Moving my snail infested cottage garden

9 years ago

I have a ravishing cottage garden around my old 1860s farmhouse in the California Gold Country. We are building a new house on the other side of town, and I will have five acres at my disposal once we move. But the new place has never been cultivated.

My current garden is very, very moist. There are several springs on the property and I think the water table is just unusually high. This is mostly a good thing in California, since we have such dry summers. But it is infested with snails and slugs. My new property does not have snails and slugs, and is warmer with southern exposure. Most of my gardener friends here do not have snails or slugs, as I think the norm for this climate is too dry for them to thrive. So, I don't think the new place will have snails unless I introduce them.

Question: should I risk infesting my new place with snails and slugs by taking my beloved potted plants and transplants with me when I move? I am sure there are snails and snail eggs in everything I have out there in my current yard. But I have a couple dozen each mature camellias, old world roses, gardenias, and hydrangeas. Most are already in pots because I knew I was going to move eventually. And most are at least 3 years old- it would be painful to leave them and just start over. Is there some way to take them with me and ensure that I am not introducing all these pests to my new garden?

I was wondering if I should take the root balls out and spray them off with a hose before repotting in a clean pot with clean soil. Would that work? Or should I just leave everything here and start fresh at the new place?

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Comments (5)

docmom_gw
9 years ago
WI have no experience with snail control, but I know how hard it is to leave established plants behind. I assume there are no snails in the new neighborhood because they cannot survive in the dry conditions. It would make sense to use as much care as possible in transplanting, as you described, by using clean potting medium. You could also put out snail bait near your plants in their new location, to catch any snails as/if they hatch and crawl off the transplants.

Martha
frontporchfarm thanked docmom_gw
Lilyfinch z9a Murrieta Ca
9 years ago
I agree with Martha . And think that cleaning off the root ball and replacing the soil would do a lot of good for you . Also is there a garden center you favor that you could ask to be sure ?

Good luck with the new home !! I'm sure your plants will love their new home as well
frontporchfarm thanked Lilyfinch z9a Murrieta Ca
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sandyslopes z6 n. UT
9 years ago
Congratulations on your new home.

Absolutely take anything you call beloved! You've potted them up already so you must want to bring them with you.

Going to the trouble of washing off existing soil and potting up in clean potting mix would be a good idea. But you'll have so much to do when you're moving that you could just use some Sluggo (Iron Phosphate ) in the pots. It's not as hazardous to animals as some snail baits. (Of course, keep the bag safely away from pets.)

I lived in a pretty dry part of SoCal and still had snails where it was irrigated. I couldn't plant petunias in the ground because the snails loved them. So you might have less snails than your current moist yard but expect to still have some whether you bring them or not.
deanna in ME Barely zone 6a, more like 5b
9 years ago
A really interesting question. Why wouldn't any transplated snails everntually just die off? Do you think any that hitched a ride would be able to survive the dry conditions? I only ask because moving plants is back breaking work anyway. Adding additional work by removing all old soil from each plant makes it significantly harder and longer to move each plant. Everytime I move and divide an old plant such as hosta (and I mean multiple divisions of really old plants) I'm amazed at the fact that it takes 5 times longer. If I had additional root ball work to do I might lose my mind!
frontporchfarm thanked deanna in ME Barely zone 6a, more like 5b
frontporchfarm
Original Author
9 years ago
I think if I weren't going to irrigate the new property, it would remain snail-free, because every summer it dries out completely. But once we move there, I will irrigate, and that will enable snails to survive in those areas, I should think.

I agree about the amount of work involved- it will be a lot of work. I am young and so it isn't impossible, but I will have to consider it a kind of boot camp or intense two week long workout or something.