Grow Your Own Magazine

Has anyone tried the new copper tape? Is the success rate good or are there any other effective alternatives/ideas for reducing the slug population on my plot?

Alan

I dunno about 'new' copper tape, but I did use copper tape last year on my pots with 100% success, fabulous stuff! I tried alsorts and that was definitely the most effective. Not sure how useful it would be on the ground, you need to create a barrier with it that doesnt allow the slugs to find a space to get across - and also make sure there are no overhanging leaves or stems they can sneak over the tape on! But I would definitely recommend it on pots Donald.

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Life may not be the party we hoped for but since we're here we might as well dance

I used the copper tape around the outside of my raised beds in the garden last year and it worked really well. The only slugs I found were ones that were using the overhanging buddleia to circumvent the copper tape!!

LumpyJ

Puysonally, I'm going to give nematodes a go this year. I think copper tape is only designed to deter surface dwelling slugs and doesn't work on those that live in the ground.

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A simple dude trying to grow veg.

http://haywayne.blogspot.com/ - Minor update - 10th November

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I used copper tape on my pots of Dwarf Beans last year, it worked fine for a bit, then came unstuck! Didn't work very well after that

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Sarah

“Tell me one last thing,” said Harry. “Is this real? Or has this been happening inside my head?”
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Very much in favour of the nematodes as u are Wayne.
Pity I didn't get on to it earlier when most of the problems were with those pesky below surface ones. Keel slugs Snadger kindly imformed me.
Well worth the price but needs to be done several times a season I suspect.

I'm sure it's not the answer you're looking for Donald, but slug pellets are 100% effective. There are methods to prevent birds and other pets from eating them and stop them from getting into the food chain. I put them in little plastic trays and dispose of the dead slugs daily.

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Has anyone had any luck with the beer method?

Slug pellets are no good against the subteranian version though Alice!

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My Majesty made for him a garden anew in order
to present to him vegetables and all beautiful flowers.- Offerings of Thutmose III to Amon-Ra (1500 BCE)

What, you mean get drunk and go on a midnight rampage?

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My Majesty made for him a garden anew in order
to present to him vegetables and all beautiful flowers.- Offerings of Thutmose III to Amon-Ra (1500 BCE)

oh when you put beer in a container, leave it out on the earth, the little sluggies climb in, drink and drown. Though the drunken rampage idea isn't bad either.

*Sigh of relief* for a worrying moment there I thought I was going to read that you made beer out of them!!!

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A simple dude trying to grow veg.

http://haywayne.blogspot.com/ - Minor update - 10th November

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Never had slug beer Wayne? It's got plenty of body!

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www.vegheaven.blogspot.com

Updated November 17th - The Big Dig

Is that's what's meant when they say - "have a good slug"?

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A simple dude trying to grow veg.

http://haywayne.blogspot.com/ - Minor update - 10th November

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My anti-slug routine is a combination of:

1) Encouraging frogs, slow worms and hedgehogs - always have a pond, a log pile and a bit of 'wild' ground on your plot.
2) Placing beer traps near tender young plants - slugs are attracted away from the plants by the smell of the beer. Tesco value lager is very cheap and effective.
3) Planting a few extra plants just in case!

Snails are a problem in the garden at home, but my gf and I go out with torches when we get home from the pub and have a race to see who can squash the most!

Heywayne - yeukkk!! I was looking for a reason to stop drinking beer, think you've just found it for me!!

Lavendarblue - I have tried beer traps and they work a treat. Trouble with them is, for me anyway, they don't catch enough slugs, fast enough!! But if you're in a fairly contained environment then they're definitely worth it, for me anyway.

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Life may not be the party we hoped for but since we're here we might as well dance

Tried the beer traps Paul and yes they work to a point. Getting rid of the corpes is a disgusting chore tho.
Tesco larger well priced but not always all used on the slugs as have been known to crack a fresh one open on a hot day day on the allotment and slug half myself

Being mates with the local pub landlord helps ... slops put to good use, and stops the temptation to drink them myself at home

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Life may not be the party we hoped for but since we're here we might as well dance

I have heard that a thickish kitchen tin-foil works as well as the copper tape. I've not tried this but if it works, it will be a lot cheaper!

It should shouldn't it.
All you are doing is setting up a potential across two points that then gives the little beasts a zap for deterrent value.
Are they like goldfish and forget soon after or do they get scarred for life and never come back - one hopes.

Don't start using slug pellets. They appear to work (in a small area, in the short term) but they are a complete waste of money!

A hedgehog can eat its own bodyweight in slugs a night. It's true that you can prevent birds and hedgehogs from eating the pellets, but the slugs don't die instantly, some still move a fair distance after they've been poisoned and that's the problem.

All it takes is for a hegdehog or bird to eat slugs that have eaten pellets and you're reducing the natural predators - so you get lots more slugs! After cars, slug pellets and pesticides are the biggest hedgehog killer in the UK.

And did you know pellets contain stuff that actively attracts slugs to your plot? Or that some of the pellets also kill the ground beetles that eat slugs?

I've tried talking to the manufacturers of slug pellets and none of the ones I've asked have agreed to answer my questions in writing. (Unlike nematode companies who are only too happy to answer questions about their products because they know that they work).

Also, does anyone know how they carry out their tests to see if birds eat the pellets?

Are the supposed organic pellets any less harmful?
Are they effective?

as ive changed my plot to raised beds im going to use my old copper rings and fix them to the top edge of the raised beds so it should keep the slugs of the beds and protect the edge of the wood from the weather