The perfect slug hack needs to be easy; affordable; safe for pets, wildlife and young children and ideally one that doesn't leave you with a dish of dead slugs to clear up. Enter copper scourers.
I put the viral copper scourer slug hack to the test and was thrilled to discover that after five days, not a single slug had eaten my new, young dahlia plant – even when I put some slugs right next to it.
If you're looking for a method to get rid of slugs, copper scourers are a simple and cost-effective way to keep these garden pests away from your precious plants.
What is the copper scourer hack?
In the past I have tried pot feet to stop slugs which works brilliantly if you have a container garden, but are useless when it comes to borders, so I thought I'd give this copper scourer slug hack a go.
I was surprised by how easy and effective this slug hack was at stopping snails eat plants naturally. The hack that I have seen popping up all over TikTok and Instagram simply uses cooper scourers wrapped around the vulnerable plant to keep slug at bay.
It took seconds to set up, requires no maintenance and there were no worries about it posing a risk to my cat – who often spends time rolling about the flower beds – or threatening my other wildlife garden ideas.
Plus one £7.50 pack of scourers would be enough to protect most of the vulnerable plants in my garden.
After four days of no slug eating, I decided this slug hack was too good to be true. So I placed a slug, found elsewhere in the garden, at the base of the plant. It quickly (for a slug) climbed onto a leaf overhanging the scourer and began chomping my dahlia. I removed it before it could do too much damage and then reassessed.
I repositioned the scourer so there were no leaves to create a bridge and then returned the slug to the same spot. This time it turned away, deterred by the copper scourer. After testing this copper scourer slug hack, I believe this is one of the best ways to keep slugs away.
You will need
- Plant
- Scissors
- Copper scourers – we used these SEEP Recyclable Wire Metal Copper Scourer Pads 3 Pack from Amazon
Unravel and cut your scourer
Start by unravelling your copper scourer – you need to create a section that is large enough to go around the base of your plant securely.
If you have young plants – like this dahlia – you will be able to protect several plants by just using one scourer. This makes this slug hack an excellent budget garden idea – or if you already use copper scourers in your kitchen, then this slug hack is completely free.
Once you've got the copper scourer to the right length, cut it using kitchen or garden scissors.
Wrap around the base of the plant
The next step couldn't be easier. Simply wrap around the base of the plant. It is important that no foliage or soil is covering the copper scourer – slugs will use any drooping foliage as a bridge to access your plant.
FAQs
Does copper actually repel slugs?
According to experts at The Sussex and Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust, 'copper naturally emits a small electric charge which deters both slugs and snails.'
Copper scourers combine this with physical deterrents too – since slugs have soft bodies, the rough wired texture of the mesh means that the scourer will be painful to cross. This makes it more effective than slug tape, which only relies on the benefits of copper.
How do you deter slugs with a copper scourer?
Cut the scourer so that it goes around the base of your plant, then wrap it in place. Ensure that no leaves or soil overhang the copper scourer or the slugs will use this to climb onto your plants.
When buying copper scourers for this slug hack – ensure that they are 100% copper, not copper plated as this can reduce the efficacy.
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