Topic: Does copper tape work?

[Juliet]

Can anyone tell me whether copper tape around the tops of pots & planters really deters slugs & snails?  I have a lot of seedlings in planters at the moment & am just about to start taking cuttings of some of my shrubs so wondering whether it's worth investing in some protection for them! 

Copper tape looks like best option - if it works - otherwise it may have to be nematodes - as I'm severely allergic to chemicals (including alcohol).  But ideally I don't want to kill the critters, just to keep them out of my pots, as we have hedgehogs & a frog which I'm hoping will stay around & eat them :).

Also, does anyone know whether copper tape would bother the frog? - as it has taken up residence underneath one of the planters ...

[teresa]

I have not used the copper tape the thought of giving them a shock ?
You could try vasioline smear it round the tops of planters that is something else they wont cross so they say?

[Juliet]

Thanks for the idea Teresa - I could try vaseline on the pots but I think it would just sink into the planters as they are made of wood - really looking for something which I can use for both if poss.

[teresa]

What I am trying this year and seems to be ok with my hosta's is citrus leftovers. Ok I make a fruit dring from grapefruit and the juicer the leftovers I have put round the hosta's and not a nibble but saying that I do have a pool and a lot of frogs and toads so cannot say it works for sure.

[ellkebe]

I've used tape round several pots this year - first time - and so far absolutely no slug damage at all.  I'm sure they're all off somewhere working out some kind of concerted slug attack but for the time being I'm happy  :)

I think there was a thread on here about pulling the copper wire out of pan scourers, which would probably work out cheaper.  I might try that next time.

[Whitty]

I agree with ellkebe - I've used it around a strawberry planter this year and there's not been a spot of damage by slugs or snails. (Just got to work out how to keep the pesky squirrels off my ripening fruits now!).

[Juliet]

Thanks Elkebe & Whitty - sounds as though it's worth ordering some tape then.  Had a look for the thread about copper wire but can't find it & I think some pan scourers are impregnated with soapy stuff, so not a good idea for me or the frog! - if you have frogs too Elkebe you'd need to be careful to get soap-free ones.  Ours are soap-free but not made of copper.

Thanks also for the citrus idea Teresa - unfortunately I am allergic to that too so no leftovers.  I've read on another thread that coffee grounds also deter slugs, so might ask Romeo to start emptying his around my seedlings & see if that keeps them off.

[cheddarpaul]

Wheres a good place to get the copper tape from? Seems like an expensive option to me

[tim]

I use vaseline on my raised beds which are planks. Good & thick!

[Juliet]

You can get copper tape from the HDRA - 4 metres of ordinary slug tape for £6.95 or 5 metres of slug & snail tape for £10.95 - their shop is at http://www.organiccatalog.com/

You can also get it from Green gardener - their website is http://www.greengardener.co.uk/

[westsussexlottie]

I found it didn't stick very well and fell off one night - leaving everything exposed to slugs. I won't be using it again.

[Gardenantics]

I am doing a trial with copper tape, which I use in electronics, and is much cheaper than the stuff sold for slug barriers, though it is narrower, so I am combining it with a thin strip of aluminium to see if this increases it's effect, so far it seems to work. I am hoping to market this idea as an addition to the label kits I sell. If anyone is interested in having a go, then I will supply you with the material at cost if you will let me know how your experiment works. I have not woked out the costings yet, so will do that when I see what interest there is.
Brian.

[tim]

PS - 'Which' did a 10 page report on it.

[Juliet]

Thanks Tim - I'll look out for the Which report next time I'm in the library - though I may need to make a decision about the tape before I can get there.

Don't think I am up to doing anything complicated myself, Brian (I'm a disabled gardener with minimal energy), but will be interested to hear how your experiment works out.

Westsussexlottie - sorry to hear your tape fell off.  Do you know whether everything was completely dry when you put it on? - as they do say it won't stick well if pots aren't dry.  If yours were, I may be rethinking what to do with that £10.95 :-\!!

[ellkebe]

Have to admit it's a bit expensive  :(  but then again, so are strawberries and we can get through punnets of them in a summer, so I'm hoping it'll all even out.

I've been so busy worrying about the slugs, I forgot the birds!  Guess I'll have to net them or something (strawbs not birds!).

Incidentally, do people feed their strawbs once fruits start to appear?