How to stop slugs climbing up pots and make them slug proof
I’ve gathered a lot of experience over the years experimenting with what slugs can and can’t cross, as you can see from some of the photos in this blog post. As a result, I have a good understanding of how they work and how the most popular methods arn’t the most effective at stopping slugs climbing up pots (think slugs and copper tape).
The problem is that most conventional barriers don’t work very well for protecting plant pots. It was a major reason for founding Stop Slugs and deciding to work on a new solution to the issue of slugs and snails killing all of your favorite potted plants. i thought if it’s not possible to get rid of slugs and snails entierly from the garden, just creating a way to stop slugs getting into planters and other cotainers would be great, especially for people with small gardens or balconies who do most of their growing in containers.
I tried copper in all its forms—copper slug rings, copper tape, and copper mesh. I also experimented with wool, coffee, various sprays, eggshells, and every so-called homemade remedy and organic slug and snail control solution I could find. While some had a mild effect (and many didn’t), I wanted a solution that would completely stop slugs and snails from invading plant pots—one that would make them truly “slug-proof.” But after researching extensively, I realized that no such solution existed.
(Here’s a link to my: 3 steps to slug free complete guide which covers slug control more broadly, not just potted plants.)
I wanted my barrier to be completely impassable making plant pots slug-proof, as there was nothing quite like that available, and I thought it would be exciting to achieve. Additionally, I wanted it to be high quality, long-lasting, and require minimal maintenance. It was important to me that the solution wasn’t toxic and wouldn’t harm wildlife—including slugs themselves. I wanted to create an organic way to deter slugs and snails.
After some testing (as shown below), I determined that water could function as an effective barrier. While slugs and snails can crawl through water I found they do everything they can to avoid it and will only attempt to cross if they have no other choice. Slugs risk drowning if the distance is too great to reach across especially if the water is deep, which in it’s self acts as a strong deterrent. Adding salt essentially then makes it an impassable barrier.
Then, I realized that if the central pillar supporting the plant pot were higher than the moat, larger pots could also be placed on top. This meant the product wouldn’t have to be excessively large, and multiple units could even be used together. That concept became the focus of my testing. Below is a photo with a prototype showing a slug on the rim kept apart by a body of rain water and also pictures from experiments with makeshift prototypes and 3D printed ones to try and gauge how far slugs could reach and how many would cross a deep water barrier to eat a bait plant in a pot.
These experiments gave me a good idea of what would work and working with a friends brother who’s a design engineer we thought about everything from load it should be able to take and stablitiy, aesthetics, evaporation, how the temperature will effect the strength and finalised the design for a 3d printed prototype which again was tested until we were happy.
And the end result is something i am very proud of – the only product on the Market that can slug proof pots and prevent slugs and snails from crossing. Our very own Patented, trademarked slugstand. A product that saves you the heart ache of losing your beautiful flowers and having your delicious organic plants eaten by slugs and snails. and you can buy it from our “slugshop” or click below:
One Response
This design is wicked! You obviously know howw to keep
a reader entertained. Between your wit and your videos,
I was almost moved to start my own blopg (well, almost…HaHa!) Wonderful job.
I really loved what you had to say, and more than that,
how you presented it. Too cool!