Baby plants can get eaten overnight at this time of year so Esteban & I came up with a unique way to protect them from hungry slugs & snails using a 9V battery connected to two loops of galvanised steel representing the negative and positive. I put the LED in there so we can get a clear visual which tells us the connection is good.
The idea is that when the slug tries to pass it makes a connection between the two wires with its slimy body and gets a shock. Keen to see if this worked we ran a test with live slugs.
I also heard recently that copper can be used to deter slugs without any electric current so we put this idea to the test at the same time.
The slugs were all acquired from around our garden, hiding under rocks and pieces of wood.
Four little beauties ready to fly :)
Not easy to get them out without touching them.
Our experiment course looked like this at the beginning.
A lettuce or rocket flower treat was left in the middle of each circle.
As I mentioned, our goal was twofold, to investigate the effectiveness of copper alone and a 9V battery connected to steel loops.
Waiting is the name of the game now.
Excitedly we watched as the slug went between two of the copper circles.
Initially it appeared as if the slug didn't like the copper and moved away from it.
But then it went directly to the thinner copper and passed right over it.
Straight to the lettuce treat within.
No time for eating! The same slug was then tested on the smallest copper circle, made by Esteban.
This time a rocket flower awaited it within.
Again it was unaffected by the copper and went gliding right over it, straight past the flower which ended up getting stuck on its bum.
Approaching the final test now. Can it get past the two wires?
Initially it appeared to be no problem...
...but after a moment the slug suddenly recoiled like this.
You can't feel anything with your hand making the connection but to a slug it probably feels quite intense.
Twice the slug tried the manoeuvre and twice it failed. On the third attempt it knew to change direction, going now towards my hand.
Not terribly scientific and definitely cruel to slugs but I would call this proof of concept.
A few moments later the slug showed us clearly how even the thicker copper was not an issue.
Sorry copper, on this occasion you are no good. Electrified steel wins.
The children insisted the experiment was not yet over so I watched as they placed the slug inside the circle to see if it could escape.
It was a joy watching their joy, despite the evident cruelty to slugs!
The slug made its way onto the first wire without any problems.
But as soon as it made contact with the second wire it recoiled again like this.
As before it seemed to recognise the danger ahead and immediately started to turn away from it. So was ultimately trapped inside the circle.
I told my two little torturers this was enough now.
There is no doubt this works and it is now protecting an overwintered physalis in our courtyard which keeps getting its new growth eaten.
The blue Lakovsky coil has been there for a month already, aiding the overall strength of the plant.
Final thoughts
If you are going to try this yourself I recommend a more solid design! Mine is a bit temperamental with a high potential for the connection to be lost. A better system would involve one of these which you can buy at minimal cost.
I believe this slug protection system would be particularly effective around the top of a raised bed. No matter how big. You just want to make sure your two pieces of wire are well attached to the wood (flat to the surface) and close enough together to account for the smallest of slugs. At this time of year some of them are so tiny but still very hungry!
Wonder if you could even power this with an earth battery?
The above collection of copper tubes, zinc plated screws and damp soil produced over 5V so I don't see why not. The amperage on the other hand is a lot lower than the 9V battery so would it still provide sufficient power to deter the slug? Not sure.
Perhaps you could let us know if this is an experiment you would like to see?
There are so many different experiments on the go at the moment it is getting difficult to keep up!
I know I told you in my last post that electroculture updates were coming soon but it would appear this little slug adventure has taken more words to create than I anticipated, so the updates will be in the next post, posted in the new electroculture community which if you are not already a part of, please come and join us.
The more of us who post our electroculture results there, the easier it will be for newcomers to believe it is possible and embark immediately upon their own exciting journey of discovery back towards the knowledge which was once commonplace to us.
Love & Light everyone 🌱
