The new season this year brought with it a new pest to my little yard. Snails! I never had a problem with snails before, and I do believe I have brought this upon myself. I remember foolishly throwing a snail or two from my fresh lettuce, out the door into my yard. I had no idea they would grow this big, and multiply this fast.
After the first rain came what seems like an army of hungry snails wreaked havoc in my enclosed yard. They had nowhere to go and they had plenty to eat. Lots of fleshy succulents for the taking.
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| Snail damage on Kalanchoe |
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| Kalanchoe eaten |
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| Snail caught red (brown) handed! |
It took me about a couple of hours to remove more than 25 snails for my plants. In total they destroyed all succulents, eaten a good chunk of my passion flower and one leaf of my Hoya. The only plant that remained untouched was the Schefflera.
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| Snail hiding behind the passion flower trellis |
It was with some sadness that I almost emptied the entire yard. Was this the end?
The only remaining plants that I have now are the Passion Flower, the Schefflera, and a shelf of a few surviving cactii.
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| Snail pellets |
I have started using snail pellets and have since removed another ten snails. I no longer find any snails now, and I am beginning to feel hopeful again. If you ever find snails in your fresh greens, DO NOT throw them out in your garden !! Lesson learnt.
Poor flowers! I hope they are looking much better now!
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