" options for slugs and snails" FarmLife: Ducks and Guineas. Slug predator friendly exurban/suburban gardening includes brush piles... not compost heaps (share a yard corner with similar minded neighbors on those small lots), mowing the lawn at a minimum of 4 inches and preferably patches at 12 inches, pots with drain holes covered with window screen or coffee filters instead of crockery or gravel, copper tape around pot rims, diatomaceous earth surface dressing. Mark Mazer Hertford, NC On Tue, Aug 22, 2023 at 2:42 PM ken isaac via pbs < pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net> wrote: > On Tue, Aug 22, 2023 at 11:45 AM Marc Rosenblum via pbs < > pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net> wrote: > > > Leigh, > > > > I usually try to avoid using poisons. > > > > Caffeine? > Yes, I wish there were more options for slugs and snails. BETTER options > for us, and our planet (except the slugs and snails!) > I'm not talking about all the blogs that say "use coffee grounds," as I > need real, measurable control. > > Caffeine? > Headline in NATURE journal: "Caffeine as a repellent for slugs and > snails. At high concentrations this stimulant becomes a lethal neurotoxin > to garden pests." > (follow this link and find the "download" button to read it.) > https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/icwdm_usdanwrc/470/ > > I saw that article 2 decades ago and thought at the time "finally!" and > waited for the dirt cheap slug/snail control with a "safe chemical" I > already consume. But two decades and nothing more than "throw your coffee > grounds in your garden?" No researcher said "hey, let's test it by adding > kaolin clay (AKA: Surround) or pinene (AKA bonide's 'wilt stop') to the > caffeine solution and spray on your hostas," or tried soaking wood chips or > alfalfa pellets in caffeine as bait? > > The actual research study link is here: > Annals of Applied BiologyVolume 142, Issue 1 p. 91-97 > "Caffeine as a novel toxicant for slugs and snails" > https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-7348.2003.tb00233.x > > But- it costs money or an institution log in to view. I've requested a > copy from the USDA.... > https://ars.usda.gov/research/publications/… > > Why do I get the impression the slug and snail lobby has repressed this > caffeine research? Seriously, if anyone has tried caffeine for real, let's > talk! > > Ken- > in cool, wet slug/snail weather- in Utah > _______________________________________________ > pbs mailing list > pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net > http://lists.pacificbulbsociety.net/cgi-bin/… > Unsubscribe: <mailto:pbs-unsubscribe@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net> > PBS Forum latest: > https://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbsforum/index.php/… > _______________________________________________ pbs mailing list pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net http://lists.pacificbulbsociety.net/cgi-bin/… Unsubscribe: <mailto:pbs-unsubscribe@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net> PBS Forum https://…