This season my friend and I are trying a new method of slug control. I am much more squeemish than she is. Slugs and snails that she spots are humanely dispatched – using a rock and a breeze block!
This, coupled with the fact that she crushes any eggs she finds, has depleted their numbers. But the cabbages and other baby seedlings will prove a big temptation form the remaining ”slimies”. So we are going to plant some tender things like pak choi, lettuce and chard in containers – maybe some strawberry plants, too.
We like to use as few chemicals as possible, so were delighted to learn about a method of slug control to suit the organic gardener. The containers will be stood on “Shocka mat”. This is a barrier fabric treated with copper. Apparently it gives the beasties a wee shock if they go on it, so we shall see what happens.
You could put it on the ground and plant through it (strawberries, maybe). But it is also ideal for cutting into mats for pots and other containers.
After looking around for the best deal, we found it on an economical roll at http://www.greengardener.co.uk/slugextra.htm.
Keep scrolling and you will find it, as well as other methods of slug control.
Heres some piccies from their site – used by permission.
2 Comments
May 27, 2008 at 1:31 am
[...] This season my friend and I are trying a new method of slug control. I am much more squeemish than she is. Slugs and snails that she spots are humanely dispatched – using a rock and a breeze block! This, coupled with the fact that she crushes any eggs she finds, has depleted their numbers. But the cabbages and other baby seedlings will prove a big temptation form the remaining ”slimies”. So we are going to plant some tender things like pak choi, lettuce and chard in containers – maybe some s Organic Gardening News [...]
May 29, 2008 at 1:35 pm
Slugs, bindweed, aarrgghhh! You might enjoy this:
http://caughtinthemiddleman.wordpress.com/2008/01/25/the-good-life/