Copper tape to stop slugs and snails - attention Lorna!

[Georgie]

Following on a conversation which started in the swap shop, I've finally decided to give copper tape a go around some of my pots.  It's too early to say if it works, but if it keeps snails off my marigolds then hopefully it will work on some of my more expensive plants.  The instructions said to apply the tape as it comes to ward off slugs but to 'frill the edge' to ward off slugs and snails.  I don't quite follow the logic but I've done as they said.  I'll report back in a few days.  G x

[Georgie]

[lorna]

Thanks Georgie. Will be interesting to see how well  it works. I keep meaning to ask you, I notice you put gravel  in your pots. Do you put anything between the soil and the gravel. I really like the look but wondered if the gravel sometimes gets lost when watering. (Georgie I KNOW WHAT I MEAN ;D ;D)
Lorna

[Georgie]

Hi Lorna.  The trick is to make sure you put a deep enough layer in top, otherwise if you are heavy handed with watering you will displace the stones and expose the soil.  I use a good inch straight on top of the soil.  It helps to reduce water loss, adds weight so pots don't blow over, reduces weeds and stops leaves/flowers getting splattered with soil when you water.  It does not, in my experience, reduce slug and snail damage though, even using the sharpest grit. 

G x

[lorna]

Thanks Georgie.

[Hyacinth]

My take on the stones, tho. Not a lot of nutrition in stones? and it's not possible to feed the plants with, for instance, chicken manure pellets, or replenish the soil without creating an unholy mess. And they break my nails. >:(  I've sorted out 20-25 containers for a client that were covered in stones & mulched with bags of garden mulch from Aldi, cheap as chips  ;) Container plants now all happy - and so am I. :D

[lorna]

Alishka. Be like me and take calcium tablets every day you will then have strong nails :P I really do like the look of Georgie's pots. Maybe all season feeding tabs would do the trick. Go on tell the truth you only did those 25  containers to create work :o
OK I am just getting my coat ;D ;D ;D

[Hyacinth]

 ;D @ Lorna

[Shirley]

My OH put a circle of small dia. copper pipe (left over from installing the central heating)  under the rim of the pot in which I have a large hosta.  Since then I have have no problem with either slugs or snails, apart from the time I allowed the leaves of the hosta to come in contact with another plant.

[lorna]

Shirley. Certainly seems copper is the answer. I am hoping to grow one or two Hostas next year .
Lorna.

[Georgie]

Okay, it's been over two weeks rather than a couple of days but who's counting?

I have to report that the copper tape has been quite successful.  I have lost a couple of flowers/leaves to obvious snail damage but I cannot discount them gaining access via the plants on pots either side.  So whilst this is not a scientifically accurate trial I'd say copper tape is well worth a go.   :)

G x

[saddad]

We found it worked really well if it stayed stuck!!! And you avoided the Ninja slugs absailing from nearby plants... if you start half way through the season you may find one or two have already laid eggs in your compost... not a problem if you have an inch of gravel.... they like to lay eggs in soft compost and then hatch inside your defensive perimeter...
;D

[Georgie]

Indeed Saddad.  I'm just trying my best to be an organic gardener, part of which means (to me) not getting rid of all slugs and snails but rather trying to maintain an ecological balance.  The marigolds are grown partly to keep the white flies etc off the toms and also as sacrificial plants to attract slugs and snails to them rather than on to the veg.  I have to say I had no problem with the adhesive - if anything it was too sticky!   ;D

G x

[lorna]

Georgie. Glad to hear that you are getting good results  with your copper tape..I will have to invest with some for Tall Boy :)

[saddad]

Georgie we couldn't get rid of all the slugs even if we wanted to, which I certainly don't... what I don't get is why the pellet brigade can't realise that after 40+ years of using them the problem hasn't gone away... killing off the slug predators is counter productive... I'm still suspicious of the new advanced ones..

The Marigolds are great, I prefer Tagets (Minuta) for whitefly in the greenhouse and poly... we never get them but can't say the same about the brassicas!
???

[pye]

I was tipped off to using copper brillo pads to ward off slugs.

If you unroll them they are like a long tube of prickly copper. I cut them into rings (like donuts) to put round the ankles of individual plants when they go in the ground, or into strips to put round pots. Not exactly pretty but the combination of copper and itchy/prickliness seems to work. Even the hosta is intact this year.

Cheap too, 3 for 99p from the hardware store, that's about 30 donuts-worth.

I'm pretty sure I read i about it on these boards - thanks to whoever posted it way back!  :D

[Shas]

I have a 4 foot pot on my patio with a collection of hostas in.  Last year it got decimated by slugs and snails.  A friend suggested the copper tape, and this year they've been fine.  The odd munch or two, but I can live with that.  Also, I put bark chippings on my pots instead of gravel.  Much easier to take off the top when I replenish the compost each spring, and not a problem if some gets left, as it just composts down.  I use liquid feed every week on my pots, just pour it over the bark.  Works fine for me.