I am fond of beer—I even named one of my dogs Samuel Adams, after the Patriot and my favorite beer. But, recently, I have become fond of it for another reason: organic gardening! I don’t really have a green thumb, but I do like to have flowers in my garden.
After all the rain we have had here in Dallas, I have noticed a proliferation of snails and slugs! These little buggers eat leaves off my plants and petals off my flowers, so now I have strange little stem stumps throughout my flower beds. I was looking for an easy, organic way to get rid of snails when I discovered a hidden facet of beer. I learned that if you put a shallow dish of beer in the garden (in a pie pan, for example), the snails and slugs will be drawn to it. It seems that the slugs are attracted by the yeast smell and fall into the beer, where they are anesthetized by the alcohol and drown. This is a great way to use the half-empties that may be left after a get-together. If you recycle those bottles and cans, you are doing even more to be Green.
DING! You are now free to be Green. Let us know how you live and work Green by posting your comments below.
Comments
What a waste of good beer!
You saved it at the end by adding the part about leftover beers. I thought you were asking me to use a good fresh one. lol
Carry a small salt shaker in your pocket when you're out in the garden/yard. It will not harm plants, if you don't sprinkle them with salt too, but it sure will take care of snails/slugs.
If Southwest really wants to go green, how about some green alternatives to the free sugar/salty/white flour/chemical snacks you serve? One green alternative would be helpful...say some organic raw nuts instead of the roasted cashews that are roasted in peanut and other oils. Or a piece of fruit. Or are the real things too expensive? I usually bring my own, but all these chocolate chips in bleached white flour individual packages doesn't seem very green.
But good on you for the other green initiatives. Yes, the beer for slugs always worked for us too. We also sold our second car and either bike, walk, carpool, or take public transportation locally. And we don't purchase cut flowers- as they are the most sprayed with pesticides and the ones imported from South America are produced in horrible conditions that make the local agricultural workers sick.
COMPOST whatever you can. Don't want to compost or don't have a place. Bury those veggie & fruit scraps in the garden.
It's not necessarily a waste. Sometimes, people try out new beers and end up only drinking a little if they don't like it. I've found a number of half consumed beers after I've been out with friends. If it's a few hours old, why not recycle rather than just pouring it out?
Not a waste of good beer-- it can be flat! Everybody's happy!
If you have mice around or in your house, and small children or pets.
Put out tiny saucers of regular coca cola {coke}. Especially at night. The mice are drawn to the sweet smell and love the taste, as we all do. However, the mice cannot burp. And eventully, you get the idea. Now what to do about aunts and roaches that like sweet and sticky things.
Lol @ the 1st poster's comment xD But if you do as the writer suggested and use the leftover bits it isn't a waste! I'm so using this suggestion.
I am redoing the landscaping around my house but I am re-using the materials (rocks, pavers, brick) that were there before in new ways. I have installed a pond and the water feature in the middle of it is a bowling, bought at Goodwill, with a hole drilled through it.I found that idea online. Dirt and sand was taken from construction sites that were no longer using it. The outdoor furniture is re-purposed indoor furniture that was headed to the dump. The mulch is advertised as being "green" although I'm not sure how. A hammock will be hung between a tree and a fallen log that we are putting in the ground.
I'm still thinking up new ways to make my new landscaping green and it is rather fun!
This works...use left over...or buy the cheap stuff on sail. The snails are not picky.
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