Slug / Snail Defence Legs for Trough Planter
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Don't make it easy for them!
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Model information
- Source
- Printables
- Category
- Outdoor & Garden
- License
- Creative Commons — Attribution — Noncommercial — Share Alike
Raising a planter on legs means a superior defence can be concentrated in just 4 places.
This item is designed specifically for a Grosvenor 55 cm Trough Planter (SKU 014348284775)
Copper is noxious to molluscs and makes a great alternative to chemical methods of slug control.
But the familiar, smooth copper tape is little deterrent to the biggest hungry snails, who slither across with barely a wince.
Now : confronting them with spiky copper wires - this changes the game!
Here I've used a pre-made copper mesh with the following spec, and it works well.
Aperture: 1.23mm
Wire Diameter: 0.35mm
Mesh No.: 16 Holes Per Linear Inch
https://www.google.com/search?q=copper+mesh+woven+1.23+mm+16+LPI++0.35+mm+wire
A slightly lighter gauge would probably suffice too, but choose one that's woven from stiff wire, not knitted from softer, fine wire. The idea is to confront the slug with a harsh array of wire-ends.
Each leg requires a piece of mesh 236 x 38 mm. The printable template and images will help you to shape the meshes.
Then they can be fastened to the legs using cable ties, twisted wire, or some other method.
Suggestions :
With wall thickness ≈ 0.8 / 1.2 mm and infill 20%, the legs are quite strong, and weigh in at 40 g each (160 g for a set of four). The planter is somewhat heavy when filled with wet soil, so don't skimp too much on material.
For best durability use an outdoor-rated material like ASA.
I made them in PETg so far, and will see how they fare.
When oriented upside-down on the printbed, supports are unnecessary. But use a close-fitting brim as the leg is tall and the contact area is small.
As with any barrier type defence, check regularly to ensure that debris, overhanging plants, etc. don't provide a bypass route. If there's a way in, the slugs will find it!
FreeCAD source model included.
Experienced FreeCAD users will be able to remix without too much problem, I think, to fit similar garden containers.
Slight variations in size might even be possible without CAD, simply by scaling X&Y and/or Z within your slicer.