Advice on stopping pots from slidding off pond plant shelf

[jschult2]

I have a ~ 1 ft wide plant shelf on 3 sides of my oval pond. Unfortunately the original creators slopped it towards the pond center, so my pots keep slipping on the algae on the rubber lining. Anyone got an ingenuous thought on how to stabilize the containers to stop them from felling off the shelf?

 

[BarbO]

I have the same problem with one area of a plant shelf. I tied a piece of fishing line to a small hole in the top of the pot, and attached the other end of the line to a rock at the pond edge. Can't even see the line and the pot doesn't move unless I cut the line.

 

[Lisak1]

That's a great solution @BarbO ! I was going to suggest a small wedge of rock (like a piece of flagstone) under the front side of the pot to keep it more level and stop the sliding.

 

[Timothy]

Would a couple of inexpensive computer mouse pads work?

 

[addy1]

How about that anti slip mats they use in tool boxes, drawers etc.

Husky 18 in. x 100 in. Black Premium Solid Drawer Liner DTC130001 - The Home Depot

The Husky Multi-Purpose Premium Solid Drawer Liner is a dense mat that will protect your drawers from accidental leaks and scratches. These multi-functional liners are water-resistant, grease and oil resistant and offer a superior non-slip surface to keep your items in place. The solid...

www.homedepot.com

 

[jschult2]

I've tried rocks as a leveler but it didn't work long term (kept sliding). Before I try the rubber mat type of solution, do I need to worry about introducing anything toxic to the pond? Are all those materials ok to put into the water? For the fishing line I think will work although my rocks around the edging there are very heavy large flat anchor type of rocks...is the suggestion to tie around the large rock in the front of the picture I loaded ( fence side doesn't have a shelf)...or maybe tie to a small shim rock tucked under the large flat top edging rock?

Here is a picture

 

[Lisak1]

What a pretty pond!

I would anchor them however you can find a way! Necessity is the mother of invention after all! I can imagine fishing line tied around a smaller rock which is then wedged between two of your flat rocks, or fishing line around the flat rocks... whatever it takes! You may find you need several types of approaches depending on the pot and the plant. I had a big papyrus that liked to tip over in the wind so I put it in a planting bag and used the drawstrings on the bag to anchor it to a rock behind it. Lots of possibilities!

 

[mrsclem]

I would think if the shelf liner is safe for your dishes, it is safe for fish.

 

[j.w]

How about door mats? I don't know if they are fish safe or not tho.

 

[sissy]

Tie a piece of rope around the pot and set the rope outside the edge and put a rock on top of it .I do that with my window screen pouch's i make for my pond .I put my plants in them and hang them off the side of my pond and set a rock on the top part that is out of the pond .I use the pockets for my crushed oyster shells also

 

[Relic]

I had a really tall flag iris in a plastic pot that the wind would occasionally blow off the ledge into the deep. I cut a section out of a coat-hanger, bent it into a large "U" shape, sunk one end into the iris pot and pulled the other end over the rigid edge of the pond. Been years since the pot has moved unexpectedly...

 

[jschult2]

Tie a piece of rope around the pot and set the rope outside the edge and put a rock on top of it .I do that with my window screen pouch's i make for my pond .I put my plants in them and hang them off the side of my pond and set a rock on the top part that is out of the pond .I use the pockets for my crushed oyster shells also

sounds intriguing, would you mind sending a picture?

 

[sissy]

I think I have it on my pond build for sissys pond .I put all my pond plants in window screen pouchs so that the roots stay in the window screen and i can pull the whole thing out and trim the roots

 

[sissy]

I use my sewing machine but it is simple to sew by hand

 

[poconojoe]

I use store bought (Amazon) pond planting mesh bags. When I fill them with soil, they can be sort of molded to fit into place. Then to be sure, I tie strong thin string tightly around them and secure the string around large perimeter rocks.
I do have some pots also. I tie the same string around them too. Some pots don't have a rim on them to hold the string. I drill holes in them to fasten the string.
I also have the same string tied to my large aeration stone for retrieval purposes. I'd rather not pull it up by the air hose.
Fishing line sounds like a good idea. It's strong and invisible.
My large submerged pump has a thin rope tied to it also. This makes retrieval easy as well.
Most of the string can be hidden between the rocks etc.