Organic Gardening Tips for Better Health!

Meg from Santa Clarita, CA replies: "My mother used the beer trap with great success!

Alan from Boulder, CO writes: "No one here has mentioned the beer trap yet, so I figured I might as well post it. It works for me out here in Boulder, but I guess it's not foolproof. Anyhow, the idea is that the slugs and snails are attracted to the yeast and sugar in the beer, but the alcohol kills them. Or dries them out. Here's my set up: a Frisbee turned upside down and filled with about two centimeters of cheap beer. I push the Frisbee down into the soil a bit, so that it's easy enough to crawl into. Whatever container you like, it should be shallow and fairly smooth. Something the slugs or snails won't mind climbing on. I leave a can of beer open in the refrigerator when I'm trying to kill them off, because you want the carbonation to be out of it. Bugs don't like bubbles, I guess. Toss the beer and the trapped slugs out every morning, then refill the tray with beer every evening until the problem goes away. It's a home remedy, for sure.

Michelle from Miami, FL writes: "After trying everything under the sun to deal with snails in my flower garden, on a friend's recommendation I tried used coffee grounds (not fresh). I sprinkle the grounds around the base of the plants that the snails love and voila, no more holes in my plants! They simply don't like the smell and move on. I like this much better than drowning the poor creatures in a can of beer or watching them melt with salt.