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JennMolly
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Toad houses - How do they work?

Hi all! Last summer I made my first veggie garden and learned a lot from the experience. One thing I learned painfully was that we have a ton of slugs and green caterpillars. I was out there literally every night taking these guys off my plants and still suffered damage to my plants. I tried the egg shells and have been saving some all winter but they really did nothing for me.

I am reading about toad houses and how they will eat these guys. I have a raised garden bed, its about a foot high and is the square foot type garden with the grid. My question is where do I place the little toad house? Is it right IN the garden or outside the garden?

Thank you in advanced! I appreciate your input.

imafan26
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The toad abode should be placed somewhere in the yard with shelter in a moist place. Usually not in the garden but nearby Toads will hide in pipes, under pots, but they do like a spot with moisture and foliage to hide them from predators. If you have a dog, getting a toad may be problematic.

Eggshells have to be crushed to be a deterrent, but a better device for me as a barrier was cut hair. It doesn not wash away like diatomaceous earth. Cut the hair into very short segments and place it around the perimeter in as wide a band as possible. It will keep slugs and snails from the outside coming in. Snails and slugs already inside the perimeter will still need to be baited and found since hair will only work as long as the slugs and snails are outside the perimeter. Copper strips also work as a barrier but can be pricey.

You can use sluggo or garden safe slug baits. Buggeta has also come out with a non metaldehyde slug bait. They are on the synthetic NOP exceptions list. They contain iron phosphate or ferrous sodium or potassium. They need to be applied as directed, every two weeks for control and you still will need to hunt down slugs and snails and treat the perimeter to keep new ones from coming in. The iron based slug baits are not as attractive to animals and do not kill earthworms or fish. They will however kill toads and frogs if they ingest enough. It can be placed around plants but preferably not on them. The pellets should be scattered evenly over the area and not piled in clumps or rows. Two tablespoons per square yard is what the sluggo label says, with higher doses for severe infestations. The iron based ones usually melt down and pretty much become fertilizer. It needs to be spread out because snails and slugs do not travel in a straight line and they eat them as they encounter the pellets on there foraging outings. They are attracted usually to the yeast carrier.

I know exactly how you feel. I have so many snails and slugs that I constantly battle and because I don't have a toad or a hen, I don't seem to get that far ahead. I also have a lot of hiding places so it is hard to manage that. I did get a respite from them when the weather was cold, but now they are back with a vengeance. I seem to have them under control around the garden right now, but they are still very active in other parts of the yard, so I have to keep baiting and scouting. I just bought 25 lbs of sluggo for $58 here from an agricultural supplier, so it is one of my most expensive garden costs. The store brands like garden safe and worry free are available at garden and hardware stores but usually in smaller bags and they end up costing even more in the long run. Some are just as effective as the sluggo brand but are usually not sold in large quantities. For ornamentals and if you don't have pets or fish, metaldehyde works longer about a month and is very effective but more toxic. Beer or yeast baits work but you have to replace it every day and find a good spot frequented by the snails and slugs. A board with coarse surface like redwood fence boards can be wetted down and propped up on one end every night near the garden. Snails and slugs will congregate on the moist board during the day and you can pick them off, but you have to get there before they move out to forage again.

If you use a bait, you will need to bait the entire area especially where you have dense foliage and moist places around sprinkler heads. These will be the places they will be hiding during the day. When you scout them, look inside and under pots and pull out some of the plants because they will hide in the pots themselves and eat the roots. The enter through the drain holes. I put screen in pots when I can get screen to help block that. Snails will climb on trees, fences, and house walls so they are not limited to just the ground.

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rainbowgardener
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Diatomaceous earth works for me against slugs and snails. But it has to be reapplied after rain. In my rainy climate, that's not too practical. You can try putting it in areas where it is protected from rain.

I have seen a toad in my yard four times in four different places. I have no idea whether that means I have lots of toads or I just have one and I keep spotting him as he hops around the yard. ...

Mr green
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Plastic bottles with the top cut off and put back inside out preferably digging down the bottom end a bit, but not necessry, then filled with a little beer is supposed to be a good trap for slugs. Probably alot cheaper than those slugbait products.

Image

Havnt tried it my self tho since I don't ever had a big problem with slugs.



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