Re: Problems

iris-l@Rt66.com wrote:
> 
> This may sound like a stupid question, but what can be done about slugs and
> snails in your flower beds?  I put down slug bate around most of my iris
> beds a few weeks ago and found well over fifty slugs and snails the next
> day.  Most of them were not dead yet and were very fat from eating my iris
> flowers.  They don't seem to like the leaves very much, but almost every
> bloom I've had (about 15 so far) they have eaten atleast part of every
> bloom.  It has been raining around here lately, so I have had to put the
> slug bate down several times.  It keeps washing away and the slugs return to
> my plants.  Is there something else I should be doing.  They are destroying
> my beautiful flowers.
> 
> I had written earlier that I had a red iris that I was unable to identify.
> Bill Smooth suggested that I bring a bloom to the SLI show.  I had about
> three blooms on Friday, but by Sunday the slugs had eaten all of my blooms.
> It rained on Friday, and the slug bate I had put down did not seem to stop
> those slimy little things.  By the way, I believe my red iris may be Ann's
> Child.  The pot they came in had AC written on it.  The flower looked
> similar to Creole Flame, but mine might have been a little darker.  Do I
> sound like I am close at all?
> 
> I also have another problem, RUST.  I have cut off the infected leaves and
> sprayed  my Louisiana irises my Louisiana irises with orthenex.  I don't
> know if the rain washed the fungicide away or what the problem is.  HELP!
> My bearded irises seem to be uneffected by anything.  The slugs pretty much
> stay out of that bed and there is not a speck of rust on any of their
> leaves.  Can rust be transmited from one type of plant to another.  It is
> strange, my Louisiana and Dutch irises in the front yard do not have rust
> (and if any of them do, it's very little and has been controlled).  But, my
> Louisiana irises in the backyard (located near my beared irises) are
> infested with rust.  Why just those?  I am perplexed.  If anyone can offer
> assistance it would be greatly appreciated.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Janet Burleigh
> Baton Rouge, LA
> 
> PS to Bill Smooth
> Sorry I didn't get to see you at the SLI show.  I must say I was very
> disappointed in the show.  I'm glad I didn't have to drive very far to the
> show.  I'm also glad the show wasn't the only reason I was in Lafayette.  We
> went through the show in less that 15 minutes.  I was glad that I was
> finally able to see what the flowers actually looked like.  I had seen the
> names several times, but wasn't sure what the flower looked like.  As for
> how I came to join the AIS and SLI, I have a book called "Gardening By
> Mail".  I've been a member of both since only December.Slugs.....Sprinkle anything crunchy.  They hate eggshells but that takes 
time to collect.  I collect slugsin upside down citrus halves. cantaloupe 
is good too.  I empty the fruit every am.  I also go out with a 
flashlight in the dark.  If you poison slugs the birds get poisoned too. 
A recipe I have used successfully is:2 TBL sp sugar,1/2 teasp baking 
yeast, 2 cups water.  mix well and put in saucers set flush with earth 
surface.  If you have wormwood in your garden (artemisia absinthium) make 
an infusion with chopped leaves and soak ground around iris.  This really 
discourages slugs underground  but does nothing to the eggs.  Also see 
earlier e-mail- in March I think.  

from a very discouraged ginny in Southern Ontario, who has lit the fire 
today and is watching the SNOW land on my cozy coated tomato plantsn.a
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