SNAILBAN: SUMMARY & CONCLUSIONS

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So, after an entire growing season, did the SnailBan work?

An emphatic YES is the short answer.

At the start of the trial, I had no idea how well the Snailban was going to work, if at all.

First impressions?

 The Snailban was simplicity itself to apply, looked very good as a decorative mulch in its own right, was pleasant to handle, and was relatively cheap if it was to keep the borders pest free for an entire season.

Over the course of the trial it became obvious that there were going to be problems that I had not envisaged. The Snailban only works if the barrier is not compromised. With leaves falling from trees, blackbirds, squirrels (and cats and foxes) stirring up the soil and plants getting too big for their boots, it became a labour of love trying to keep the Snailban clear of debris. I became almost pathological about hygiene and spent hours picking leaves and germinating weeds out of the barriers.

That said, if you have an allotment in the open ground or large gaps between plants, this is easily remedied. In my "cottage" borders, where plants are allowed to run amok in a tangle of stems, the slugs and snails travelled freely between plants once they had mixed together. Crucially though, the Snailban had provided TOTAL protection for Delphiniums, Cornflowers and other vulnerable plants in their early growth and kept them safe until they were old or large enough to fend for themselves.

In the vegetable garden, trouble only really came about when the barriers were compromised on a large scale. I soon found out that the odd leaf here and there didn't seem to matter but the downpour of horse chestnut blossom for example gave adequate room for our number one foe to manoeuvre. The vegetables themselves, grew out of their allotted spaces and constantly had to be trimmed back to stop slugs and snails using them as a bridge over the Snailban.

With the rotation re-established next year, it should be easy to prevent this happening again. (It was my fault that the vegetables outgrew the plots as I was trying to cram too many vegetables into too small a space.) Not being one to brag, I also had no idea they were going to be so enormous either.

Overall impressions?  

Throughout the growing season, the Snailban did exactly what it was supposed to do and then some. I had no idea how well it would work and was fully prepared to expect some losses. I had no idea that the Snailban would, (odd hiccups apart) keep the garden 99% slug and snail free. Although there was damage or predation to some degree every month during the summer, I had Delphiniums flowering again and lettuces every month in the vegetable garden. This would have been a miracle before I started using the Snailban.

Although the manufacturers application rate of  3" wide x ½" deep seemed to offer the best protection, I was amazed to see how thinly I could spread the Snailban  without losing any of its power. I will be sprinkling it over an entire border next year to see if it will work like a top dressing.

Other uses?

Besides using it as a barrier around either an entire border or individual plants, the obvious place to use it is down individual rows of seedlings or to surround a seed bed. (I lost a complete row of hand-pollinated delphiniums when they germinated over a week-end before I had had a chance to put the Snailban down). I would also use it to surround or line my cold frames. With its good looks, it would also make a great surface mulch for tubs of Hostas or bulbs that are prone to attack.

Would I recommend it? 

I am not really allowed to recommend or endorse a product, but would conclude by saying that, having used it for a season, I cannot imagine gardening in future without it.

I will be conducting a further comparative trial next year. I have found that a similar product  called "Slug Stoppa" is also available in the U.K. and will be trying the two products out head to head so Watch This Space.

Snail Ban Update: 24:12:01

After what I would consider to be a full and successful trial of the product, I thought it may be courteous to inform the U.K. suppliers of my findings, or, at the very least, say thank you for providing me with the initial materials with which to conduct the trial.

I was a little surprised to find that their phone number had been changed or was unobtainable and that Directory Enquiries could not find them either.

I have also e-mailed them, via the address given on their website (to which this site had a link), but to date have not had a reply.

I will leave you to draw your own conclusions.

Snail ban Update: 01:02:05

I have recently been contacted by another supplier of Snailban who is due to re-launch the product in time for the 2005 growing season. I can't wait to start using it again.

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