snails are good for plants!

[plant girl]

hi smokers

started my grow a few weeks ago, germinated the seeds and left them out overnight as it was mild.

shock horror, the next morning i found that a snail had eaten the first 2 fan leaves of one plant leaving just a 1 inch stalk

i kept watering the plant as normal but the 'stalk' did nothing for about 2 weeks, then one morning i spotted new growth!! the plant now has two heads as you can see there is a big difference in size as the plant had to recover from being eaten...

i decided to try this on 2 more plants that i had that were about 1 foot tall. the same has happened to these two also

this one is well on its way...

and this one is just starting to get 2 heads

don'tbe scared to cut the top of your plant. you can do it anywhere on the plant and it works every time. i must admit that i was crapping myself when i did it lol

btw, i skewered the snail on a stick

i am growing ICE and Big Buddha Cheese
are there any different rules to looking after topped plants?

 

[Lacy]

yes dear. It is called topping. The snail did it for you. I do it to my plants all the time.


Good you got rid of the snials.
Not good to have them obviously but it turned out o be good for you

Cute story.
I love it
Thanks

 

[plant girl]

thanks

i collect snails and slugs and use them as a warning to others. i sort of hope that it will deter anymore lol

i havnt grown topped plants so i assume its just a matter of giving the right support. will the root mass be larger as the plant is different?
i have read that the height will not be affected, they will still grow tall. i have made a (i think) wicked hideaway to grow them outside, if it wasnt raining i would take a pic

we have been promised a no sun summer so i am going to just go with it

 

[s.c.mtn.hillbilly]

yes dear. It is called topping. The snail did it for you. I do it to my plants all the time.


Good you got rid of the snials.
Not good to have them obviously but it turned out o be good for you

Cute story.
I love it
Thanks

I used to top...now I just do the pinching and twisting, and train them in a horizontal bonsai...some I coil, others,out & back. I imagine you could get a one lb. plant that's 16" 'tall'(but 6' long!)

 

[s.c.mtn.hillbilly]

thanks

i collect snails and slugs and use them as a warning to others. i sort of hope that it will deter anymore lol

i havnt grown topped plants so i assume its just a matter of giving the right support. will the root mass be larger as the plant is different?
i have read that the height will not be affected, they will still grow tall. i have made a (i think) wicked hideaway to grow them outside, if it wasnt raining i would take a pic

we have been promised a no sun summer so i am going to just go with it

no..they will be shorter if you top them...but the energy goes to the rest of the plant.don't sweat the "no sun"...that no sun is still stronger than a 400 watt. look at b.c. or even humboldt at times, not to mention nederhash! grey zones one and all!

 

[plant girl]

last year i tried tying down but found that the side shoots became as tall as the height of the plant
do snails eat the plants when they are bigger or just when they are babies?

 

[Lacy]

Yes they will be shorter to an extent but not that much shorter. They will just not look like christmas trees.

So snails are not really good for plants as you can top them yourselves.

The stronger and healthier you make the top of your plant the more root growth there will be so yes.

Here are some pics of my 6 to 7 foot plants that I topped and trained the outter branches like buddy mentioned.

I had this post before but lost it

 

[Lacy]

snails will east just about anything.
I wouild get rid of them

 

[Twistyman]

Topping has a couple of uses..More bud..is the obvious one...I had a plant that got
screwed up during transplant, and the main stem just stopped growing...So I topped it, and now it's going great....plus it balances out the overall growth....not so high..............

 

[Lacy]

yes indeed it does balance them off well.
Some people believe that the mail cola has WAY more potency than if you topped them but this is so far fetched. There may be a bit of difference but not that much that I am going to give up a bunch more yummy colas for.

But in saying all of this there arew some strains that prefer no topping.

Topping has a couple of uses..More bud..is the obvious one...I had a plant that got
screwed up during transplant, and the main stem just stopped growing...So I topped it, and now it's going great....plus it balances out the overall growth....not so high..............

 

[plant girl]

Yes they will be shorter to an extent but not that much shorter. They will just not look like christmas trees.

So snails are not really good for plants as you can top them yourselves.

The stronger and healthier you make the top of your plant the more root growth there will be so yes.

Here are some pics of my 6 to 7 foot plants that I topped and trained the outter branches like buddy mentioned.

I had this post before but lost it

your plants look great

i have had 8ft plants before so i have chosen a sativa/ indica mix. i am going to use runner beans to disguise my plants this year. the beans have attracted loads of slugs and snails which the pellets killed. i am in the process of de-slugging my grow area, sun or no sun these fcukers will grow

 

[Lacy]

Good idea plant chick.

See how much attention your snail story got?

Its so cute but then again, I am a real sucker for cute and funny
And this is prime cute and funny material.

your plants look great

i have had 8ft plants before so i have chosen a sativa/ indica mix. i am going to use runner beans to disguise my plants this year. the beans have attracted loads of slugs and snails which the pellets killed. i am in the process of de-slugging my grow area, sun or no sun these fcukers will grow

 

[Lacy]

I am not sure what strain those were I had as they were all bagseed.

 

[Pookiedough]

your plants look great

i have had 8ft plants before so i have chosen a sativa/ indica mix. i am going to use runner beans to disguise my plants this year. the beans have attracted loads of slugs and snails which the pellets killed. i am in the process of de-slugging my grow area, sun or no sun these fcukers will grow

You are going to have a helluva time keeping those plants alive disguised with beans snails and slugs will be the least of your worries.Everything likes to eat bean plants and they tend to get a bit grabby like a hangman's noose good luck.

 

[plant girl]

You are going to have a helluva time keeping those plants alive disguised with beans snails and slugs will be the least of your worries.Everything likes to eat bean plants and they tend to get a bit grabby like a hangman's noose good luck.

i have the beans in pots. the pots form a curve which will give me my grow area. the canes are 8ft high
i am growing nastersions (sp) and have marrigolds nearby to help with bugs.

i have been out with a torch at night a few times and caught loads of slugs and snails. i have laid all sorts of traps as well. i am able to look at my plants on a daily basis so hopefully i will spot and problems.

i have a 'trophy' snail that refuses to die


WARNING!!!!

when you use salt or blue slug pellets, if you watch you will see the slugs shed their skin to get away from the poison. they are not dead at this point. they are able to shed the skin twice before they die. they get smaller with each coat they lose. i have seen this a few times and can almost hear the slimy things scream

 

[Lacy]

Hey pookie chick.
Yes indeed So true

Beans to snails are like friggin chocolates to ME!!!
If you get whgat I mean

You are going to have a helluva time keeping those plants alive disguised with beans snails and slugs will be the least of your worries.Everything likes to eat bean plants and they tend to get a bit grabby like a hangman's noose good luck.

 

[Lacy]

A trophy snail. Haha!
Well aren't you special

 

[plant girl]

A trophy snail. Haha!
Well aren't you special

all girls are special especially the girls in pots lol

i didnt think many bugs liked beans...............i got it wrong

 

[Lacy]

Oh no mame!!!
I am WAY more SPECIAL than ones in pots

all girls are special especially the girls in pots lol

i didnt think many bugs liked beans...............i got it wrong

 

[Lacy]

Yes some bugs (like snials ) LOVE beans.
If they could order them from the restaurant they would order BEANS