Slugs - no copper tape available and garlic doesn't work

[thecornflake]

I can't get hold of any copper tape at the moment (everywhere out of stock) and I've tried organic garlic pellets which confuse the slugs for about 10 minutes and then they just crawl over it.

I found a row of carrot seedlings destroyed that were on the third shelf of my mini green house, no idea how it got up there or why it didn't just eat the stuff at the bottom.

Any other organic (and preferably cheap) remedies? I'm determined to avoid pellets and I'm worried about my Mexican sweetcorn now it's actually started growing.

[red]

there is an organic soil assn approved slug pelltet - based on iron or something.... not tried it tho

[Peggy Sue]

I've tried about everything- I got some copper wire an electircian had stripped from a building (I noticed there was old electriacal wire down our dump you could do the same with). It helped in some cases but lettuce is so delicious in early stages it seems they are prepared to give it a risk.

I have progrssed to standing the lettuce pots on wire wool and putting vaseline round the rims (seems to be working so far fingers crossed). But the best few days I ahve had was when a frog moved into the garden, sadly he seems to have gone now but I'm seriously thinking about a mini pond.

I was tipped off by a gardener that they hate Jeys fluid- no idea how 'organic' that is but at least it was pet safe where even the organic slug pellets say they are not.

I find it a bit ironic that I have made huge efforts to reduce my waste, now the main thing I put in the bin are slugs and snails!!

[red]

we have terrible slg situation here (rains alot here) best we have found to date is to go out collecting the little blighters...

[possum]

fraid slugs are the one problem I never really found a solution to, it was slug pellets or nothing. Snails didn't seem to do too much damage and I just used to go round walking in the rain at night stepping on them.

Here, I think it is too dry, as I haven't seen a slug or snail in 9 months since moving here.
Mind you we do have free range chickens and ducks, so maybe they do their bit and there are frogs in the pond

[Peggy Sue]

Apparently chickens are the true organic answer. Her magisty uses them in her veg garden at Balmorral (not personally you understand, her head gardener!)

I'd love to have chix bu, they are not allowed on the allotment and I have a tiny garden and suspect the dog would chase them all day for entertainment. Get some great looks from the neighbours though, they already peek through the window at me draging huge bags of horsemanure for my compost heap.

[mybarnconversion]

Do what my Grandmother used to do -- hunt them down then chop then in half with a knife

[Peggy Sue]

I hope you mean the slugs not the neighbours or the chickens...

I used to use a trowel to shovel them all in the bin, but read it's easy to collect with a skewer, and amazingly satisfying!!!

[Eigon]

We always found that beer was the answer!
If you sink little pots in holes around the garden, and put an inch or two of stale beer at the bottom, the slugs are attracted to the traps, fall in, and presumably die happy. Simply empty them out in the mornings and put more beer in.

[red]

we did the beer trap thing but then found the badgers thought this was great and had a party on our veg patch....

we have toads tho.. and we always leave them undisturbed,, so they can scoff away

[Peggy Sue]

We've tried the beer traps- 5 in a v small garden, but i read somewhere if you go out hunting for them at night expect to catch 150 per hour!!! If they all were trapped by beer we'd need a brewery!!

It's not really worked for us, unless we are using the wrong beer?

[colhut]

I was tipped off by a gardener that they hate Jeys fluid- no idea how 'organic' that is but at least it was pet safe where even the organic slug pellets say they are not.

I don't think that Jeyes fluid is pet safe, the active ingredient is (or certainly was when I worked there) coal tar, a by product of coking coal, so unles the formula has changed I wouldn't call it pet safe. Although one of my old lecturers used to use the vapour to calm her bees instead of using smoke.


As far as slug pellets go the soil association are feric phosphate, at least 2 brand names I have seen are "Advance slug killer" and "ferramol". If anyone has used them and knows how effective they are I'd like to know. I am about to give it a go.

[yugogypsy]

Coarse salt as well as beer is the norm around here, seems to work, but you have to re-salt after every rain.

If we find a slug, it gets picked up on the trowel and flung into the bush. Flying lessons for slugs is what Rick calls it

Lois

[Millie]

Instructions on my slug trap said put in beer and salt, which seems to have worked, though its not big enough, its full each morning and many pass it by. Need more! I have resorted to blue slug pellets for some plants.

Have you tried ebay for copper tape?

[Mare Owner]

I just read somewhere to try crushed up egg shells. Would take time to get enough shells to do much, but maybe for next season, rinse and dry your shells now...?