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Disappearing seedlings? Usual suspects may be to blame

Snails and slugs come out in force during autumn weather

Sacramento Digs Gardening
BY Debbie Arrington PUBLISHED OCT 26, 2020

Brown garden snail

The brown garden snail ( Cornu aspersum) is a

voracious garden pest. (Photos courtesy UC IPM)

What’s making those holes? Whether or not you see their telltale tracks, don’t count out these usual suspects.

Snails and slugs rank among the most destructive pests in the California garden. They do most of their damage at night. But cool and cloudy days (such as expected later this week) will coax them out during daylight, too.

Why are they so bad? They eat and eat and eat. According to the UC Cooperative Extension master gardeners, these land mollusks prefer succulent foliage or flowers, which is why snails and slugs represent such a threat to tender seedlings. They also like to eat ripe strawberries and tomatoes.

Among their other favorites: Basil, beans, cabbage, dahlia, delphinium, hosta, lettuce, marigolds and many other vegetable plants.

On leaves, their damage is quickly evident. Snails and slugs eat smooth-edged irregular holes and eventually will devour the whole leaf. They travel on a layer of slimy mucus that dries into a silvery trail, a sure sign that a snail or slug has visited. But these are clever little beasts; they can find many hiding places.

The major difference between snails and slugs is the shell. Snails carry a place to retreat and hibernate; slugs do not (and live a much shorter time). Snails take about two years to fully mature; slugs mature in three to six months. Both spend the winter in hiding.

The best way to cut down on snails? Eliminate their hiding places.

“Boards, stones, debris, weedy areas around tree trunks, leafy branches growing close to the ground, and dense ground covers, such as ivy, are ideal sheltering spots,” says the UC’s Integrated Pest Management website.

“Place vegetable gardens or susceptible plants as far away from snail and slug hiding areas as possible,” it added. “Reducing hiding places allows fewer snails and slugs to survive. The survivors congregate in the remaining shelters, where you can more easily locate and remove them.

“Though baits can be part of a management program, it is best to use them in conjunction with habitat modification, especially in gardens that contain plenty of shelter, food, and moisture,” it noted.

Also, some snail baits are poisonous to pets and people.

How do you get snails and slugs to come out of their hiding places? Water around suspected areas in the late afternoon. Return an hour after dark with a flashlight. You’ll see the critters enjoying that ground moisture. (That’s also a good time to pick them up and dispose of these hungry pests. Wear gloves.)

Not all hiding places can be eliminated, note the master gardeners. So, make snail trapping a regular part of your garden routine. Here are the master gardeners’ recommendations:

Snail trap

Here's an example of a snail trap made of boards.

“You can trap snails and slugs beneath boards or flower pots that you position throughout the garden and landscape. Inverted melon rinds also make good traps. Construct wooden traps using 12-by-15-inch boards (or any easy-to-handle size) raised off the ground by 1-inch runners. The runners make it easy for the pests to crawl underneath.

“Scrape off the accumulated snails and slugs daily and destroy them (see hand-picking). Do not use salt to destroy snails and slugs, as it will increase soil salinity.”

What about beer? Is it true snails and slugs can’t resist a stale brew?

“Some people use beer-baited traps buried at ground level to catch and drown slugs and snails that fall into them,” say the master gardeners. “Because it is the fermented part of the product that attracts these pests, you can also use a sugar-water and yeast mixture instead of beer.

“Beer or yeast traps attract slugs and snails within an area of only a few feet, and you must replenish the bait every few days to keep the level deep enough to drown the mollusks. Traps must have deep vertical sides to keep the snails and slugs from crawling out and a top to reduce evaporation. These types of traps are available at garden supply stores, or you can make your own by burying a coffee can, margarine container, or plastic bottle with the top at ground level and placing a lid with holes cut into it over the container.”

For more on snails and slugs: http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7427.html

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Keywords:

UCCE master gardeners gardening Sacramento slugs integrated pest management fall weather garden pests snails

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Food in My Back Yard (FIMBY) Series

FALL

Dec. 9: Soggy soil and what to do about it

Dec. 2: Plant artichokes now; enjoy for years to come

Nov. 25: It's late November, and your peach tree needs spraying

Nov. 18: What to do with all those fallen leaves?

Nov. 11: Prepare now for colder weather in the edible garden

Nov. 4: Plant a pea patch for you and your garden

Oct. 27: As citrus season begins, advice for backyard growers

Oct. 20: Change is in the autumn air

Oct. 13: We don't talk (enough) about beets

Oct. 6: Fava beans do double duty

Sept. 30: Seeds or transplants for cool-season veggies?

Sept. 23: How to prolong the fall tomato harvest

SUMMER

Sept. 16: Time to shut it down?

Sept. 9: How to get the most out of your pumpkin patch

Sept. 2: Summer-to-fall transition time for evaluation, planning

Aug. 26: To pick or not to pick those tomatoes?

Aug. 19: Put worms to work for you

Aug. 12: Grow food while saving water

Aug. 5: Enhance your food with edible flowers

July 29: Why won't my tomatoes turn red?

July 22: A squash plant has mosaic virus, and it's not pretty

July 15: Does this plant need water?

July 8: Tear out that sad plant or baby it? Midsummer decisions

July 1: How to grow summer salad greens

June 24: Weird stuff that's perfectly normal

SPRING

June 17: Help pollinators help your garden

June 10: Battling early-season tomato pests

June 3: Make your own compost

May 27: Where are the bees when you need them?

May 20: How to help tomatoes thrive on hot days

May 13: Your plants can tell you more than any calendar can

May 6: Maintain soil moisture with mulch for garden success

April 29: What's (already) wrong with my tomato plants?

April 22: Should you stock up on fertilizer? (Yes!)

April 15: Grow culinary herbs in containers

April 8: When to plant summer vegetables

April 1: Don't be fooled by these garden myths

March 25: Fertilizer tips: How to 'feed' your vegetables for healthy growth

WINTER

March 18: Time to give vegetable seedlings some more space

March 11: Ways to win the fight against weeds

March 4: Potatoes from the garden

Feb. 25: Plant a fruit tree now -- for later

Feb. 18: How to squeeze more food into less space

Feb. 11: When to plant? Consider staggering your transplants

Feb. 4: Starting in seed starting

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Garden checklist for week of Dec. 14

Rain is due midweek, but there should be some partly sunny breaks between rain clouds, especially Thursday. Make the most of those opportunities and show your garden some TLC.

* Brighten the holidays with winter bloomers such as poinsettias, amaryllis, calendulas, Iceland poppies, pansies and primroses.

* Keep poinsettias in a sunny, warm location. Water thoroughly. After the holidays, feed your plants monthly so they’ll bloom again next December.

* Rake and remove dead leaves and stems from dormant perennials.

* Rake and compost leaves from trees, but dispose of any diseased plant material. For example, if peach and nectarine trees showed signs of leaf curl this year, clean up under trees and dispose of those leaves instead of composting.

* Clear gutters and storm drains.

* Prune dead or broken branches from trees.

* Plant bulbs at two-week intervals to spread out your spring bloom. Some possible suggestions: daffodils, crocuses, hyacinths, tulips, anemones and scillas.

* Seed wildflowers and plant such spring bloomers as sweet pea, sweet alyssum and bachelor buttons.

* Set out cool-weather annuals such as pansies, violas and snapdragons.

* Lettuce, cabbage and broccoli also can be planted now.

* Plant garlic and onions.

* Give your azaleas, gardenias and camellias a boost with chelated iron.

* For larger blooms, pinch off some camellia buds.

* Prune non-flowering trees and shrubs while they’re dormant.

* Clean and sharpen garden tools before storing for the winter.

* Bare-root season begins. Plant bare-root berries, kiwifruit, grapes, artichokes, horseradish and rhubarb.

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