Garden

[gardenman]

I'm suspecting this is a bad thing, but I saw my first garden snail today. We have tons of slugs, but in my 57 years here I'd never seen a garden snail. I was pulling some water from my rain barrels today and there he was, a snail crawling up the side of the rain barrel.

[Lilysmom]

@gardenman, why is a snail worse than a slug?  I have no idea.  LM

[dancingwoman]

@gardenman A little off topic but here in Colorado we can finally have rain barrels...Yep they were against the law, we are finally allowed to have them...here's an article if you are interested....DW

http://www.durangoherald.com/article/20160622/NEWS01/160629841//article/20160622/NEWS01/160629841/Ra...

[ValuSkr]

I'm in southeastern PA too, and have plenty of slugs but have never seen a snail.  On the other hand, my mother, in western NY, has snails but no slugs.  Interesting that you saw a snail, but I think they're basically the same thing.  

[JustJazzmom]

Slugs as I say to others are 'homeless snails'!

At least with a snail, you can pick them up and toss away.

[gardenman]

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@dancingwoman wrote:

@gardenman A little off topic but here in Colorado we can finally have rain barrels...Yep they were against the law, we are finally allowed to have them...here's an article if you are interested....DW

http://www.durangoherald.com/article/20160622/NEWS01/160629841//article/20160622/NEWS01/160629841/Ra...

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It's crazy that it was illegal. I love my rain barrels. My four get filled to overflowing with less than a quarter inch of rain. I'm a little annoyed now as I drained them all Monday topping off my water garden since we were supposed to get heavy rain both Tuesday and Thursday, but the heavy rain never came, so my rain barrels are pretty much empty. Dang! It's so much faster and easier just dipping my watering bucket into the rain barrels to fill it than use the house to fill them, but until I get some rain, it's back to the house.

[gardenman]

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@Lilysmom wrote:

@gardenman, why is a snail worse than a slug?  I have no idea.  LM

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I don't know that one's worse than the other. I suspect slugs are easier for the birds and other predators to eat. It's kind of neat when something new pops up that you haven't seen before though. I've been gardening here forever and never saw a snail before. I suspect that now that I have one, I'll get millions. Snails tend to reproduce quickly.

[Lilysmom]

@gardenman, I am from the Maritimes in Canada so I see snails all the time at the beach.  I would much rather get rid of a snail than a slug which is so gross looking.  Nothing much info wise to contribute.  I could do without both!  LM

[dancingwoman]

@gardenman

We live in a water critical area...the west isn't like the east with plentiful rainfall...

In the summer we have irrigation fed by canals from man made lakes in the mountains winding miles and miles...we are fortunate to own irrigation rights..otherwise we'd have to water solely from our wells...and thats another story..many people here have to hall water because of the several years of drought and low snowfall the aquifers aren't recharging...

Less ranchers are growing fields of grain and hay because large parcels are sold off to developers and homes are built...the ground isn't irrigated like it was when ranchers were using it..another reason why the aquifers aren't being recharged...

Life is different out west..lol...DW

[Kachina624]

Houston was such a lovely place with all its wildlife, including every poisonous snake species found in the US.  Anyway, I had a covered patio off the kitchen.  Feed the dogs by the kitchen door.  Slugs would come in under the threshold to eat the dog food.  A line of salt across the doorway ended that.