Is there anything I can do to keep snails off my hostas?
Sue Baines, Caterham, Surrey
Stefan says: You grow your hostas in pots, on gravel with individual large trays filled with water to try and keep snails at bay, but wonder if there’s anything else you can do. My feeling is that you’re doing all you can and, although I’ve seen weird and wonderful suggestions, none of them have worked for me.
However, you make the comment that each year from mid-August you notice masses of miniature snails and wonder how quickly they grow into full-sized adults. The answer is about 12 months. The eggs are laid on soil and hatch after about two weeks and, intriguingly, they already have a tiny shell.
After hatching, the snails feed on the remains of the shell and then begin feeding normally to reach adult size and then survive in the wild for between two and seven years.