Slugs, how to repell them without hurting them?

[schroeder]

dd has planted a cucumber in the garden, I'm just waiting for the slugs to spot it and scoff the lot.

What can she do to keep them off it, without killing them, as she is a kind hearted friend to nature?

[WowOoo]

Put a clear plastic bottle with holes on it upside down, top cut off until it's more mature.

Then a frame, some mesh or something.
?

We've been learning that slugs and snails are baddies if they eat our food, so they go in a bowl of sunken beer (vom vom to deal with) and eat other stuff we plant around the edibles.

She'll have to learn - does she want to look after slugs or eat cucumber? Bless her!

[schroeder]

That's a good idea-like a little cloche?

She will love it, as then she can make something too!

[goddessofmud]

You could put spent coffee grounds around the plant, slugs don't like caffeine but it won't harm the plants. always worked for me (you need to refresh it from time to time though)

[cambridgeferret]

Good job that slugs don't like the coffee.
The hedgehogs in our garden wouldn't sleep for a week

[keynesian]

A circle of sharp grit around but not too close to the plant or a copper band if you want to repel rather than harm.

[CroissantNeuf]

Copper tape around my pots certainly seems to keep the slugs of my plants.

I'm not sure if it repels them or 'zaps' them though as I seem to remember it being something to do with giving them some sort of electrical jolt??

[LostInTransmogrification]

I have just started using coffee grounds and broken eggshells and I will be keeping an eye out to see if it works. Have previously tried beer but the sight of 30+ drowned slugs was a bit too boak inducing for me to continue! I have noticed they also drown in water after I left a bowl out for the birds!

[IWishIWasAFrog]

Copper tape works 100%, but is quite expensive. Apparently vaseline keeps them at bay, like the idea of the 'cloche', perhaps with a smear of vaseline round the top? Vasleline is waterproof too. My snails get magically transported over the fence to the neighbours...
disclaimer: they have a tree and shrub kind of garden