Any gardeners with slug issues?

sixstringsupplies

Forgive the shameless promotion, but quite amusing from a business point of view.

In April 2018, a popular gardening blogger wrote an article on using slug repellent tape.
Apparently, he had used slug tape sold in garden centres with poor results and wanted to show that copper tape does actually work.

Basically, he concluded that copper tape from garden centres, generally is 30mm wide (maximum you can get from most garden centres is 30mm) and this width isn't enough to deter the slugs as they cross it.

But using 50mm slug tape, apparently does the trick.

So in April 2018 I got an order for the product that I list as "Copper Shielding Tape" and thought nothing of it. It sells well and people buy it with a new wiring harness or kits. A week or so later my website started getting a heck of a lot of traffic from this article: https://www.growlikegrandad.co.uk/in-the-garden/pests-diseases-in-the-garden/copper-tape-stop-slugs-snails-heres-video-evidence.html

Out of the blue, I was getting so many orders and phonecalls predominantly from ladies ordering loads of the stuff. It took me a while to work out why. It was manic for about 2-3 weeks just on this product alone. 

It's that time of year again...the blogger must have re-posted the article or something last night as today has been non-stop. Every time the phone vibrates it's a notifcaiton that an order has been placed...for copper tape.

I anticipated it and bought loads of the stuff in March ready for the gardening season, as I sold out last year and the occasional gardener went mad about it. I can handle guitarists being frustrated wandering why their order hasn't been delivered yet, but not the gardeners! 

I find it amusing that I have unwittingly tapped into a market I had no intention of entering.

So, if you or family members are keen gardeners and are expecting the annual slug invasion - you know where to come! The tape is 50mm wide and sold in 10ft lengths. More than enough for 2+ guitars or several flower pots it turns out.

munckee

Luckily I have an autistic son who's favourite hobby is "helping" slugs and snails go on "holiday" over next door's fence.

Not so lucky for next door I suppose, I will give her your details : )

JezWynd

Don't happen to have any False Widow resistors?

zepp76

JezWynd said:

Don't happen to have any False Widow resistors?

I'd like to know if there's anything that can be done about these horrible little critters too, my back garden is over run by the damn things. I dread picking up pots and the like for fear of being bitten by the little shits.

Jalapeno

Encourage Robins and Blackbirds !!!!!

Ossyrocks

That’s a good story!

For info, ASDA are doing certified organic slug pellets for £2 a tub. It seems to be keeping the bastards off my veggies and herbs for the moment.

Rob

57Deluxe

Hedgehogs and Badgers will sort them for you.

Majorscale

Have chickens... have no snails or slugs! Loads of chicken poo and wanton garden destruction too though...

Roland

Fence off your cabbages and lettuce, and let the chickens free on the rest. I use wire netting cloches to keep the pigeons off and they work well for chickens too

JAYJO

Next door has a pond and we get toads in the Garden. One sits on the step outside our kitchen door and eats them as they try to enter the kitchen. The ones we get are long greenish horrible slugs. Im the only one stupid enough to pick the dead ones up and pop in the bin. I also use the cheap blue pellets they seem to work ok.

Teetonetal

We use German slug barriers. Just awesome, keeps everything out. Had no idea that copper tape worked too. Seems like a nice little side niche you could develop!

axisus

So ... Copper tape arrests the slugs?

Jez6345789

This will get all the tree huggers up in arms frankly nuke the bastards with whatever pesticide works best, its quick and clean well sort of.  Having over the years spent a fortune on so-called environmentally friendly products from pints of stout to sharp sand and a whole load of devices if you have an infestation you will never win. They work if you have minor problems but with the levels of slugs, we had it's more cost effective and works, two rounds of the good stuff then onto the tree hugger stuff to keep things under control. 

Roland

The problem with slug killing chemicals are that they the kill the animals which eat slugs, making matters worse because slug breed faster than hedgehogs, moles, and chickens

ESBlonde

Nematodes. But if you have lots of slugs you can makes your own! 
Nothing works 100% so a multi pronged attack is effective. The best practice is to reduce the environment they like. Remove the wet wood and rotting vegetation as well as damp hiding places.