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Re: [SG] Diatomaceous Earth

DE would need to be replaced after rains or after watering. I have found
that DE is effective  when used as a dust on infected plants-- the idea is
to get on unwanted insects or placed so they will crawl thru it. I've never
heard of it being used for Slugs.
Preston Littleton
Seaford DE
zone 7
-----Original Message-----
From: Roberta Diehl <diehlr@INDIANA.EDU>
To: shadegardens@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU <shadegardens@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU>
Date: Tuesday, June 09, 1998 10:19 PM
Subject: [SG] Diatomaceous Earth


>A friend of mine performed an experiment in which she treated half of a
>hosta bed with DE and left the other half alone. She alternated, putting
>DE under one hosta, ignoring the next, DE under the next, etc. Her
>conclusion was that at the end of the season the hostas with DE had
>exactly the same amount of slug damage as the hostas without--ergo, DE is
>ineffective.
>
>She felt that of everything she tried, Deadline was the best slug killer.
>I bought some, but have been afraid to use it--it's pretty potent, I fear.
>Does anybody know how deadly Deadline is? I wouldn't want to kill any
>other wildlife, except for slugs.
>
>Another friend is having very good luck with the old beer in plastic
>containers trick. She finds lots of drowned slugs ranging from tiny to
>quite large in the a.m. in those little containers. I have also heard that
>plain old yeast (you could use yeast that had expired for this purpose) in
>water will do the same thing--attract slugs and they drown.
>
>As for myself, I try to attract as many birds as possible to my yard and
>hope that some of them eat my slugs. I have heard that wrens, for example,
>will eat slugs, but have never seen one do it.
>
>Bobbi Diehl
>Bloomington, IN
>zone 5/6
>
>On Tue, 9 Jun 1998, Preston Littleton wrote:
>
>> DE is the skeletal remains of single cell water plants. It punctures, is
>> absorbed by and/or is abrasive to many insects. DE supposedly does no
harm
>> to earthworms. It can be bought in garden supply stores, at some
nurseries
>> or by mail order from many seed companies.
>> Preston Littleton
>> Seaford DE
>> zone 7
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: venies.place <venies.place@MCI2000.COM>
>> To: shadegardens@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU
<shadegardens@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU>
>> Date: Tuesday, June 09, 1998 6:19 PM
>> Subject: Re: [SG] Japanese Painted Fern
>>
>>
>> >Hey guys, what is Diatomaceous Earth?  Where do you buy it? And what is
it
>> >used for?
>> >
>> >Pottsey zone5
>>
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