Snails!

[lily99]

So now that I have a terrerium I bought a warmth tolerant masdie. It seems healthy, but so far I have pulled 4 tiny snails out of its pot. It is potted in spagnum moss which probably gives the snails a nice, moist home. I need to get rid of them before they start eating my orchid. I was thinking of submerging the pot in water so they have to crawl to the surface, but I am concerned about the plant getting too wet. If I repot, is there something I should put on the roots in case there are eggs stuck to them or hiding snails?

[camille1585]

Or you can lay slices of cucumber or potato on the surface of the medium in the evening, in the morning you should find some snails underneath. If you do that regularily you should get to the end of them. As for eggs, if there are any I think you'd have to wait for them to hatch before you can deal with them.
Or you repot the plant, if you remove all the old medium and clean the roots well, that should be the end of them!

[ACK2]

Hi Lily, when I bring my plants in at the end of the Summer, there are all kinds of creepy things in the pots. So what I do is make an Epsom Salt (1 tsp/gallon water) and give the chids a nice drink. This kills the bad guys, give the chids some mag. and it is all good. You can also just change the moss. Let us know how you get rid of them.

[RJSquirrel]

me not very creative using home remedies bec I dont like to fool around anymore when Im talking about the health of my orchids. I used Sluggo snail bait one time and havent seen a snail since. I use it bec the guy I buy my orchids from in town uses it and its proven to be safe.

Im not an environmental nut case, but Sluggo is non toxic to pets and wild animals as it only contains Iron phosphate.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

If you really want to go all natural and if you're not an ophidiophobe...

Some snakes love escargot.

I own a couple.

[ACK2]

I find it fascinating that snakes would like snails. Do they swallow the whole snail Philip?

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

They grab onto the snail while the snail is out of its shell and they slowly extract the snail from it's shell with their lower mandibles. The snakes scoop 'em out clean too!

Snakes can't eat the little micro snails, but they sure can eat the brown garden snails that are common in these parts.

[lily99]

Thanks for all the advise. My son would love the snake idea. He has been asking for a pet snake for a while. Maybe when he gets a bit older.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Just don't accidentally get your son a snake that eats lizards and frogs! They're not necessarily very hardy in captivity, are sometimes very difficult to get eating, and they're expensive to feed!!!

Florida Green Snakes make good pets 'cause their main diet are insects.

[Brenda Aarts]

At our local hydroponics store I bought this stuff called diatomaceous earth. I havent put it in the media of my orchids or garden yet, but they advised it would deter snails and in fact kill them. It is a black powdery stuff. Another alternative anyways.

On a side note to this...there is a food grade diatomaceous earth (a white powder), which my naturopath has me drinking daily??????