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I need to zap slugs, my garden is teaming with them, and its only postage stamp sized Im currently using those nasty blue pellets, but read in GYO that copper tape can be used (great as Im container gardening these days) but where do you get it? Does it really work?

According to the GYO guide, my slugs are the "good" kind, wish someone would tell them that!

some slugs are carnivorous (that's not spelt right is it?).

copper tape is rather expensive. We had some success making collars from those cheap copper scouring pads from the pound shop!
we just pulled them open to make a doughnut shape and planted seedlings thru the middle.
whether it was the copper or the rough surface that deterred the slimeys I really couldn't say, but the plants without them were completely demolished and those with collars were unscathed

I do recall someone - Alan Titchmarsh?? saying "if its big and black, put it back" as the huge fat black ones eat all the smaller ones that do the damage. Don't really have much faith in it

Sassinak wrote:I do recall someone - Alan Titchmarsh?? saying "if its big and black, put it back" as the huge fat black ones eat all the smaller ones that do the damage. Don't really have much faith in it

Ah, thats interesting. My small patio resembles a slug graveyard at the mo. I would spare the black ones but they seem determinded to eat me toms, chilli and cucumbers argh. Bizarrely, the black ones also make a beeline for my poor bunnies and either eat their food, or sit on them

Copper tape is great ... my hosta's haven't stopped thanking me for buying it. Damn the expense, it's worth it.

I found this site which looks reasonably priced >>

http://www.greengardener.co.uk/slugextra.htm

Thanks! Do you think it will work on snails too, or does it have to be the serrated ( ) version?

Hi Millie

I recently purchased a load of copper tape (4metre rolls) from ebay - searched for ages on different websites and ebay was the cheapest.

some on there currently 6, 4metre rolls for £18.

It certainly works. majik!!

Thanks
MEW

I managed to get hold of some copper wire (begged from an electrician who was stripping it from a house). I only paid him £2 for a massive bundle. I painstakingly made little hoops to go around every plant and some have done better since. It doesn't seem to be 100% (glad it was only £2) but better than the blatent ransacking of everything that raised its head.

I find about a dozen slugs and snails in 10 mins looking in my garden. Black ones, white ones, small ones and HUGE ones. I can't believe the small ones were responsible for chewing right through 2 large tomato plant stems 1/4" thick overnight??

Problem seems to be once the plant is big enough to touch something else above the ground the copper ring is no longer effective, they just crawl up the wall/fence/other plant and onto the leaves and get munching.

The sad thing is I had no slug problems 2 years ago. grew tomato plant 7 foot tall. Then I got keen and dug in loads of horse manure and seem to have imported the problem.

I am also trying seaweed & vaseline. Thinking about these nemadose worms...are they any good anyone?

Millie wrote:Thanks! Do you think it will work on snails too, or does it have to be the serrated ( ) version?

Seems to work for both slugs and snails for me

Went to the garden centre....and when I finally came round from the shock, I bought a slug trap instead. Will def be buying online!!!!!

Off to find that lurking bottle of stella, its 2 yrs out of date, but I knew it would come in handy for summit

The biggest single thing you can do to control slug numbers is to elminate their habitat as much as possible - longish grass and overgrown areas. If you neighbour on an area that answers to that description then you're up against it I'm afraid. You should also avoid growing non-food species that slugs like, such as hostas, and you might put a bit of copper tape around that food dish too...

Copper tape or chips does work but if you surround a large area chances are there will be slugs in the ground. This year I've used copper tape (Lidls finest) and some stripped wire I had around. I treated the beds with nemaslug. This combination has worked a treat on slugs. Snails don't seem to cross the tape but they don't seem to have been killed off. In my past life I used to have access to large quantities of copper slugs / chips, these worked really well around plants. Sadly I have a proper job now.

I made a frame to fit round my beds that are 1 meter square out if 2x2 timber then stapled weed fabric to the bottom and made a square out of copper pipe with 90 degree elbows at each corner then plant throught he fabric, the slugs and snails cant cross the pipe and cant get under it in any numbers cos of the fabric, works a treat.