organic slug control with snakes – permaculture!
Jan.28, 2011 in
Slugs and Snails
www.permies.com Jacqueline Freeman of Friendly Haven Rise Farm (http in Battleground, Washington shows off her rock piles which she uses for snake habitat. And she reports far fewer slugs in her gardens because of it. “”These rockpiles enticed snakes which have reduced our slug problem by at least 95%”" Rick Valley of Lost Valley Educational Center (www.lostvalley.org) in Dexter, Oregon talks about different kinds of snakes and whether their taste for slugs is genetic. Rick also talks about his favorite types of snake habitat compost piles. music by Jimmy Pardo
Video Rating: 5 / 5
January 28th, 2011 at 7:40 pm
Skunks are cute furry slug eaters also
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January 28th, 2011 at 8:37 pm
@meson537 if you say so, but not for me
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January 28th, 2011 at 9:37 pm
@vutEwa Snakes are awesome. I have never felt they are detestable in the least. What makes them detestable to you? They are shy, curious, and, in my opinion, beautiful.
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January 28th, 2011 at 10:33 pm
Pretty neat idea. I think I like the idea of ducks eating slugs better. Snakes might also eat beneficial insects, but I don’t know. Snakes would be fine though.
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January 28th, 2011 at 10:40 pm
Don’t ducks eat slugs? Aren’t ducks more edible than snakes?
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January 28th, 2011 at 11:12 pm
WTH’s wrong with salt?? Yeah, let’s house snakes!! Garter’s aren’t bad but soon they’ll multiply and you’ll want something to control THEM and then… THEN the next thing you know you’ll be importing mongoose etc… LOL!!
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January 28th, 2011 at 11:39 pm
makes me want to move back to Seattle. Miss those snakes.
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January 29th, 2011 at 12:26 am
awesome solution!
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January 29th, 2011 at 1:00 am
I have a real aversion to snakes (who doesn’t?) but Paul you have successfully gotten me to think again about the benefits of those detestable creatures! hehe
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January 29th, 2011 at 1:26 am
Heỵ ѕοrry ḟor ᑲeⅰng οff ṭοрiⅽ, but I’m sρreаⅾⅰng ⅿỵ eх gіrɭḟrⅰеոd’ѕ sех tарe аround. Whỵ? Weǀl, ᑲeᴄаսsе ѕhе’s a ხiṭcȟ. Sȟe deѕеṙᴠeⅾ іt, so ɡο aհeaⅾ and waṭᴄh iṭ. Tհе ɭіոk iѕ oո mỵ prᴏƒіɭе (zіp рasswoṙd ⅰѕ 123)
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January 29th, 2011 at 2:14 am
I always look forward to your videos Paul. This is a great video which will really help me. I am going to build a rock pile for snake habitat. I have seen garter snakes here on my Wester WA property 4 times in the last 6 years (twice swimming in our large pond). Very Nice!
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January 29th, 2011 at 2:21 am
Our chickens love slugs.
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January 29th, 2011 at 2:52 am
Chicken eat slugs too, so I hear, if you train them to.
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January 29th, 2011 at 3:41 am
Living in a harmony with snakes is amazing. But back where I came from we have lots of Venomous snakes and this wouldn’t apply in there…
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January 29th, 2011 at 4:22 am
If there was a way to only have garters then I’d be all for this, but here in Central Texas those rock piles would be a haven for rattlers, copper heads and coral snakes. With kids, inviting in snakes isn’t something I’d like to do
Great idea though and good to hear that it’s working!
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January 29th, 2011 at 4:31 am
I agree with Jacqueline (the lady at the beginning), rocky areas are conducive to garter and other snakes. The rocks hold heat from the sun throughout the evening and night.
Trouble is… where you have an increase in one snake, you sometimes increase other species and sub-species; such as rattlers and copperheads (for us in the south east US). Do you have many poisonous snakes in the north west US?
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January 29th, 2011 at 5:11 am
Such a wonderful video!
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January 29th, 2011 at 5:46 am
Paw Paw taught us the difference between good and bad (venomous) snakes from an early age. An organic gardener before it was popular, he never cared to put poison on his food. Therefore, he saw to it that us kids knew beneficial snakes, insects and companion planting. How is it that his generation knew so much about such things, and in the span of one generation, we are struggling to relearn the same stuff. If I could only talk to Paw Paw one more time he could help us on Indian Country Farms.
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January 29th, 2011 at 6:20 am
Worms that think. Sort of.
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January 29th, 2011 at 6:23 am
I love Rick Valley’s comments about the bugs that eat slug eggs, too. I had a huge invasion of the baby slugs in my container garden last year and I could have used some of those beetles!
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January 29th, 2011 at 7:15 am
kill all snakes!
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January 29th, 2011 at 7:39 am
From what I have seen in other videos, chickens think slugs are gourmet fare, and you get eggs in the bargain………….sounds like an even better deal than snakes!!!
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