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Post by Jonah on Apr 11, 2007 9:32:16 GMT
I don't know if anyone has tried this before.... I have a cunning plan in my quest to protect plants from the dreaded slugs. I found a length of electrical wire in my dads shed. OH stripped the covering off and I wound the wire tightly round an old tent pole to make a coil, slid it off, and made hook and eye ends. I can then place the coils round pots, stretch to fit so you can protect different size pots. Do you think this will work?    |
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Post by Alicat on Apr 11, 2007 9:56:19 GMT
Not sure Jonah, they do say that slugs get an electric shock from copper. It looks smart too so I hope it works. Good luck and keep us informed of the results.
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Post by oldmoleskins on Apr 11, 2007 11:17:13 GMT
Certainly innovative and neat - and if it works, will be one of those things we wondered how we did without... as alicat says, please keep us posted.
OM
ps, the first person that mentions "slug" and "recoil" in the same sentence will be sent to Spruance's Naughty Shed.
Oh. That's me, then.
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Post by Dr Bill on Apr 11, 2007 19:13:57 GMT
You could be on a winner there Jonah. Better get in touch with the patent office before someone else pinches the idea.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 11, 2007 20:15:31 GMT
I don't know if anyone has tried this before.... I have a cunning plan in my quest to protect plants from the dreaded slugs. I found a length of electrical wire in my dads shed. OH stripped the covering off and I wound the wire tightly round an old tent pole to make a coil, slid it off, and made hook and eye ends. I can then place the coils round pots, stretch to fit so you can protect different size pots. Do you think this will work? Splendid idea and yes I think it will work  |
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Post by andy on Apr 11, 2007 20:17:53 GMT
I think you should attach the copper to the national grid first !!!! ;D
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Post by Deleted on Apr 11, 2007 20:24:44 GMT
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Post by oldmoleskins on Jun 14, 2007 20:30:02 GMT
During an idle moment on hols, I noticed a slug highway up and down a tree, and put a coil of copper pipe around as a checkpoint. It didn't seem to have much effect, I'm very sorry to report, as I had great hopes of this. Anyone else been trying it?  OM. |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 15, 2007 10:12:41 GMT
OM, I think that must be a pretty brave slug. I've used copper wire this year and, while it has not been 100% effective, it has certainly prevented some things being munched. E.g. I have made 'copper collars' for my hosta in the ground and it is more or less un-holey; likewise I surrounded the lettuce bed with copper wire and everything has survived. The secret is to peg the wire to the ground very firmly so that there are no gaps between wire and ground for slugs to get through. I've still had a couple of losses, but very few. ... cheers ...
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Post by beanie on Jun 21, 2007 11:52:46 GMT
only just read this thread,O.H said that wood is an insulator and maybe that is why the copper didn't work on the tree. Thinks that if the copper is in contact with the ground it will work better especially if the ground is damp. It seemed to work with the lettuce.
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Post by Jonah on Jun 21, 2007 13:47:03 GMT
I love your pic OM! ;D I have experimented on a hosta with my copper coil. I've kept it in the plastic pot and placed the coil a couple of inches up. Something has had a nibble at it, it may have had overhanging foliage nearby at the time, as I've moved it around a bit. It's only a little nibble, so either it's working quite well, or it's a variety that the slugs aren't keen on.  There is definitely plenty of slug action out there, they've stripped loads of seedlings and I keep grabbing them off the sunflowers.  |
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Post by oldmoleskins on Jun 21, 2007 13:59:29 GMT
Cheers, Jonah - I think CC and Beanie may have found the flaw in the tree-ring experiment... maybe the answer is to ensure 'earthing' for the electrical discharge, so if your pots are plastic, having the coil on the ground around the base would be the best place to ambush the critters, but on clay pots, particularly damp clay pots, I guess on the pot somewhere might still give the 'connectivity'... if you've been having success with it just up from the ground maybe the slug's own trail is earthing it - or maybe they're so huge they can bridge the gap!
OM.
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Post by Jonah on Jun 21, 2007 17:45:25 GMT
Ooh thanks for the tip OM [and CC and Beanie], I'll shift it down a bit. There certainly do seem to be some huge ones about.  [I was going to put humungous, but I'm not sure how to spell it! ;D |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 22, 2007 11:30:36 GMT
In case anybody wants to try the copper method, I'd recommend the tape made of copper wire mesh - it's relatively cheap (I paid €12 for 18 metres earlier in the year), and the mesh makes it really easy to form into collars, peg down to the ground etc/
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Post by oldmoleskins on Jun 22, 2007 12:07:36 GMT
In case anybody wants to try the copper method, I'd recommend the tape made of copper wire mesh - it's relatively cheap (I paid €12 for 18 metres earlier in the year), and the mesh makes it really easy to form into collars, peg down to the ground etc/ What's it sold for CC? ie where did you buy it? Don't tell me the industry's already latched on and it's 'slug tape'... OM. |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 22, 2007 12:27:03 GMT
HI OM ... I got it at Lidl, and wish I bought more ... look out for it during any of their 'gardening specials' ... cheers ...
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Post by oldmoleskins on Jun 22, 2007 13:24:21 GMT
So it is 'slug tape'... whatever next - and how's Jonah going to make her millions now?...
OM. (shakesoldgreyheadindisbeliefandwandsroffmutteringsmiley)
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Post by Jonah on Jun 22, 2007 17:26:41 GMT
Jonahs never going to make millions I'm afraid! <dratImissedtheboatagainsmiley>  Funny enough, I did email one of the makers of those ambi pure thingys once and asked them to try a citronella plug in to combat beasties indoors, but they weren't interested. If I see one appear in the shops......  |
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Post by bagpuss on Jul 3, 2007 12:22:09 GMT
I think both are brilliant ideas Jonah.
I can't imagine why the ambi pure people weren't interested in the Citronella idea. May be you should patent that idea anyway, just in case! Can't do any harm - and you never know!!!
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Post by Deleted on Jul 4, 2007 23:09:23 GMT
Regarding "earthing" the copper, during the war we found that using two earphones with a line between them and two earthing stakes, made a working telephone system which we could use over a hundred yards with no batteries. So that may be the answer.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 5, 2007 10:38:07 GMT
Jonah, sorry for the business opportunity not coming to pass! OM, I think the copper wire has just passed its ultimate test: a few days ago I planted out seed-grown lupins. Did this last year, and they were heavily muched. This year, surrounded them with copper wire collars, pegged firmly to the ground - so far, no munching (mind you, I have a saucer of rain-diluted beer among them as insurance) ... cheers ...
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Post by oldmoleskins on Jul 5, 2007 17:38:25 GMT
Earthing could well be the key, then... and it's safer for thrushes/hedgehogs...
OM.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 18, 2007 15:44:59 GMT
Well - famous last words ... my lupins are now munched! The problem is, even if you use a copper collar, once things grow large and the leaves start touching a slug-bridge is formed ... and I think this is what has happened. So somehow you'd have to surround a whole bed or border with copper wire for it to be permanently effective ... and that's not really feasible  ... cheers ... |
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[I was going to put humungous, but I'm not sure how to spell it! ;D
