven't seen any slugs, I'm doing a DE rain dance in the yard just in case I dropped a couple of the critters out of those pots.

I now know where I got the slugs.... all those end of the year canna plants from a big box store. Those fat things ate canna roots all winter.

Judy

This message was edited Jun 10, 2005 10:54 AM

I'm still a beginner gardener, and I don't claim to know all the answers, but last year, I planted hostas in my damp, shady front yard. I found out the hard way that I have lots of slugs. I started this thread in the hosta forum, last year, when I first joined DG, and a fellow member offered me a solution, that I'm now discovering works, and I thought I'd share....

http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/436390/

Im resurrecting this old thread to ask about another slug solution I read about last night in Rodale's Organic Gardening. It said that wormwood tea also works. But there was no detail.

I have tons of wormwood and would love to use an organic and free solution if it will work. So. Has anyone tried this? Do you know if it works? And the really important burning question: How much wormwood, does it have to be fresh or dried and how much water and based on those numbers... how much area should that cover?

And now I'll go back to all the links you've all posted to see if this info is in there anywhere. I went out last night to find slugs eating my fennel and plumeria, among other plants. Stupid rain... :>)

Hello Dogzilla, I've been watching this thread and have to ask. (I understand your need for organic) Do you not think that DE is organic? Just curious.

Well, it is the shells from millions of sea creatures. How much more organic do you get?

No, I realize DE is organic. But I have to go out and buy DE. I already have wormwood growing in my yard. It's not just about organic; it's also about what I already have on hand and don't have to spend additional money on. No big whoop.

That's why I leapt w/ joy when Horseshoe said you can use those spikey husk/seedpods from the sweet gum tree to keep slugs and snails away. I had a thousand of those things right outside my door.

Zeppy...those must've made you feel RICH, eh? ('Bout merry ol' time something good came of those gumballs!)

OK shoe, how does a person used these gumballs?

Judy

HI Judy! Just to let you know, I feel your pain. My cannas are swiss cheese, and the wind almost whistles throught the holes in my hosta and petasites. I have been shovelling coffee grounds every few days, but I haven't noticed a big difference. Last week I went to the plumbing section of Home Depot and bought some copper tape (much cheaper than the kind they sell at the nursery) and made little fences around each plant. It's too soon to tell, but I've got prize winning/ slug-derby sized monsters, and if it works on them, I'll let you know. BTW, DE didn't work as well for us due to the amount of rain we have, and the large area we have to cover.

OMG!!!! Yuck, Yuck, Yuck!!!

What a nasty looking creature!!! I'll take my snakes over that thing. I put out Moth Balls and the snakes went away!!! Try moth balls on those suckers or better yet "rent a duck"!!!

Judy

Arent they just gross??? I would love to get some ducks! LOL

Here's one I found going after my dog's food just this morning. He was so gutsy, I just had to take his picture - didn't seem to mind that the dog was there. I have to make sure I don't wear flip flops outside in the morning when I'm walking around to check on new bloomers. These guys might take one of my toes!

I've heard ducks eat them. I would ask on the Farm Forum. There are ducks that don't fly they look odd but I sure would try them.

Judy

I've used DE, not for slugs but for other pests. It'll take care of fleas, ticks, chiggers in your lawn, and just about any other soft-bodied pest. It won't hurt your earthworms. It will hurt your ladybugs, though, and other beneficials.

Judy, the pool grade DE has been treated and had the sharp shells removed, so it's not as effective. I dunno anything about food grade DE. I've always just used what I could find from organic gardening suppliers. You can apply it wet, which is healthier for you than breathing the dust. I've used a pump sprayer. Doing it that way, a 20-lb bag has lasted several years.

pbtxlady - Thanks for the info!!! And Welcome to Dave's

Judy

Thank you for the welcome. :)

Starbucks gives away their used coffee grounds, (including filters!) and have them handy by the door. I read that most of the acidity of the coffee is in what you drink, not what is left ...I've been dumping free coffee grounds all over the place ever since I found out about it and it hasn't seemed to adversely affect anything. Plus it's organic and good for amending the soil, especially if you have clay like we do.

meezersfive - you go girl!!! It's free what more can you ask for!!

I know this is an old thread but I was looking for other info and saw this. I use DE a lot. I mix it in my catfood for our 5 cats to eliminate and prevent worms, I sprinkle it on the cat tree and in areas the cats sleep, I use it for major ant infestations and anywhere else I find I have too much of something. I spreinkle it along our north wall to prevent slugs and such as well. DE does NOT melt in water. So if it rains, it will get mixed in the dirt, but it will not melt...so there will still be sharp edges in the dirt around the edges. It is still a good idea to add more, but again, it does not melt away.

Secondly, I buy mine off ebay. I pay $10 for 5lb and I usually buy other stuff to make the shipping worth it. I love the stuff.

Third, as mentioned, pool grade is more refined and does not work nearly as well.

Pool grade DE is TOXIC !

Pool filter grade diatomaceous earth has been heat and chemically treated and will poison an animal or human who ingests it, so it is always of utmost importance to only obtain food grade diatomaceous earth to use in and around your household.



http://wolfcreekranch1.tripod.com/defaq.html

GiddyMoon;

Do you have a particular ebay seller you buy from? I hope that question is legal to ask in the forum here. If not, can you dmail me the seller name?

Also, when the DE goes into the soil does it harm plant roots at all?

Thanks,

Maureen

Maureen,

the seller I use is: Valchemy LLP

but I have also found it at a couple of nearby hardware stores. No, it won't hurt your plants:)

I'm joining kind of late here...but thought I would report this.
I have been researching seaweed extract to spray on the leaves of plants for foliar feeding, and as a pest deturant.. My second application was after it rained..and the slugs were out...when I sprayed with the seaweed and fish emulsion, they fell off the plants like they were burned off. I really don't have results for a sustained period of time, but since last week there is a decrease in the slugs consumtion....now for the other 999 munchers. I have as yet to find anything that indicates impacting earthworms.
I'm recording my research from the internet and other DG threads in my Diary.
http://davesgarden.com/journal/ed/
Rj

Does DE work on the red lily beetle.?