I think the slugs are a thing of past u tell me.

20 years ago

I live in NEPA and last year was so wet that I just decided not to grow a garden(and I had quite the with draws from not gettin my hands dirty). My friend had a go at it ,well those little buggers had quite the go at her garden and I think I may have come up with a soltion, maybe there is something out there have't looked yet but here goes. Cut the top and bottom off a can lay flat and poke holes every 1/4 inch (or smaller) to leave spurs pokin out the other side.The holes will allow you to attach more that 1 if you need it bigger to go around a bigger plant.Then wrap around plant(leavein room for growth) and sink lightly into ground to stablize and I think that may deter them because they don't like the sharp edges to traverse.( Better yet use 4 to 6 inch wide copper as sub for can). You'd be able too use them both over and over. Is there something out there like this already, and do you think this will work? I dont want to harm the plants.TY Junge Fever(O).

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Comments (13)

glen3a
20 years ago
I don't think it would harm the plant, but I would imagine it would work be easier to make them for some plants than for others. Certainly worth a try, but try to be careful when punching all those holes in the side of the can. I wonder if something like rough sandpaper covering the side of the can might be a deterent as well, since slugs hate crossing rough surfaces.

Let us know how it works,
glen
Jungle_Fever
Original Author
20 years ago
Yea glen3a that is also a good idea, my wife works at a cabinent factory and they have like 4ft wide sand paper rolls.So thx"s for the idea that way too.HMMMMM yea.Jungle Fever(O).
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JudyL
20 years ago
Copper banding can be purchased for exactly this purpose - to put around pots, stand legs, etc.. What you have to remember though is that anywhere the plant leaves touch the ground, away from the protection of the banding, the slugs still have a 'ladder' up to the plant itself. If you can keep the leaves from touching the ground you should be OK.
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joy4me
20 years ago
Hi All;

My only question w/sandpaper is: Isn't sandpaper just sand glued to paper. I would think that the paper and glue would desolve in a short time needing frequent replacement.

I also read that the copper is only good while it's still shiney and has to be replaced when it gets its' *patina*. Not really positive on either though!

The can solution sounds quite promising though. I may just give this a try as I have so many, I could make money selling slugs..... if they were marketable!

JoyW
thorspippi
20 years ago
what about wet/dry sandpaper?

I suppose varnishing the copper would ruin the slug deterrent effect?
Mandyvilla
20 years ago
I know this is an experiment forum, but I just recently heard iron phosphate sprinkled around plants turns slugs into hard little pellets. The lady talking about it, paints the little pellets and make jewelry out of them (yuk!!!). (Now the second half of this post is the experiment). Haven't tried it yet(iron phosphate), but when I do, will post results! (but I will NOT be making jewelry) Suz
Bostonian
19 years ago
Sorry, all I can think of is "really love your peaches, want to shake your tree" - oh yeah, the pellets work well, early in the spring and 3 or 4 days before you think you need to shake them out again.
tony_k_orlando
19 years ago
dryer lint or hair also gags em to death. I now keep a bag next to the dryer to save the lint and when it gets full I simply take it outside, pull it apart and lay in the bedding as needed.

Save lint from dark towels if you dont want it to show, you know, designer lint.
Caz_Hillside
19 years ago
really love your peaches. . . .

Bostonian, now that is funny.

when I read that I was suddenly 25 years younger for a minute.
Thirteensqirrlz
19 years ago
I trimmed my juniper bushes this year (finally found a good use for those little "builders boogers"!), and used the trimmings around my hostas & pulmonarias. Only time I had any slug damage at all was when I had to move the "Mulch" away from the plants for some reason. Would recommend wearing gloves to work in that bed tho....
tyshee
19 years ago
Buying 25* bags os sluggo is the best slug cure I know of. I have tried them all. Ultimately it is cheaper than beer or anything else. I found you need to start in the spring and keep doing it until fall. I also found edging the flower beds, digging a trench on the outside of the edging and keeping rock salt in the trench completely kept a few beds free of slugs. It worked for my friend also. This is a good raised bed treatment. I treated the bed twice with sluggo and then just the salt which did not harm the lawn or flower beds since it was in the trench. The down side is rock salt melts so you have to replace it. By mid season I quit using the salt but still no slug problems. I also used spruce needles on in the hosta beds and little problem for two years. I used it as a mulch and then added lots of lime. It is breaking down into soil so now I will have to use sluggo again or expand the rock salt trenches. Coffee grounds did nothing to help me so that is not a cure.
bry84
19 years ago
I'd advise against using salt in the garden, with the exception of killing weeds between paving or other contained areas you don't ever want to grow plants. Salt is highly toxic to plants and will dissolve in to the soil where it doesn't break down. About two years back I had a garden party and a small container of salt got knocked over on to the lawn and spilt perhaps a table spoon full. Till this day there is still a permanently dead patch in the lawn that will not grow. I'm going to have to cut it out, discard the soil and re-turf that patch this year. The salt just hasn't washed out like I thought it would. Even if you haven't had any adverse affects yet, it's building up in the soil and will make it toxic.

Anyway, about those slugs and snails... I just noticed yesterday while weeding that there was a whole colony of the things living under some stones. I didn't realise they'd be out yet. So, I promptly reached for the nearest can of slug pellets. I'm not a huge fan of chemicals, but really the newer slug pellets are better than ever. They don't poison wildlife, nor the soil (iron phosphate is a trace mineral plants actually need), and they seem to work well. If you apply them at the first sign of slugs and continue thoughout the year then very few will have the chance to lay eggs, thus it will significantly reduce the population this year, and next year there should be very few of the things. The main down side to using pellets is they don't kill the slugs instantly, thus they can still continue to munch through your plants for some hours after exposure. They're a great way to lower the slug population, but a circle of them around a plant won't stop it being dammaged. Conversely, many brands contain something that *attacts* the slugs, so you may even draw slugs towards your plants by doing this. For those slugs-salad plants you're going to have to repell them with something. Copper tape or an inch wide circle of sharp edged gravel should work well. In my experieince slugs hate gravel of any kind, but the sharp edged stuff (I buy big bags of it cheap for the drainage layer in house plant pots) seems to repell them the most. I've mulched whole raised beds with the stuff and not found a single slug or any damage, not even when my garden was infested with slugs. It also looks quite nice and helps the soil stay damp.

Going around just after its rained and collecting them in to a bucket can also give fast results and lower the population of them. I've filled a 6 liter buket with the things before now. The one thing people rarely discuss when suggesting this method however is diposal of the resulting 4 lb or more of slugs... I've actually found it quite difficult and don't have any really good suggestions. Everything resulted in either my being grossed out and/or some kind of nasty mess I didn't want.
triple_b
18 years ago
Bostonian,
thanks for the BRAIN COOTIE! Now I'm going to have thant song in my head all day!
TonyK Orlando,
What an awesome idea Re: dryer lint. I've got a whole bag of the stuff in the laundry room that I have yet to dispose of. By the way, what color lint will complement pink tulips, light blue muscari, and mountain bells?

I think the slugs are a thing of past u tell me.

Comments (13)

glen3a

Jungle_Fever
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I think the slugs are a thing of past u tell me.

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Jungle_FeverOriginal Author

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Jungle_Fever
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