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Copper vs. slugs

josusa47josusa47 Posts: 3,530
in Tools and techniques
Last year I built three raised beds for my veg, and I'm wondering if it's worth the £28 it would cost to fix copper flexitape round the tops of them.  Has anyone done this, and is it effective?
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  • Allotment BoyAllotment Boy Posts: 6,774
    I have protected Hostas in large pots with this tape. I echo the comments by Pansyface though, the devils will try to sneak in. You could use large tacks or copper nails to fix it to wood of a raised bed.
    AB Still learning

  • Mark56Mark56 Posts: 1,653
    I mulch with lambs wool pellets, found them to be very effective here. 
  • raisingirlraisingirl Posts: 7,093
    nematodes are more effective IME and, though expensive, not as expensive as all that copper
    Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon

    “It's still magic even if you know how it's done.” 
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  • Lizzie27Lizzie27 Posts: 12,494
    I found that the stick on copper tape goes dull over time and then doesn't seem to be so effective. We also tried old copper pipes tied to the top of the veg bed boards but had the same result. I reckon they parachute in!  I did get some copper mesh "tape" in a pack with the usual stick on stuff which I have pegged around my new delphinium shoots and that seems to be working. It's about one inch or so in width (10cm?) quite stiff and rough to touch so could be screwed/nailed to the top edge of boards. Unfortunately I have no recollection of where I got it from, possibly E...y or A....zon.
    North East Somerset - Clay soil over limestone
  • The_herpetologistThe_herpetologist Posts: 481
    I bought some decorative slate chippings and bashed some of them with a hammer to create sharp shards and use the chippings as a mulch around my hostas Works an absolute treat ...totally slug free. Copper tape is hit and miss in my experience.
  • Busy-LizzieBusy-Lizzie Posts: 24,043
    Copper tape worked well on my big hosta pot when I tried it for the first time last year.
    Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
  • Alan Clark2 in LiverpoolAlan Clark2 in Liverpool Posts: 2,190
    This demonstrates how effective copper tape is at repelling slugs:-

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dfN-Owedhg 
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    Copper, slate, eggshells, coffee, wool etc etc etc, none of them work for my hard core slugs. Except salt. Salt works. So I keep the feet of my greenhouse in bowls of salt on concrete. Would work for shelving units too, or pots. As long as the earth itself is not near the salt and there is a big enough gap that the slug cannot bridge its body across the space.
  • Lilybeanz🌸Lilybeanz🌸 Posts: 66
    Hi all, has anybody used Bayer slug and snail killer? I have read some good reviews but i am not sure if to try this in case it could be a danger to insects/bees?

    I have used slug pellets before but I now have many pots that I want to place around the garden at some point so I do not want any birds to eat them!
     
    If it is bad for the insects/bees I will carry on with the nightly slug hunt! 
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