Re: Slugs & Snails

On snails:

        About a year ago we had a similar discussion about snails and
slugs.  I mentioned I'd read a British report about using iron in mineral
form as a control.  One member of this list corresponded with me about this
and even tried to make a home brew of the concoction reported in the
scholarly article I'd read.
        Last month I was attending the Northern California Turfgrass
Convention hereabouts. I visited the booth of the Monterey Chemical
Company, a very innovative firm in Fresno, California.  {That is, their
product development is exceptional, their labeling and marketing are poor
and they lag far behind the big US firms in sales.}
        I was stunned to find that Monterey had begun marketing a
snailicide using iron.  They call it Sluggo.  It comes in 2.5 lb. jugs and
consists of iron phosphate.  The principle market for this product is, of
course, pet owners.  Since iron phosphate is a salt, and can be used as a
fertilizer, it is much safer for garden use than metaldehyde(or mesurol or
methiocarb, the two other chemicals registered for snail control in the
US).
        The home improvement chain that I work for refused to carry it,
probably because Monterey's labeling is amateurish and because metaldehyde
is so well established as *the* molluscicide.  I don't know how many
California nurseries elected to stock it(it's only been on the market about
60 days) but I'm sure many independent nurseries did so.  I'd be *very*
curious to hear if anyone tries it what results you get.
          I'll be talking with the University of California at Davis about
this product and hope to report back on any tests they may have done on it.
Monterey says the active ingredient was developed at Cal Poly San Luis
Obispo, the leading horticulture school in this state.
        No doubt if this product works it will soon make it's way to
Australia and England.  The original research was reported in an english
journal.

BTW, none of the organic folks mentioned the zinc-copper strips that have
been shown to repel slugs and snails.  Research at several US universities,
including the Univ of Cal., showed that this method works very well.
Jerry Heverly, Oakland, CA
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