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slugs eating my plants ...

 
Inge Leonora-den Ouden
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In my blog I wrote about how I started a herb spiral in my garden, the problems I had with slugs, and the ways I tried to fight them. With illustrations from my Garden Journal: http://ingeleonora.blogspot.nl/2015/06/fighting-slugs.html
Upbuilding reactions are welcome (f.e. what you did when you had a slug problem).

"Also, just as you want men to do to you, do the same way to them" (Luke 6:31)

 
Alex Veidel
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Location: Elgin, IL
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Beer traps, diatomaceous earth, and copper are all effective against slugs. And Sluggo

"There is nothing, Sir, too little for so little a creature as man. It is by studying little things that we attain the great art of having as little misery and as much happiness as possible." - Samuel Johnson

 
Inge Leonora-den Ouden
pollinator
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Location: Meppel (Drenthe, the Netherlands)
1094
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Thank you Alex. I am not a beer drinker. I don't want to buy the beer only for the slugs.
About the copper (wire) I have a question: I understand how to put copper wire around the rim of a container, or something like that. But here is no rim, it's all in the same garden, can I just lay down the copper wire on the ground?

"Also, just as you want men to do to you, do the same way to them" (Luke 6:31)

 
Alex Veidel
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Actually, I've never tried the copper trick personally, but from what I've heard copper wire doesn't work for some reason.....

"There is nothing, Sir, too little for so little a creature as man. It is by studying little things that we attain the great art of having as little misery and as much happiness as possible." - Samuel Johnson

 
Monica Eger
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Location: Switzerland, zone 6b
posted 10 years ago
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The reason why some copper wire doesn't work is that there is usually a protective layer around it. If you can find some copper wire without the protective layer, it should work.
 
Inge Leonora-den Ouden
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Thank you Alex and Monika. I'll try to find some copper wire and use sanding paper to get the protective layer off of it.

I am trying out other things now too. I buy plants slugs don't like, to make a border alongside the herb spiral. I am building a hiding place for a hedgehog (and hope a hedgehog will find it and start living there) and planning a small pond for frogs. Both hedgehogs (for sure) and frogs (probably) eat slugs.

"Also, just as you want men to do to you, do the same way to them" (Luke 6:31)

 
Charli Wilson
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You can get adhesive copper tape too- useful on pots or round raised beds.

To protect individual plants in the ground then cut up a plastic bottle- put copper tape around the plastic, then put the plastic around the stem of your plants, it can be pushed into the soil a bit to form a barrier.

I've found single strands of copper wire don't work as well, the tape forms a barrier too wide for the slugs to cross.

Another one for pots- if they have a rim, turn the pot upside down and put Vaseline under the rim, then sprinkle with salt. Turn the pot back over and fill as normal- the rim protects the salt mix from the rain so it tends to last quite a few months.

Though the best thing I've found to combat slugs was to get ducks.
 
Monica Eger
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posted 10 years ago
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I found my bare copper wire at a crafts shop.

The ideas above also sound interesting, though.
 
Inge Leonora-den Ouden
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I have plants in pots, but those are not eaten by slugs (too high maybe?). So the copper band around a pot is not needed.
The idea of the cut-off plastic bottle is good ... if you have plastic bottles. I don't. I never drink the kind of drinks in plastic bottles. So I'll have to look for someone who has plastic bottles for me ...
No I think I'll go on planting those plants slugs do not like.

Thank you all for your comments!

"Also, just as you want men to do to you, do the same way to them" (Luke 6:31)

 
Joseph Lofthouse
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Location: Cache Valley, zone 4b, Irrigated, 9" rain in badlands.
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I don't have a slug problem in my fields because they are too dry. But in the greenhouse with it's high humidity and gobs of organic matter. Oh my HECK!!! Slugs and two species of snails. So for me, it's hunt, hunt, hunt, and squash, squash, squash. It might be worth putting down gravel, just to minimize habitat.





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Adaptation Agriculture: Video Course, Community, and Seed Share

 
Inge Leonora-den Ouden
pollinator
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A new guest came in my garden to help me: a frog jumped into my small pond! See photos in my new thread about Future Miniature Food Forest in the projects forum.

"Also, just as you want men to do to you, do the same way to them" (Luke 6:31)

 
I found some pretty shells, some sea glass and this lovely tiny ad:
Learn Permaculture through a little hard work
https://wheaton-labs.com/bootcamp
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