my neighbour says if i put my 'slug chewed' plant in a pot and then stand
the pot in a saucer and smear the saucer edge with Vaseline, the slugs wont
cross over the vaseline. any truth in this please? or any other
recommendations of what arrangement to stand the pot in please? thanks

"jww" wrote in message
...
my neighbour says if i put my 'slug chewed' plant in a pot and then stand
the pot in a saucer and smear the saucer edge with Vaseline, the slugs
wont cross over the vaseline. any truth in this please? or any other
recommendations of what arrangement to stand the pot in please? thanks


ummmm........a sprinkling of slug pellets.

"jww" wrote in message
...
my neighbour says if i put my 'slug chewed' plant in a pot and then stand
the pot in a saucer and smear the saucer edge with Vaseline, the slugs
wont cross over the vaseline. any truth in this please? or any other
recommendations of what arrangement to stand the pot in please? thanks

No idea about that but I saw the copper ring barrier advertised in an
unsolicited brochure we received.

Spouse uses copper sheet to make lanterns so I asked him to make me a few
such rings just to see what would happen. He was very sceptical (I was a
little too) but did make some.

I transplanted lettuce seedlings into the greenhouse border using six rings
(one on each plant). Slugs have been a terrible scourge of lettuce in the
past, this time the plants haven't been touched and they're thriving.

I planted some tiny brassica seedlings in the open, using the rings. They
haven't been touched.

I put some rings round the already growing - and slug eaten - runner beans.
They have recovered and there's no more slug damage.

I used them on small tomato seedlings, they weren't touched. When the plants
got to 8" I removed the rings and used them on other plants.

There are plenty of slug trails round all these sites.

I'm convinced, more importantly so is Spouse. He's ordering another sheet of
copper tomorrow without being asked. The rings will last more than a human
lifetime and will stack for storage. They are no danger to any animals or
birds, unlike pellets (which we won't use anyway, growing our vegetables
organically and having free range bantams). When they're new and shiny they
look attractive, as they dull they are almost invisible - he made some from
old copper cylinders to start with.

I wouldn't buy any though - they're very expensive and we might not have
enough life left to make them worthwhile. Younger people would benefit from
them but copper is easy to cut so you could make your own.

HTH

Mary

Mary

Mary Fisher wrote:
Spouse uses copper sheet to make lanterns so I asked him to make me a few
such rings just to see what would happen. He was very sceptical (I was a
little too) but did make some.
--snip--
I wouldn't buy any though - they're very expensive and we might not have
enough life left to make them worthwhile. Younger people would benefit from
them but copper is easy to cut so you could make your own.

Where can one buy copper sheet?

And is it just copper they don't like? Would using, say, galvanised metal
windowboxes or containers also deter slugs? And does it work for snails too?
I've long been thinking of planting some hostas in galvanised containers but
it's Snail City here so I don't know if they'd last long.

--
Sue
Pendragon Hamstery
Portsmouth, Hampshire UK
--http://www.pendragonhams.com--

Where can one buy copper sheet?


Go to your Electrical Wholesalers and ask for Copper Earth Bonding Strip
:-))

Comes in reels about half and inch wide :-))

Used miles of it .................... for Earth Bonding ;-))

You 'can' cut it with a pair of sturdy Kitchen Scissors, BUT, it is better
done with a pair of Tin Snips, these won't cost you an arm and a leg at B&Q
:-))

Mike


--
------------------------------------------------
Royal Naval Electrical Branch Association
www.rnshipmates.co.uk
International Festival of the Sea 28th June - 1st July 2007

"EastneyEnder" wrote in message
...
Mary Fisher wrote:
Spouse uses copper sheet to make lanterns so I asked him to make me a few
such rings just to see what would happen. He was very sceptical (I was a
little too) but did make some.
--snip--
I wouldn't buy any though - they're very expensive and we might not have
enough life left to make them worthwhile. Younger people would benefit
from
them but copper is easy to cut so you could make your own.

Where can one buy copper sheet?

On our case from

And is it just copper they don't like? Would using, say, galvanised metal
windowboxes or containers also deter slugs? And does it work for snails
too?
I've long been thinking of planting some hostas in galvanised containers
but
it's Snail City here so I don't know if they'd last long.

--
Sue
Pendragon Hamstery
Portsmouth, Hampshire UK
--http://www.pendragonhams.com--

"EastneyEnder" wrote in message
...


Where can one buy copper sheet?

In our case from Smiths Metals

http://www.smithmetal.com/smc/products/copper.htm

And is it just copper they don't like?

I think so. Brass might work but it's harder to cut and bend into circles.

...And does it work for snails too?

Yes.

I've long been thinking of planting some hostas in galvanised containers
but
it's Snail City here so I don't know if they'd last long.

A very large sheet, 2.4 x 1m, cost £164.51 a couple of months ago. That's
expensive but it would make a lot of rings - and the cost could be shared
with neighbours or a gardening club.

Mike's idea - Earth bonding strip - would be good but you need about 3"
depth to ensure that you can bury about 1/2" in the soil and there's no risk
of leaves overhanging.

Mary

Mike's idea - Earth bonding strip - would be good but you need about 3"
depth to ensure that you can bury about 1/2" in the soil and there's no
risk
of leaves overhanging.

Mary



Didn't realise you required that depth, BUT, about a thousand years ago when
I was in Shipbuilding, the Wireless Offices were 'ringed' with a copper
strip about such dimensions, in order that all Radio equipment could be
'grounded' ie earthed. The half inch strip was taken from each piece of
Radio equipment to this massive strip. THEREFORE, this strip must still be
available :-))

And Off Topic now, if anyone wants to see an Radio Room of such a 'fit out',
the H.M.S.Collingwood Museum at Fareham near Portsmouth, has just a set up.
(Actually the Radio Room of H.M.S.Resource) For access you need to talk to
Lt Cdr W. Legg, 'Bill'. Mention my name by all means :-))

Mike (Crowe that is)


--
------------------------------------------------
Royal Naval Electrical Branch Association
www.rnshipmates.co.uk
International Festival of the Sea 28th June - 1st July 2007

jww wrote in message
...
my neighbour says if i put my 'slug chewed' plant in a pot and then stand
the pot in a saucer and smear the saucer edge with Vaseline, the slugs
wont
cross over the vaseline. any truth in this please? or any other
recommendations of what arrangement to stand the pot in please? thanks


either copper strip or if you have a QD shop near you, they sell crushed
seashells which you sprinkle around the plants which slugs don't like to
cross cos the shards poke them in their little sluggy tummies.

"Mike" wrote in message
...

Didn't realise you required that depth, BUT, about a thousand years ago
when
I was in Shipbuilding, the Wireless Offices were 'ringed' with a copper
strip about such dimensions, in order that all Radio equipment could be
'grounded' ie earthed. The half inch strip was taken from each piece of
Radio equipment to this massive strip. THEREFORE, this strip must still be
available :-))

I didn't suggest that it wasn't, did I? :-)

Mary

"fenwoman" wrote in message
...

jww wrote in message
...
my neighbour says if i put my 'slug chewed' plant in a pot and then stand
the pot in a saucer and smear the saucer edge with Vaseline, the slugs
wont
cross over the vaseline. any truth in this please? or any other
recommendations of what arrangement to stand the pot in please? thanks


either copper strip or if you have a QD shop near you, they sell crushed
seashells which you sprinkle around the plants which slugs don't like to
cross cos the shards poke them in their little sluggy tummies.

I tried that, it didn't work.

I have a large source of crushed eggshells which are sometimes suggested,
they didn't work either.

Mary

Mary Fisher wrote:


"fenwoman" wrote in message
...

jww wrote in message
...
my neighbour says if i put my 'slug chewed' plant in a pot and then stand
the pot in a saucer and smear the saucer edge with Vaseline, the slugs
wont
cross over the vaseline. any truth in this please? or any other
recommendations of what arrangement to stand the pot in please? thanks


either copper strip or if you have a QD shop near you, they sell crushed
seashells which you sprinkle around the plants which slugs don't like to
cross cos the shards poke them in their little sluggy tummies.

I tried that, it didn't work.

Bugger.
Piles of shells on the beach a few mins walk from me :-(
--
Sue
Pendragon Hamstery
Portsmouth, Hampshire UK
--http://www.pendragonhams.com--

I didn't suggest that it wasn't, did I? :-)

Mary



Don't think you did, but I haven't seen it since all those years ago, BUT, I
have been out of that class of shipbuilding for a very long time. The sort I
have been doing over the last 20 years has been fast ferries and the
'wireless office' on those is a corner of the bridge :-))

Mike


--
------------------------------------------------
Royal Naval Electrical Branch Association
www.rnshipmates.co.uk
International Festival of the Sea 28th June - 1st July 2007

"EastneyEnder" wrote in message
news:C0B22FE8.14120% either copper strip or if you have a QD shop near
you, they sell crushed
seashells which you sprinkle around the plants which slugs don't like to
cross cos the shards poke them in their little sluggy tummies.

I tried that, it didn't work.

Bugger.
Piles of shells on the beach a few mins walk from me :-(

I'm not saying you shouldn't try it. Perhaps Leeds slugs have hardier
tummies than Hampshire ones. We are in Yorkshire after all .. :-)
--
Sue
Pendragon Hamstery
Portsmouth, Hampshire UK
--http://www.pendragonhams.com--

"jww" wrote in message
...
my neighbour says if i put my 'slug chewed' plant in a pot and then stand
the pot in a saucer and smear the saucer edge with Vaseline, the slugs
wont cross over the vaseline. any truth in this please? or any other
recommendations of what arrangement to stand the pot in please? thanks

I had correspondence some time ago (October 2005) about this - I'd forgotten
about it.

Mary:



Something else we experimented with this year which proved successful
on containers is a double metallic strip, one of copper and one of
aluminium foil with a small gap separating them. We were growing sugar
snap peas in wooden boxes and put the double tape around one box and not
the other. The pea plants in the box without tape disappeared quite
quickly, those in the other box thrived (the boxes were next to each
other).

That's very interesting - but it wouldn't work if crops were grown in the
open ground, would it? As someone else pointed out, they live underground
as well as crawling over the surface.

No, it only works on containers where they have to crawl over the double
metallic strip to get at the plants. I thought it might also work for
Paul's problem, if they had to crawl over the window cill to get to the
glass.
...

The only problem is that we have not found anywhere to buy aluminium
foil tape and so had to make our own from aluminium kitchen foil cut
into strips and stuck to double sided sticky tape.