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Home > Archive > UK gardening > June 2005 > Keeping snails at bay
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Keeping snails at bay
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| Gordon Filby 2005-06-26, 6:25 pm |
| Hallo,
My non-gardening son has just told me of a report he'd read/heard that
surrounding plants with a copper wire keeps away snails. Apparently, it
reacts with their trail fluid (sorry don't know the English) producing
something they don't like.
Can anyone confirm this? Practical experience?
Many thanks.
Gordon Filby
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| Bob Hobden 2005-06-26, 11:25 pm |
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"Gordon Filby" wrote ...
quote:
> My non-gardening son has just told me of a report he'd read/heard that
> surrounding plants with a copper wire keeps away snails. Apparently, it
> reacts with their trail fluid (sorry don't know the English) producing
> something they don't like.
>
> Can anyone confirm this? Practical experience?
>
I heard that it sets up a very small electrical current and they get a shock
if they touch it.
--
Regards
Bob
In Runnymede, 17 miles West of London
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| michael adams 2005-06-27, 12:25 pm |
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"Gordon Filby" <filby@innovedit.com> wrote in message
news:d9mqgg$rc9$02$1@news.t-online.com...
quote:
> Hallo,
>
> My non-gardening son has just told me of a report he'd read/heard that
> surrounding plants with a copper wire keeps away snails. Apparently, it
> reacts with their trail fluid (sorry don't know the English) producing
> something they don't like.
>
> Can anyone confirm this? Practical experience?
>
> Many thanks.
>
> Gordon Filby
>
>
....
This isn't an urban or Internet myth. Geoff Hamilton mentioned
this on Gardeners World years ago - although I can't remember him
reporting back on the results.
However rather than wire, a lot of UK organic web suppliers offer
copper banding - a narrower one you stick around large pots to
stop slugs and snails climbing up, and a larger size which you
dig into the ground like edging strip.
The problem with the latter, is that keel slugs*, which are among
the most destructive, spend most of their time burrowing underground
in any case. Although quite how deep I'm not sure. And so presumably
this is something which would need to be born in mind. As once
slugs became trapped inside the copper barrier, they could
presumably be even more destructive.
In many cases, to my somewhat cynical mind, judging by the websites,
this loooks like an expensive way to buy copper. Given that thin sheet
copper should be easy enough to cut with tin snips. Not that I've
ever actually tried.
michael adams
* If there are snails, there are likely to be equally destructive
slugs
....
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| John McMillan 2005-06-27, 6:25 pm |
| [vbcol=seagreen]
> "Gordon Filby" <filby@innovedit.com> wrote in message
> news:d9mqgg$rc9$02$1@news.t-online.com...
I've watched snails trying to cross copper strip. They definitely
did not want to remain in contact with it for any longer than possible.
However, they could cross it if they wanted to. This was on a
flat horizontal surface. I'm relatively sure that if its on a vertical
surface its harder, and that overhangs of copper are almost impossible for them
to get past. I have snailproof seed beds consisting of a large plastic tray,
which will hold six seedtrays sideways, supported off hard standing on
four aluminium tube feet 10cm high. At the tops of the tubes where
they meet the tray are cones of copper wire mesh sticking out about 10cm.
So far, its snail and slugproof. After a month or so outdoors the
metal dulled down and its no longer obtrusive. And yes, you can cut copper
sheet, foil or mesh with tinsnips. Scissors also work for thinner grades
and those all-purpose shears things are also quite good.
As for how it works, I have no idea. The electrical theory seems
unlikely to me. The copper *and another metal* together with the slime
would produce a battery producing a volt or so - and maybe they're
sensitive to that. But in general, where is the other metal? I'm
much more inclined to believe that they find copper salts extremely
toxic and avoid them. It could be tested with platinum or gold strips
attached to small batteries. Unfortunately I don't have the required
certification for animal experiments.
j
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| undergroundbob 2005-06-28, 6:25 pm |
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I have a mini greenhouse for my tomatoes and was worried slugs would get
in and ravage them. I wound thin copper wire round the legs (happened to
have some in the shed) where they meet the ground, and continued up the
supports for a couple of inches. Seems to have worked a treat, haven't
seen one evil squishy beast in there yet.
Touch wood.
bob
--
undergroundbob
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