Elecrical slug fence

[Sanjo]

We have spent the past couple of days constructing an electric slug fence. TRied a mini one round a seed tray on Sunday and as it appeared to work we have made a narrow raised bed to go round the runner bean/lettuce trench and it now has two rows of galvanised wire attached to a 9v battery and IT WORKS.
Well, it does for larger slugs and snails anyway. They really do not like touching the second strand. It's quite fascinating to watch.
It was a lot of work for two old'uns and having now found a ready made version on Ebay (same company are on Amazon and it's two pounds cheaper!) I've ordered a set for my two larger beds.
A 10m starter pack together with a 20m extension for a combined price of £14.99 inc p & p.

[mothhawk]

What about the little bu@@ers that live underground in the soil though?

I've just read that grey field slugs eat seeds underground even before they start to grow.

[Greenleaves]

Wish they would get an appetite for weed seeds

[Sanjo]

What about the little bu@@ers that live underground in the soil though?

I've just read that grey field slugs eat seeds underground even before they start to grow.

No no no Mothhawk. Don't spoil it for me.
I know there are other little b@@@ers lurking but not much I can do about those. I went outside at 11pm last night with my torch.
Outside the back door I have a home made wine trap (make wine - so no beer). Drinking from it was a ginormous yukky slug. Haven't looked inside this morning yet. Maybe he died a happy drunken death.
Anyway, down to the veg patch with my torch. No slugs at all showing on the inside of the bed and no snails. (I did put down BIO pellets as I knew I couldn't get to the ones already inside by using the electric fence, but hopefully I won't have to renew them. The Beds are fully netted to stop any birds getting to dead slugs)
Outside there were two long thin black ones that were sort of rearing up, it was almost as if they were listening. They didn't go any further. Plenty of slime trail around though and There were slime trails over the bottom wire and also a dead slug stuck to the wire so it must have been "live".
I shall persevere. They will not beat me. This is war!!

(I have amended this post to avoid further confusion with regard to my using slug pellets)

[shushkin!]

No no no Mothhawk. Don't spoil it for me.
I know there are other little b@@@ers lurking but not much I can do about those. I went outside at 11pm last night with my torch.
Outside the back door I have a home made wine trap (make wine - so no beer). Drinking from it was a ginormous yukky slug. Haven't looked inside this morning yet. Maybe he died a happy drunken death.
Anyway, down to the veg patch with my torch. No slugs as all showing on the inside of the bed and no snails. (I did put down pellets as I knew I couldn't get to the ones already inside by using the electric fence, but hopefully I won't have to renew them)
Outside there were two long thin black ones that were sort of rearing up, it was almost as if they were listening. They didn't go any further. Plenty of slime trail around though and There were slime trails over the bottom wire and also a dead slug stuck to the wire so it must have been "live".
I shall persevere. They will not beat me. This is war!!

LOL
I look forward to reading more about your success or not...
I almost hate the slimy critters as much as you. There are oodles of plants I just cant grow because its mission impossible. Yes, sadly I have had to admit defeat.

[Knight of Albion]

Well done. Yes, the 9v fence will keep them at bay, as will the waterproof sandpaper 80 grit technique.
Neither will kill the slugs and snails, so good for Nature, but it will protect your plants, so everyone's happy!

Shame you put down the pellets though, that's one of the great advantages of using either of these methods, not needing to use chemical poisons.

[Sanjo]

Well done. Yes, the 9v fence will keep them at bay, as will the waterproof sandpaper 80 grit technique.
Neither will kill the slugs and snails, so good for Nature, but it will protect your plants, so everyone's happy!

Shame you put down the pellets though, that's one of the great advantages of using either of these methods, not needing to use chemical poisons.

Well Albion, I know from reading some of your other posts and responses that you are a live and let live gardener.
I totally respect that point of view, I don't, in fact, actually "enjoy" making them suffer.
They are disgusting creatures but hey - who am I to judge. They might think the same of me were they capable.
If slugs and snails are "pootling" around my garden and minding their own business then I let them get on with it.
As I pointed out in my original post, the pellets were a failsafe for slugs that are already in the bed and hopefully I won't have to renew them.
They are, by the way, organic pellets, which are supposed to be harmless to other wildlife and way more expensive than cheapies I could have bought in the £1 shop, so as you can see, I do try my best.
What I cannot allow is the time, expense and effort of growing plants and then having them devoured by one of the almighty's (there are other deities available) lesser creatures.
The whole point of the electric fence is that it deters them and it usually doesn't kill.
We are all different and garden differently and I do see your point, but I'm way past the stage of "Oh dear, the dear little slugs have had a nice munch on ALL of my new seedlings, but never mind - I'll just start again"
I can't afford the time or the cost. Gardening for me is my peace of mind.
There's not much peace left when that happens.

[Knight of Albion]

Well Albion, I know from reading some of your other posts and responses that you are a live and let live gardener.
I totally respect that point of view, I don't, in fact, actually "enjoy" making them suffer.
They are disgusting creatures but hey - who am I to judge. They might think the same of me were they capable.
If slugs and snails are "pootling" around my garden and minding their own business then I let them get on with it.
As I pointed out in my original post, the pellets were a failsafe for slugs that are already in the bed and hopefully I won't have to renew them.
They are, by the way, organic pellets, which are supposed to be harmless to other wildlife and way more expensive than cheapies I could have bought in the £1 shop, so as you can see, I do try my best.
What I cannot allow is the time, expense and effort of growing plants and then having them devoured by one of the almighty's (there are other deities available) lesser creatures.
The whole point of the electric fence is that it deters them and it usually doesn't kill.
We are all different and garden differently and I do see your point, but I'm way past the stage of "Oh dear, the dear little slugs have had a nice munch on ALL of my new seedlings, but never mind - I'll just start again"
I can't afford the time or the cost. Gardening for me is my peace of mind.
There's not much peace left when that happens.

Thanks for that.

I think you've got hold of the wrong end of the stick, but no matter.

[Bill HH]

Humans are being insulated from nature , ask most children where lettuce or lamb chops come from and they will say Tescos. But the reality is that we live in a predatory world, pest and diseases would happily see us starve to death. Whilst not enjoying the killing of other creatures it is part of nature that each species is out for itself and we are no different. We don't seem to have any qualms that we use anti-biotics to kill bacteria even our own immune system does that. Did the blight disease feel the slightest amount of quilt over the starving Irish? does a locust feel guilt when stripping a farmers crops (and his living)? No because that's nature. Slugs have very limited brain power and just a few simple intentions, eat and breed, I can't bring myself to feel to sorry for them, they have the whole planet to roam virtually unhindered, so gerroff my lettuce.
As gardeners we are more in touch with nature than many, I would protect a baby blackbird that has fallen from its nest even though I know he will probably grow up to eat my strawberries I catch fish and return the surplus to the water with great reverence but there is a line to drawn. Slugs and snails in my opinion are very limited in there brain function and are unlikely to feel pain as we do, they are in no way threatened as a species (in fact they are mega successful) So if they threaten my garden I kill them with no more guilt than if I swat a fly.

[Nicos]

Sanjo...have you thought about using nematodes?
They're not cheap but we used them with great success after applying them for 2 consecutive years.
Seemed to me you need to use them every other year once you have the numbers down.
That would rid you of the ones hiding in the soil.
Now is a good time to apply them, whilst you can still see enough soil and more importantly now we are frost free at night ( which kills them off)
Your electric tape would certainly deter outsiders from wandering over....but may work even better in conjunction with nematodes .

[Sanjo]

I have used Nemotodes in the past Nicos but without great success and it's expensive to keep doing it.

Albion, I don't see how I could have missed your point, your second paragraph being, as I understood it, a criticism for my use of pellets. As I said, each to their own.

[Nicos]

With respect Sanjo...you didn't initially say they were organic slug pellets.

[Sanjo]

You are correct Nicos so I have amended my previous post to reflect that. Thank you.

[Knight of Albion]

I have used Nemotodes in the past Nicos but without great success and it's expensive to keep doing it.

Albion, I don't see how I could have missed your point, your second paragraph being, as I understood it, a criticism for my use of pellets. As I said, each to their own.

You did miss my point. Poisons don't just hurt slugs and snails do they, they hurt birds (like blackbirds and thrushes), mammals (like hedgehogs) and reptiles and amphibians (like grass snakes, frogs and toads) that feed off them; they contaminate the land (poison just doesn't disappear into thin air does it) - land you're growing food to eat on, and they may very well hurt you too! All manner of garden pesticides and other chemicals have been removed from the marketplace because even though they were passed fit for use they have since been found to be carcinogenic or cause some other health abnormality.
[Check out this French study on GM corn and roundup - Longest-Running GMO Safety Study Finds Tumors in Rats - Natural Health - MOTHER EARTH NEWS ]

My post was supporting your use of a non-poison method. I can't do much more than agree with you can I.

[Nicos]

I've yet to find organic slug pellets here in France ( must keep looking!)
I have to rely on friends bringing tubs of them over from the UK.

Are they bran based or something??