is it ok to put a little piece of copper wire round a plant's stem to keep them off? Or would it kill the plant? I've got some fruit bushes to protect.


NT

wrote in message
...
is it ok to put a little piece of copper wire round a plant's stem to keep
them off? Or would it kill the plant? I've got some fruit bushes to
protect.

Not sure of the answer to your question, but......whilst copper will deter
slugs at first, once it oxidises it doesn't work very well.
--
Pete C
http://www.blackberrymoon.co.uk/weather/

"Pete C" wrote
wrote in message
is it ok to put a little piece of copper wire round a plant's stem to
keep them off? Or would it kill the plant? I've got some fruit bushes to
protect.

Not sure of the answer to your question, but......whilst copper will deter
slugs at first, once it oxidises it doesn't work very well.

I would be concerned about the effect on the water uptake of the plant, they
use copper wire or similar to make damp proof courses using the osmotic
effect.
--
Regards. Bob Hobden.
Posted to this Newsgroup from the W of London, UK

On Sat, 16 Feb 2013 15:57:26 -0800 (PST), wrote:

is it ok to put a little piece of copper wire round a plant's stem to keep them off? Or would it kill the plant? I've got some fruit bushes to protect.


Don't put it round the stem. Make a ring of wire on the ground around
the plant. It works for me.

Fuschia wrote:
is it ok to put a little piece of copper wire round a plant's stem to keep them off? Or would it kill the plant? I've got some fruit bushes to protect.

Don't put it round the stem. Make a ring of wire on the ground around
the plant. It works for me.

My neighbour uses stripped electrical wire around her hostas.

wrote in message
...
Fuschia wrote:
is it ok to put a little piece of copper wire round a plant's stem to
keep them off? Or would it kill the plant? I've got some fruit bushes to
protect.

Don't put it round the stem. Make a ring of wire on the ground around
the plant. It works for me.

My neighbour uses stripped electrical wire around her hostas.

That's what we use, but it has to be newly stripped off as once it forms a
coating the effect is lost.

Mike


--

....................................

I'm an Angel, honest ! The horns are there just to keep the halo straight.

....................................

"Bob Hobden" wrote in message
...
"Pete C" wrote
wrote in message
is it ok to put a little piece of copper wire round a plant's stem to
keep them off? Or would it kill the plant? I've got some fruit bushes to
protect.

Not sure of the answer to your question, but......whilst copper will deter
slugs at first, once it oxidises it doesn't work very well.

I would be concerned about the effect on the water uptake of the plant,
they use copper wire or similar to make damp proof courses using the
osmotic effect.
--
Regards. Bob Hobden.
Posted to this Newsgroup from the W of London, UK

Will copper around the stem arrest its growth ?


I'm off:, Bill

"Bill Grey" wrote in message
...

"Bob Hobden" wrote in message
...
"Pete C" wrote
wrote in message
is it ok to put a little piece of copper wire round a plant's stem to
keep them off? Or would it kill the plant? I've got some fruit bushes
to protect.

Not sure of the answer to your question, but......whilst copper will
deter slugs at first, once it oxidises it doesn't work very well.

I would be concerned about the effect on the water uptake of the plant,
they use copper wire or similar to make damp proof courses using the
osmotic effect.
--
Regards. Bob Hobden.
Posted to this Newsgroup from the W of London, UK

Will copper around the stem arrest its growth ?


I'm off:, Bill

Ahh, you must be 'old bill'?
--
Pete C
http://www.blackberrymoon.co.uk/weather/

On Saturday, February 16, 2013 11:57:26 PM UTC, wrote:

is it ok to put a little piece of copper wire round a plant's stem to keep them off? Or would it kill the plant? I've got some fruit bushes to protect.
NT

Thanks everyone. a ring on the ground probably won't work. I'll probably use a slip of wet & dry sandpaper and a rubber band.


NT

"Pete C" wrote in message
o.uk...

"Bill Grey" wrote in message
...

"Bob Hobden" wrote in message
...
"Pete C" wrote
wrote in message
is it ok to put a little piece of copper wire round a plant's stem to
keep them off? Or would it kill the plant? I've got some fruit bushes
to protect.

Not sure of the answer to your question, but......whilst copper will
deter slugs at first, once it oxidises it doesn't work very well.

I would be concerned about the effect on the water uptake of the plant,
they use copper wire or similar to make damp proof courses using the
osmotic effect.
--
Regards. Bob Hobden.
Posted to this Newsgroup from the W of London, UK

Will copper around the stem arrest its growth ?


I'm off:, Bill

Ahh, you must be 'old bill'?
--
Pete C
http://www.blackberrymoon.co.uk/weather/

Right on both counts :-)

Bill

On 18/02/2013 19:46, wrote:
On Saturday, February 16, 2013 11:57:26 PM UTC,
wrote:

is it ok to put a little piece of copper wire round a plant's stem
to keep them off? Or would it kill the plant? I've got some fruit
bushes to protect. NT

Thanks everyone. a ring on the ground probably won't work. I'll
probably use a slip of wet & dry sandpaper and a rubber band.


NT


Been there, done that, waste of time.

On Mon, 18 Feb 2013 11:46:13 -0800 (PST), wrote:

On Saturday, February 16, 2013 11:57:26 PM UTC, wrote:

is it ok to put a little piece of copper wire round a plant's stem to keep them off? Or would it kill the plant? I've got some fruit bushes to protect.
NT

Thanks everyone. a ring on the ground probably won't work. I'll probably use a slip of wet & dry sandpaper and a rubber band.

A ring on the ground certainly *does* work, very effectively.
The slugs avoid our protected plants and devour similar plants without
the copper. It only works for one season, until the copper goes green,
so we use fresh wire each year.

On Tue, 19 Feb 2013 11:40:36 +0000, Fuschia
wrote:

On Mon, 18 Feb 2013 11:46:13 -0800 (PST), wrote:

On Saturday, February 16, 2013 11:57:26 PM UTC, wrote:

is it ok to put a little piece of copper wire round a plant's stem to keep them off? Or would it kill the plant? I've got some fruit bushes to protect.
NT

Thanks everyone. a ring on the ground probably won't work. I'll probably use a slip of wet & dry sandpaper and a rubber band.

A ring on the ground certainly *does* work, very effectively.
The slugs avoid our protected plants and devour similar plants without
the copper. It only works for one season, until the copper goes green,
so we use fresh wire each year.

Missed beginning of thread, sorry.
I tried copper sticky-tape round pots one year. Was told to put 2
strips round each pot. I found a snail sitting on a pot between the
two pieces of tape and assumed it didn't work. I later read that the
bands of tape need to be close enough together so that the slug/snail
touches the second while still in contact with the first. This is what
gives them the shock and makes them recoil.

Pam in Bristol

On Tue, 19 Feb 2013 13:22:34 +0000, Pam Moore
wrote:

I later read that the
bands of tape need to be close enough together so that the slug/snail
touches the second while still in contact with the first. This is what
gives them the shock and makes them recoil.

Good idea in theory. It would work better with two different metals.
It would be interesting to try one copper band of tape and one
aluminium band of tape.

Steve

--
EasyNN-plus. Neural Networks plus. http://www.easynn.com
SwingNN. Forecast with Neural Networks. http://www.swingnn.com
JustNN. Just Neural Networks. http://www.justnn.com

On 2013-02-19 14:07:52 +0000, Stephen Wolstenholme said:

On Tue, 19 Feb 2013 13:22:34 +0000, Pam Moore
wrote:

I later read that the
bands of tape need to be close enough together so that the slug/snail
touches the second while still in contact with the first. This is what
gives them the shock and makes them recoil.

Good idea in theory. It would work better with two different metals.
It would be interesting to try one copper band of tape and one
aluminium band of tape.

Steve

I've also heard of people putting a thickish band of Vaseline around a
pot. No idea if it works, as I haven't tried it!
--

Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon
www.helpforheroes.org.uk