Dahlia lovers often wait anxiously to start the next growing season. I am no different. Seeing other grow zones which are able to wake their tubers now has me wanting to get my hands in the soil. Filling time while waiting for the weather to cooperate can lead to mapping the next garden and planning my latest slug assault.
In my zone, there are loads of slugs. We have multiple species and I have experienced a few plants that were so heavily predated, they plant didn’t thrive. I am always looking for a good way to stop the slugs and snails, so when I saw this idea, I thought it would be a great winter project and hopefully protect my tender shoots.
I hit Amazon and bought a 100′ roll of a copper wire tube. You can see the what I bought by clicking this link.
Construction was quick and easy, but here is what I learned. I started by sitting down on my carpet with my kitchen scissors and spool. I started an episode of something on Netflix, made my first cut and discovered little bits of copper wire all over the carpet.
I recommend doing this over a table or counter so you don’t get copper bits in your carpet. Lesson learned.
After moving to the kitchen counter, I easily cut the copper mesh into 10-12 inch lengths. I then picked up the mesh (which was actually a tube) and started rolling it down the length to form a donut.
The donuts will be placed over the emerging shoots in an attempt to prevent slug activity as slugs are supposed dislike copper. I was able to make 77 (if I had measured I could have gotten 100) and they will likely need staking so the wind doesn’t blow them away, but the center diameter of each was several inches and I anticipate they can stay around the stalk and detour slugs all summer long. They were reasonably priced at an estimated 45 cents a piece. I felt proactive in preparing for the garden. I’ll have to report back on their effectiveness, but like this as a non-chemical means to prevent slug predation.
Cheers and Happy Gardening.
