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been shown in university studies, to be a repel-
lant, not attractant!
Spray: Mix one cup household (non-sudsy) am-
monia with water, and spray directly on the crit-
ters.
Another Spray: Don’t throw away the left-over
coffee! Mix it 50/50 with water (some say use it
straight), and spray. I add about 2 ounces of rub-
bing alcohol per gallon to keep mold from grow-
ing on the liquid surface when the stuff is stored.
Seems to work great on Bush Snails.
Barriers
If you suffer from slugs climbing up onto the
benches and attacking your plants, there are sev-
eral ways of blocking their path, ranging from
mechanical to chemical:
Mechanical: Spread a layer of Diatomaceous
Earth on the benches and around your plants.
The material – the skeletons of microscopic sea
creatures (diatoms) – is almost pure silicon di-
oxide, and has very sharp points and edges that
discourage the passage of the creatures. The ma-
terial sold as a microfi ltration medium for aquari-
ums probably won’t do much. If you can fi nd
horticultural grade material, it is coarser and has
much sharper edges that make a great barrier.
Mechanical II: Staple extra-coarse wet/dry sand-
paper to the legs of your benches, grit side out.
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Mechanical / Electrochemical: Tightly wrap the
legs of your bench with a 2� (5cm) wide strip of
copper foil, being sure to apply it tightly enough
to avoid gaps. The copper is supposed to create
some sort of uncomfortable electrochemical effect
when in contact with the “slime” secreted by the
critters. I suppose it’s like biting on a piece of foil
if you have metal fi llings in your teeth!
Chemical: Apply a thick layer of the product
Tree Tanglefoot around the legs of the bench. It
is available at most good garden centers and is
sold as a bird repellent for ornamental trees. It
contains a castor-bean extract that repels slugs
and snails.
Baits
If you just want to lure the critters away from
your plants so you can dispose of them, try putting
slices of raw potato near the potted plants on the
bench. The slugs and snails can be found on the un-
derside in the morning.
Boil approximately 2 cups of water, 2 teaspoons
or a packet of yeast, and 2 tablespoons of honey to-
gether. The relative proportions aren’t that important.
Mix, and then put it out in shallow trays or pans for
the snails. Refresh it every week or two.
Algaecides (for cooling pads)
Place one cup of whole ground
cornmeal in an old sock or panty
hose leg. Tie a knot in it to contain
the meal and place it in the water
tank for the cooling system. The
algae will dissolve in a few days.
Note: I have no idea if this method-
ology can be used for algae grow-
ing in pots.)
Herbicide
Spray full-strength household vinegar on weeds,
repeat daily as needed. This is not to be used for
weeds growing in the pots of your other plants, but
is good in driveways, walkways, the greenhouse
fl oor, patios, etc.
General Purpose Disinfectant
Add one ounce of household chlorine bleach to a
gallon of water and spray on utensils, benches, even
your plants to control a wide variety of pathogens. It
even helps control algae.
Leaf Shine
If you live in an area where the water has a fair
amount of dissolved minerals, or if you mist with a
fertilizer solution, the leaves of your plants can be-
come dull in appearance. Folks may warn you that
these treatments can clog the pores (stomata) on the
leaves, but I’ve never seen a problem.
www.GardenandGreenhouse.net
May 2019