Experiences with electric snail fences

KiwiSFGnewbie 11/5/2022, 4:56 pm

Hi all! I haven't yet installed my garden bed, and wanting to "do it right, do it once" I'm thinking about attaching an electric snail fence at the same time, as detailed very well here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ga27EpA0lGM

I'd love to hear anyone's experiences with these things, positive and negative. Hubby is convinced that once the garden bed wood is wet the battery will drain very quickly!

I've tried searching here but even using the advanced search doesn't seem to turn up any results???

Thanks Smile

OhioGardener 11/5/2022, 5:08 pm

IMHO, it would be an exercise in futility. Snail eggs will be transported via compost, soil mixes, etc., and then hatch into active snails. Snails and slugs are easy to organically control with products such a Sluggo Plus.

KiwiSFGnewbie 11/5/2022, 5:48 pm

OhioGardener wrote:IMHO, it would be an exercise in futility. Snail eggs will be transported via compost, soil mixes, etc., and then hatch into active snails. Snails and slugs are easy to organically control with products such a Sluggo Plus.

Huh, that is interesting. I'd read that using bait simply attracts more of the beasties to our plots!

OhioGardener 11/5/2022, 6:59 pm

KiwiSFGnewbie wrote:
OhioGardener wrote:IMHO, it would be an exercise in futility. Snail eggs will be transported via compost, soil mixes, etc., and then hatch into active snails. Snails and slugs are easy to organically control with products such a Sluggo Plus.
Huh, that is interesting. I'd read that using bait simply attracts more of the beasties to our plots!

If it were just a bait, that would possibly be true. But Sluggo Plus contains Spinosad which kills them and thins out the population rather than attracting more.

KiwiSFGnewbie 11/5/2022, 11:17 pm

OhioGardener wrote:
KiwiSFGnewbie wrote:I'd read that using bait simply attracts more of the beasties to our plots!

If it were just a bait, that would possibly be true. But Sluggo Plus contains Spinosad which kills them and thins out the population rather than attracting more.

Man, this is getting harder and harder. Just finding a product with iron EDTA that's available in retail quantities here is hard enough, but needing to add Spinosad to it makes me think the fence is a better way to go!

I know eggs will come in on compost etc, but for that I was thinking of putting boards across the corners of the bed and checking under them when I do my daily rounds.

Has no-one here tried an electric fence? Positive or negative experiences all welcome! Smile

**sanderson** 11/6/2022, 1:53 am

I'm with OG on the electric fence. I don't know if you can have Sluggo Plus shipped to Aukland. It is a really good product for snail, slug, earwigs and sowbugs for new planting protection. It is organic and comes in white crystals that can be lightly sprinkled on the MM. The only thing I could find is the iron EDTA you mentioned. If you can have spinosad concentrate shipped to you off Amazon, you can spray the top of the Mel's Mix at night with spinosad, even the little seedlings. Spinosad is good for an assortment of other insects.

https://www.kings.co.nz/tui-quash-400gr-16801

KiwiSFGnewbie 11/6/2022, 2:14 am

Thanks, sanderson Smile

I discovered Tui Quash during my researches this morning before I realised Sluggo has other stuff in it too... Will look at it while I'm out shopping tomorrow.

Sinosad does seem to be available here, I was thinking I'd have to figure out how to mix it with iron EDTA to make the homemade Sluggo but your idea sounds much more practical Smile

**sanderson** 11/6/2022, 1:44 pm

There are 3 forms of snail bait, the poisonous original that looked like dog/cat food and is a horrible way for a pet to go. I was in the emergency vet room when a dog was brought in!

Then the much safer form, most commonly Sluggo brand, with Iron Phosphate for snails and slugs. And, the Sluggo Plus with Spinosad added to the Iron Phosphate that kills earwigs, sow bugs, and other pests.

KiwiSFGnewbie 11/6/2022, 2:44 pm

sanderson wrote:There are 3 forms of snail bait, the poisonous original that looked like dog/cat food and is a horrible way for a pet to go. I was in the emergency vet room when a dog was brought in!

Then the much safer form, most commonly Sluggo brand, with Iron Phosphate for snails and slugs. And, the Sluggo Plus with Spinosad added to the Iron Phosphate that kills earwigs, sow bugs, and other pests.

Oh, cool, thanks for clearing that up sanderson. I read here that there are other (non-filler) ingredients in Sluggo, and figured Spinosad must be one of them.
thanks

**sanderson** 11/7/2022, 2:56 am

I use Sluggo Plus lightly every time I plant (2 x year). My table top beds have healthy colonies of worms. Just saying. Just keep the container away from pets and kids.

KiwiSFGnewbie 11/7/2022, 2:59 pm

sanderson wrote:I use Sluggo Plus lightly every time I plant (2 x year). My table top beds have healthy colonies of worms. Just saying. Just keep the container away from pets and kids.

Oh excellent, thanks so much sanderson! That's what I'll do. Great to know the worms shouldn't be affected. The Tui Quash only contains ~0.5% iron EDTA, so I guess I'll need twice as much, but it's sure easier than installing an electric fence!

Get this: one of its competitor products doesn't even list the active ingredients.... Mad

OhioGardener 11/7/2022, 5:17 pm

Have you compared the Sluggo Plus at u-buy?

https://www.u-buy.co.nz/product/G3E3TWY-monterey-lg6570-sluggo-plus-wildlife-and-pet-safe-slug-killer-2-5-lb

KiwiSFGnewbie 11/7/2022, 7:35 pm

OhioGardener wrote:Have you compared the Sluggo Plus at u-buy?

https://www.u-buy.co.nz/product/G3E3TWY-monterey-lg6570-sluggo-plus-wildlife-and-pet-safe-slug-killer-2-5-lb

Hey there OG, yes I did consider it, but I tend to avoid u-buy having seen reviews saying they take your money and then have "surprising" trouble with all manner of shipping delays etc....

Also, shipping+customs would roughly double the cost Sad

But thank you so much for looking into it for me, you folks here really are amazing!!
thanks

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Experiences with electric snail fences

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