🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <d9p3bc$dok$1@news7.svr.pol.co.uk>,
shazzbat@spamlessness.co.uk says...
>
> > Put the battery on the ground near your precious strawberries. Connect a
> > loop of un-insulated wire to one end, and another to the other end.
> > Place the loops so they are around the strawberries, one within the
> > other, so the wires are within a few millimetres of each other.
> >
> > Now, whenever a slug smells your yummy strawberries, it will get an
> > electric shock if it tries to approach!
> >
>
> Now try this instead. Use twin-core speaker cable instead. The two
> conductors are always separated from each other, but not by much. Shave off
> the insulation to expose the conductors and there you go.

Yeah right.  As soon as the wire contacts wet soil (you do water your
atrawberries?) it'll discharge the battery.

--
BNSF = Build Now, Seep Forever

"Kae Verens" <kae@verens.com> wrote in message
news:cqQve.1728$R5.292@news.indigo.ie...
> I read this in New Scientist, I believe.
>
> Take a battery that's apparently drained (doesn't work in your walkman
> anymore, for instance). It will most likely have some sort of voltage
> left in it, though.
>
> Put the battery on the ground near your precious strawberries. Connect a
> loop of un-insulated wire to one end, and another to the other end.
> Place the loops so they are around the strawberries, one within the
> other, so the wires are within a few millimetres of each other.
>
> Now, whenever a slug smells your yummy strawberries, it will get an
> electric shock if it tries to approach!
>
> Haven't tried this, but I thought it was worth mentioning.
>
> Kae

This method, whilst good in theory, is never going to work in practice. How
would you keep two loops of wire big enough to go round your strawberries
just a few mm apart all the way round? Nobody's soil is that flat for one
thing, and don't forget weed growth, animals, wind and rain. It's a no-go.

Now try this instead. Use twin-core speaker cable instead. The two
conductors are always separated from each other, but not by much. Shave off
the insulation to expose the conductors and there you go. Getting the soil
flat enough is still a problem, but not if you grow your strawbs on a raised
bed/cradle/whatever. Then you can put the speaker cable round the legs of it
and wiring up will be easy.

Steve

Kae Verens wrote:

> I read this in New Scientist, I believe.
>
> Take a battery that's apparently drained (doesn't work in your walkman
> anymore, for instance). It will most likely have some sort of voltage
> left in it, though.
>
> Put the battery on the ground near your precious strawberries. Connect a
> loop of un-insulated wire to one end, and another to the other end.
> Place the loops so they are around the strawberries, one within the
> other, so the wires are within a few millimetres of each other.
>
> Now, whenever a slug smells your yummy strawberries, it will get an
> electric shock if it tries to approach!
>
> Haven't tried this, but I thought it was worth mentioning.
>
> Kae

I think you will find that a loop of bare copper wire without the
battery will work just as well.

Lorenzo L. Love
http://home.thegrid.net/~lllove

“If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.”
	Cicero

> Now try this instead. Use twin-core speaker cable instead. The two
> conductors are always separated from each other, but not by much. Shave off
> the insulation to expose the conductors and there you go. Getting the soil
> flat enough is still a problem, but not if you grow your strawbs on a raised
> bed/cradle/whatever. Then you can put the speaker cable round the legs of it
> and wiring up will be easy.
>
> Steve

Sheesh! Maybe put the whole darned cluster of plants in a giant bug
zapper. This will keep out all birds, cats, dogs, slugs, insects,
even children's sticky fingers.

More seriously, are there no more "natural" or botanical solutions?
I am just getting into this hobby, and even I know stories of plants
such as marigolds, etc that have been used to chase away various pests.
What eats slugs? What chases them away? Are there plants that repel
them? I fear the battery trick will have the problem of shorting out
and dying very rapidly. I have heard of devices that periodically
cause vibrations or some such disturbance in the ground to chase away
some kind of pest. Maybe there is such solution for slugs?

Dominic

"Dominic-Luc Webb" <dlwebb@canit.se> wrote in message
news:Pine.LNX.4.44.0506271816490.16743-100000@uno.canit.se...
>
>> Now try this instead. Use twin-core speaker cable instead. The two
>> conductors are always separated from each other, but not by much. Shave
>> off
>> the insulation to expose the conductors and there you go. Getting the
>> soil
>> flat enough is still a problem, but not if you grow your strawbs on a
>> raised
>> bed/cradle/whatever. Then you can put the speaker cable round the legs of
>> it
>> and wiring up will be easy.
>>
>> Steve
>
> Sheesh! Maybe put the whole darned cluster of plants in a giant bug
> zapper. This will keep out all birds, cats, dogs, slugs, insects,
> even children's sticky fingers.
>
> More seriously, are there no more "natural" or botanical solutions?
> I am just getting into this hobby, and even I know stories of plants
> such as marigolds, etc that have been used to chase away various pests.
> What eats slugs?

French people.

There are plenty of natural organic slug solutions, plenty of inorganic
chemical ones too, the advantage of the natural ones is that they don't
harm the ecosystem, the advantage of the inorganic chemical ones is
that they actually work.

"FDR" <_remove_spam_block_rzitka@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:6Q0we.41641$fp6.38948@twister.nyroc.rr.com...
>
> "Dominic-Luc Webb" <dlwebb@canit.se> wrote in message
> news:Pine.LNX.4.44.0506271816490.16743-100000@uno.canit.se...
> >
> >> Now try this instead. Use twin-core speaker cable instead. The two
> >> conductors are always separated from each other, but not by much. Shave
> >> off
> >> the insulation to expose the conductors and there you go. Getting the
> >> soil
> >> flat enough is still a problem, but not if you grow your strawbs on a
> >> raised
> >> bed/cradle/whatever. Then you can put the speaker cable round the legs
of
> >> it
> >> and wiring up will be easy.
> >>
> >> Steve
> >
> > Sheesh! Maybe put the whole darned cluster of plants in a giant bug
> > zapper. This will keep out all birds, cats, dogs, slugs, insects,
> > even children's sticky fingers.
> >
> > More seriously, are there no more "natural" or botanical solutions?
> > I am just getting into this hobby, and even I know stories of plants
> > such as marigolds, etc that have been used to chase away various pests.
> > What eats slugs?
>
> French people.
>
LOL ;-))) That must make them slug eating cheese eating surrender monkeys,
yes?

(looks over at TV, sees the celebrations of 200th anniversary of Trafalgar,
chuckles a bit)
Steve

Dominic-Luc Webb <dlwebb@canit.se> wrote in
news:Pine.LNX.4.44.0506271816490.16743-100000@uno.canit.se:

>
>> Now try this instead. Use twin-core speaker cable instead. The two
>> conductors are always separated from each other, but not by much.
>> Shave off the insulation to expose the conductors and there you go.
>> Getting the soil flat enough is still a problem, but not if you grow
>> your strawbs on a raised bed/cradle/whatever. Then you can put the
>> speaker cable round the legs of it and wiring up will be easy.
>>
>> Steve
>
> Sheesh! Maybe put the whole darned cluster of plants in a giant bug
> zapper. This will keep out all birds, cats, dogs, slugs, insects,
> even children's sticky fingers.
>
> More seriously, are there no more "natural" or botanical solutions?
> I am just getting into this hobby, and even I know stories of plants
> such as marigolds, etc that have been used to chase away various
> pests. What eats slugs?


Ducks.



--
*** To reply by e-mail, make double u single in address ***

> > More seriously, are there no more "natural" or botanical solutions?
> > I am just getting into this hobby, and even I know stories of plants
> > such as marigolds, etc that have been used to chase away various pests.
> > What eats slugs?
>
> French people.


He said slugs, not snails....

Dominic

I once tried digging holes and putting small plastic cups (with 1/2
the height cut off) filed with beer in them.  A bunch of slugs fell in
and died.  We had so many problems that year, including the neighbors
three cats, that nothing helped.  However, the beer seemed to be
pretty good.

On Mon, 27 Jun 2005 11:21:00 +0100, Kae Verens <kae@verens.com> wrote:

>I read this in New Scientist, I believe.
>
>Take a battery that's apparently drained (doesn't work in your walkman
>anymore, for instance). It will most likely have some sort of voltage
>left in it, though.
>
>Put the battery on the ground near your precious strawberries. Connect a
>loop of un-insulated wire to one end, and another to the other end.
>Place the loops so they are around the strawberries, one within the
>other, so the wires are within a few millimetres of each other.
>
>Now, whenever a slug smells your yummy strawberries, it will get an
>electric shock if it tries to approach!
>
>Haven't tried this, but I thought it was worth mentioning.
>
>Kae

<bungalow_steve@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1119991456.620165.307160@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com...
> ...... the advantage of the inorganic chemical ones is
> that they actually work.

Too true

In article <Pine.LNX.4.44.0506271816490.16743-100000@uno.canit.se>, Dominic-Luc Webb <dlwebb@canit.se> wrote:
>
>I am just getting into this hobby, and even I know stories of plants
>such as marigolds, etc that have been used to chase away various pests.

Bah humbug -- something is EATING *my* marigolds!!

About the only thing here that nothing eats are the petunias (except
crows eat the red ones). My volunteer petunias are so thick they've
choked out weeds, grass, and even the cats don't smash thru 'em any
more! (They also bloomed in weird shapes and colours... with blotches,
spots, and wrinkles!)

>What eats slugs? What chases them away? Are there plants that repel

Any sort of salt or drying agent should work. Try a swath of borax
powder as a slug barrier. (We don't have slugs so I haven't had cause
to try this myself, but I know it works with ants.)

>them? I fear the battery trick will have the problem of shorting out
>and dying very rapidly. I have heard of devices that periodically
>cause vibrations or some such disturbance in the ground to chase away
>some kind of pest. Maybe there is such solution for slugs?

I suppose one could use one of those mats that static-shock a pet if
it gets on the couch? but they're not really designed to get wet, and
damp soil will probably corrode 'em quickly.

~REZ~
who is reminded of this tale:

New Mexico was having a problem with armadillos. So they turned to
their neighbours in Texas for aid..

NM: Help! We're overrrun with armadillos! What kills armadillos??
TX: Coyotes. Want some?
NM: Yes!!

Later...
NM: Help! We're overrrun with coyotes! What kills coyotes??
TX: Rattlesnakes. Want some?
NM: Yes!!

Still later...
NM: Help! We're overrrun with rattlesnakes! What kills rattlesnakes??
TX: Armadillos. Want some?
NM: Didn't we just leave this party??!