Wet the food and shelter plants and moisten the ground

155. You have already been told that the leaves of the food and shelter plants must be wet and clean and that the ground must be moist (see Items 52 to 58 in the last booklet).

156. If there is too lime dew and not enough rainfall during the time when the plants and the snails are growing, you will have to water the plants and the ground yourself.

157. If it is dry, you should water the plants and the ground at least every second day. However, if it is very dry, you may have to water them every day.

158. Never water in the morning or during the day when the sun is hot. Always water in the evening at about sunset.

159. If you water when the sun is hot, the snails will begin to move away from the shelter plants and the hot sun may kill them before they can find shelter again.

160. An easy way to wet the plants and moisten the ground is by hand. First fill a bucket with water and wrap a piece of cloth around your hand.

Wrap a cloth around your hand

161. Then, dip your hand with the cloth into the bucket of water and gently splash the plants and the ground.

Gently splash plants and ground

162. Continue to splash the plants and the ground gently until you have watered the whole pen.

163. When you have finished, the leaves of the plants should be wet and the ground should be moist.

164. You can tell when the plants are wet enough and the ground is moist enough when you can see your snails moving about easily.

Snails move about easily

165. Remember: the soil must be moist and not wet in order for snail eggs to hatch.

Note

You have already been told that if you live in a place that has a dry season when the plants do not grow, snails dig into the ground to rest. Never water at this time or your snails may come out of the ground when they should not.