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If 10,000 Biters each used 100 pennies to slug-proof plants, 5,511 lbs would be saved from under the couch cushions.

COCKTAIL FACT

Where do they go when they die? The average life of a penny is 25 years.

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home › tip library › Natural Slug Control

Does your garden get slimed all too often?

The Bite

Slugs can be the bane of any gardener’s existence, wreaking havoc on your young plants shooting up in the spring. No big wonder that slug pellets and pesticides are so widely used. However, effective alternatives do exist.

The Benefits

A shockingly humane solution. Copper serves as a great barrier for slugs, giving them a small shock when they try to cross it. By using old pennies to create rings of copper surrounding your plants, you can have a natural, non-toxic, slug-free garden and get rid of your loose change.
Since slugs are most active in damp nighttime conditions, watering in the AM instead of the PM can reduceslug damage by 80%.
The coarse surface of lava rocks, gravel, and other rough materials irritates and deters slugs.
Beer traps can be effective (but only if you don’t drink all the beer).

Personally Speaking

Heather was a merciless, no-remorse slug-salt-killer in a previous life. She has some serious karmic debt to repay. Jen questions anyone who could watch a slug “turn inside out” and will no longer be letting Cricket go to Heather’s for unsupervised play dates.

Wanna Try?

Planet Natural- adhesive-backed copper tape ($8/15 ft).
Hardware World- black lava rock ($4/7 lbs).
Bugs,Slugs, & Other Thugs: Controlling Garden Pests Organically - learn how to identify and control pests naturally in your garden ($10).

May 04,2006

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