Marigold and snail/slug prevention?

[tryphena rose]

I'm a new gardener and am super stoked to learn more about the large variety of plants God has created for us as well as learning how to care for them!

I just planted some marigolds in my garden yesterday and as I was watering, deadheading/trimming off the parts that didn't look too good, I noticed the plants were way more wilty today than they were yesterday when I purchased them. I also noticed some small brown spots on some of the leaves as well. I looked into it online and it seems it may be one of two possible diseases. How long should I keep them planted if they are indeed infected? I wouldn't want them to harm the plants I have surrounding them.

Also, what's a good snail/slug prevention? I saw beer traps looked good, but my fiance and I keep away from alcohol in general and don't want it in our home. Is there any other alternative? Is table salt/epsom salt good to sprinkle in the soil? We get a lot of snails and slugs in our area during the nighttime.

 

[Albion]

I'm a new gardener and am super stoked to learn more about the large variety of plants God has created for us as well as learning how to care for them!

I just planted some marigolds in my garden yesterday and as I was watering, deadheading/trimming off the parts that didn't look too good, I noticed the plants were way more wilty today than they were yesterday when I purchased them. I also noticed some small brown spots on some of the leaves as well. I looked into it online and it seems it may be one of two possible diseases. How long should I keep them planted if they are indeed infected? I wouldn't want them to harm the plants I have surrounding them.

Also, what's a good snail/slug prevention? I saw beer traps looked good, but my fiance and I keep away from alcohol in general and don't want it in our home. Is there any other alternative? Is table salt/epsom salt good to sprinkle in the soil? We get a lot of snails and slugs in our area during the nighttime.

Beer is the usual household remedy, but apparently upside down melon slices will work also. The idea in either case is to let them eat themselves to death overnight.

 

[Brightmoon]

Sometimes plants that have been out of the sun will wilt if they get some sun and it’s warm out . Water them well . Also brown spots could be because they’ve been in those packs and they’re not getting enough nutrients . That will improve when they get in the ground .

I’d recommend beer traps for the slugs too. They work

 

[chevyontheriver]

I'm a new gardener and am super stoked to learn more about the large variety of plants God has created for us as well as learning how to care for them!

Also, what's a good snail/slug prevention? I saw beer traps looked good, but my fiance and I keep away from alcohol in general and don't want it in our home. Is there any other alternative? Is table salt/epsom salt good to sprinkle in the soil? We get a lot of snails and slugs in our area during the nighttime.

Garter snakes are excellent slug eaters. So if you are blessed to have then in your garden don't do anything to scare them off. They could eat slugs all day long. Beer does make a good trap. One six pack should set you up for the season. Salt could damage the soil.

 

[mnphysicist]

Marigolds often go through transplant shock which can show up as wilting and/or brown spots, especially if they were in a green house prior to transplantation. Give them a week or two to recover and they should be fine. Otoh get rid of anything that dies the next day just in case you have a disease of some short...

Table salt and Epsom salt used sparingly might work, but too much and you can start raising havoc with the soils micronutrients. I have no experience with either one, but my Dad used to use Epsom salts. Slug wise, I've found diacumateous earth works wonders, but others say not to use it. Either way, do not breath the stuff as its nasty.

 

[tryphena rose]

Wow, thank you everyone for the awesome answers! I know this forum will be super helpful for me as a new gardener so I really appreciate all the feedback and useful tips!

Beer is the usual household remedy, but apparently upside down melon slices will work also. The idea in either case is to let them eat themselves to death overnight.

That's really awesome! ...not so much for the slugs, but great for the plants lol! With the melon slices, do you think it would attract any other unwanted bugs or critters or should it be fine since it's only an overnight thing?

Sometimes plants that have been out of the sun will wilt if they get some sun and it’s warm out . Water them well . Also brown spots could be because they’ve been in those packs and they’re not getting enough nutrients . That will improve when they get in the ground .

I live in sunny California so we're close to the peak of the heat here. Would you recommend watering once or twice a day? Our average is in the 90's as of late. Though July and August should hit the 100's. That's reassuring to know about the brown spots. Thank you!

Garter snakes are excellent slug eaters. So if you are blessed to have then in your garden don't do anything to scare them off. They could eat slugs all day long. Beer does make a good trap. One six pack should set you up for the season. Salt could damage the soil.

I had no idea that garter snakes ate slugs, which is super useful to know. If I see a snake just about anywhere, I'll be sure to hightail out of there lol! Luckily, the snakes wouldn't be bothered regardless in my garden!

Marigolds often go through transplant shock which can show up as wilting and/or brown spots, especially if they were in a green house prior to transplantation. Give them a week or two to recover and they should be fine. Otoh get rid of anything that dies the next day just in case you have a disease of some short...

Table salt and Epsom salt used sparingly might work, but too much and you can start raising havoc with the soils micronutrients. I have no experience with either one, but my Dad used to use Epsom salts. Slug wise, I've found diacumateous earth works wonders, but others say not to use it. Either way, do not breath the stuff as its nasty.

Do other plants tend to go through transplant shock? I also purchased lavender, lobelia and petunia plants which all seemed to have no issues with wilting. Regardless, that's super helpful so thank you. I figured as much with the salt. I saw no clear cut answer online so I thought I'd ask. Like the salts, should diatomaceous earth be used sparingly and do you know how they affect the plants I mentioned above? I heard it's good for repelling black widows and silverfish, both of which we had issues with last year.

 

[Albion]

Wow, thank you everyone for the awesome answers! I know this forum will be super helpful for me as a new gardener so I really appreciate all the feedback and useful tips!

That's really awesome! ...not so much for the slugs, but great for the plants lol! With the melon slices, do you think it would attract any other unwanted bugs or critters or should it be fine since it's only an overnight thing?

That I do not know. From my own experience it is necessary only to do this--or the beer thing--for a little while in order to make a lot of progress against the slugs. I found, however, that possibly the most effective thing was to choose plantings that they do not care for (and also keep the ground well drained).