GB2370211A

GB2370211A - Slug guard

Info

Publication number: GB2370211A
Application number: GB0031043A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Richard Paul Kendall
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2000-12-20
Filing date: 2000-12-20
Publication date: 2002-06-26
Also published as: GB0031043D0

Abstract

The guard comprises a base 2, an inner wall 3 and an outer wall 5. The inner wall 3 is upstanding from the base 2 and defines a central opening 4 for the plant. The outer wall 5 is upstanding from the base 2 and is spaced from the inner wall 3 to define with the base 2 and inner wall 3 a channel 6 surrounding the central opening 4 and in which a liquid can be contained. The outer wall may be roughened or textured on the outside of the channel. The guard may be adapted to receive a plant pot or may be incorporated into a plant pot (Figs 6 and 7) or similar container.

Description

SLUG GUARD

This invention concerns improvements in or relating to guards, traps or the like for protecting plants from slugs and snails.

Plants growing in the garden or in pots or containers are vulnerable to attack from slugs and snails which eat the plant. Damage to the plant is unsightly and, in extreme cases, the plant can be destroyed.

This is a problem for both domestic and commercial plant growers and various proposals have been made to protect plants from such damage.

These include the use of bait to kill the slugs and snails. This is usually in the form of pellets or granules that are spread on the ground around the plants to be protected. The use of bait in this way is undesirable as it may present a health/safety risk to other wildlife such as birds as well as to domestic animals who may inadvertently eat the bait.

Other proposals include the use of traps positioned among the plants which prevent escape of slugs and snails after they enter the trap. The trap may be designed to kill the slugs and snails or may simply contain them for disposal when the trap is emptied.

Some traps are known which employ an electrical current to kill the slugs and snails. The use of an electrical current is undesirable for safety reasons.

A disadvantage of the known methods of controlling slugs and snails is that they do not provide total protection for the plants. Thus, bait or traps positioned among growing plants is only effective against slugs and

snails coming into contact with them and it is possible for slugs and snails to avoid them and reach the plants. The present invention has been made from a consideration of the foregoing problems and disadvantages and has for its object the provision of an improved form of trap or guard for protecting plants growing in the ground or in pots or containers from attack by slugs or snails.

More specifically, it is a desired aim of the invention to provide a trap or guard which gives total protection to plants from attack by slugs or snails.

It is a preferred object of the invention to provide such a trap or guard which is of simple construction, facilitating mass manufacture and which can be produced in a range of sizes and shapes for different requirements.

It is yet another preferred object of the invention to provide a trap or guard which is easy to use and does not present a significant health or safety hazard or risk to wildlife and/or domestic animals.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be more fully understood from the following description of the invention.

According to the broadest aspect of the present invention there is provided a guard for protecting a plant from slugs, snails and like pests comprising a base, an inner wall upstanding from the base and defining a central opening, and an outer wall upstanding from the base and spaced from the inner wall, the outer wall defining with the base and inner wall a channel surrounding the central opening and in which a liquid can be contained.

By this invention, the guard provides an effective barrier to prevent slugs and snails reaching a plant positioned within the central opening. More particularly, the central opening is surrounded and enclosed by the channel which must be breached by a slug or snail to reach the plant within the central opening.

This requires the slug or snail to climb the outer wall to get into the channel and climb the inner wall to escape the channel and get into the central opening. This is normally made more difficult by the presence of liquid, typically water, in the channel which is harmless to other wildlife and/or domestic animals but which is usually effective to kill any slugs or snails entering the channel by drowning.

The guard can be positioned directly on the ground to protect a plant growing in the ground. Alternatively, a pot or container in which a plant is growing may be positioned in the central opening. Alternatively, the guard may be arranged inside the pot or container with the plant located within the central opening.

In yet another arrangement, it is envisaged that the guard could be incorporated into a pot or container itself. Thus, the inner wall of the guard could be formed by the wall of the pot or container with the guard positioned externally of the pot or container on the outside of the wall at any convenient location between the base and rim of the pot or container. Alternatively, the outer wall of the guard could be formed by the wall of the pot or container with the guard positioned internally of the pot or container on the inside of the wall, preferably at or near to the rim of the pot or container.

Preferably, the outer wall of the guard has a roughened or textured surface on the outside of the channel making it difficult for a slug or snail to climb the outer wall and enter the channel. For example, the outer wall may resemble or simulate the appearance of bark chippings. In this way, the presence of the guard may be less apparent and the general appearance enhanced.

Advantageously, the inner wall, or at least the surface of the inner wall, on the inside of the channel extends substantially vertically while the outer wall, or at least the surface of the outer wall, on the inside of the channel extends at an angle to the vertical. In this way, a slug or snail entering the channel would find it easier to climb the inclined outer wall as opposed to the upright inner wall, thereby moving away from the central opening in which the plant is located. As a result, any slug or snail successfully climbing the outer wall to escape the channel would end up on the outside of the guard, leaving the plant safe within the central opening.

The inner or outer walls of the guard may be the same height.

Alternatively, the inner wall may be higher than the outer wall to make climbing the inner wall by a slug or snail trying to escape the channel harder.

The inner wall and/or outer wall or the guard may be provided with a continuous lip or overhang at the upper edge to make escape from the channel more difficult.

The guard may be constructed to provide a central opening of any design, size or shape whereby one or more plants may be accommodated within the central opening. In this way, the guard may be used to protect several plants.

The central opening may be sub-divided into a series of compartments by webs allowing plants to be separated within the central opening. This may be advantageous when growing plants from seeds or cuttings for repotting or planting when grown to a sufficient size.

As will be appreciated, the guard may be conveniently produced as a onepiece moulding of plastics or the like in a range of different sizes, shapes and colours. Alternatively, the guard could be made of metal, for example as a casting of aluminium or other metal resistant to corrosion.

The invention will now be described in more detail, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein: Figure 1 is a perspective view, partly broken away, of a guard embodying the invention; Figure 2 is transverse section through the guard shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 is transverse section similar to Figure 2 showing a modification to the guard; Figure 4 is a transverse section similar to Figure 2 showing another modification to the guard; Figure 5 is a transverse section similar to Figure 2 showing a further modification to the guard; Figure 6 is a transverse section of a pot or container incorporating a guard on the outside of the pot or container; and

Figure 7 is a transverse section of a pot or container incorporating a guard on the inside of the pot or container. Referring first to Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings, there is shown a guard 1 for slugs or snails comprising a flat base 2, an inner wall 3 upstanding from the base 2 and defining a central opening 4, and an outer wall 5 spaced from the inner wall 2 and upstanding from the base 2 to define with the inner wall 3 a channel 6 surrounding the central opening 4. In this embodiment, the guard 1 is a one piece moulding of plastics such as polypropylene but it will be understood this is not essential and other materials and methods of fabrication may be employed.

The guard 1 is of circular shape in plan view with the inner wall 3 being of cylindrical shape to extend substantially normal to the base 2 with smooth inner and outer surfaces 3a and 3b respectively. The outer wall 5 is of frusto-conical shape to extend at an angle of less than 90'to the base 2 with a smooth inner surface 5a and a roughened or textured outer surface 5b. In this embodiment, the outer wall 5 is inclined at approximately 45 but this is not essential and other angles of inclination

may be employed. For example, an inclination in the range 15-75'and more preferably in the range of 30-60'may be adopted.

The roughened or textured outer surface 5b of the outer wall 5 is chosen to make it difficult for slugs or snails to climb the outer wall 5 to enter the channel 6. The outer surface 5b may simulate or resemble wood chippings often used as ground cover to inhibit the growth of weeds. In this way, visual appearance of the guard 1 may be enhanced and its presence concealed and made less apparent when used with wood chippings or similar material. It will be understood, however, that any

type of roughened or textured surface finish may be provided according to the intended use of the guard 1. The inclination of the inner surface 5a of the outer wall 5 compared to the upright or substantially vertical outer surface 3b of the inner wall 3 makes it significantly easier for any slug or snail within the channel 6 to climb the outer wall 5 as opposed to the inner wall 3 thereby climbing away from the central opening 4 where any plants are located. As a result, any slug or snail escaping from the channel 6 is more likely to end up on the outside of the guard 1 rather than gaining access to the central opening 4.

As a further means of protecting any plants growing in the central opening 4, the channel 6 may contain a liquid such as water providing an additional barrier to any slug or snail reaching the central opening 4 after entering the channel 6 by climbing the outer wall 5.

The inner and/or outer walls 3,5 are of the same height and may be provided with a series of small holes (not shown) between the base 2 and upper edge of the walls 3,5 corresponding to a preferred maximum depth of liquid in the channel 6. In this way, the holes allow liquid to escape from the channel 6 and prevent the channel 6 filling to the top, for example due to water collecting in the channel 6 when it rains or when the plants are watered. As a result, at least part of the inner surface 5a of the outer wall 5 and of the outer surface 3b of the inner wall 3 is always expanded to provide a barrier for any snail or slug with the channel 6 to climb.

In this embodiment, the guard 1 is designed with the flat base 2 to be free standing and the central opening 4 extends through the base 2. In this way, the guard 1 can be positioned on the ground and plants growing in the soil can grow up through the central opening 4. This is not essential,

however, and the base 2 could extend across the opening 4 to contain soil within the opening 4 in which plants could grow. For this arrangement the base 2 may be formed with one or more drainage holes at the bottom of the opening 4 to allow water to escape and prevent the soil becoming waterlogged.

Alternatively, the guard 1 may be used to protect plants growing in pots or containers (not shown) that are placed within the central opening 4. Depending on the size and shape of the central opening 4, this may accommodate one or more pots or containers.

Referring now to Figures 3 to 5 of the drawings, various modifications to the guard 1 above-described are shown. For convenience like reference numerals are used throughout to indicate corresponding parts.

In Figure 3, the inner wall 3 is shown higher than the outer wall 5. This makes it even more difficult for a slug or snail entering the channel 6 to climb the inner wall 3 and gain access to plants growing in the central opening 4. Furthermore, the channel 6 can be filled with water to the top of the outer wall 5 and still leave part of the inner wall 3 exposed and which therefore a slug or snail would have to climb to reach the central opening 4.

Figure 4 shows the inner and outer walls 3 and 5 provided with external and internal lips or flanges 3c and 5c respectively at the upper edge.

These may help to prevent slugs or snails climbing the walls 3,5 escape from the channel 6. The lips or flanges 3c, 5c may be of any size or shape and may be continuous or discontinuous around the wall 3,5. The lips or flanges 3c, 5c may be provided at the upper edge of the walls 3,5 or at any other position. Alternatively, more than one lip or flange 3c, 5c may be provided to create obstacles to any slug or snail attempting to

climb the walls 3, 5. The or each lip or flange 3c, 5c may be provided on both walls 3, 5 as shown or on the inner wall 3 only. Figure 5 show an internal ledge 7 formed on the inside of the inner wall 3 to support a pot or container (not shown) received in the central opening 6. The ledge 7 may be provided at any height within the opening 6 and may be of any shape.

Figures 6 and 7 shows examples of pots or containers incorporating the guard 1. In Figure 6, the guard is provided externally at the base of the pot 8. In Figure 7, the guard 1 is provided internally at the top of the pot 8. In both versions, the pot 8 and guard 1 are formed integrally in one piece by any suitable method. For example, the pot 8 and guard 1 may be a plastic moulding.

In the embodiments above-described, the guard 1 is of circular shape in plan view with a circular central opening 4. It will be appreciated, however, that the size and shape of the guard 1 may be altered. For example, the guard 1 may be of rectangular shape in plan view with a central opening of rectangular or other shape. In general, however, it will be understood that many different shapes may be employed.

Other modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art and are deemed within the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A guard for protecting a plant from slugs, snails and like pests comprises a base, an inner wall upstanding from the base and defining a central opening, and an outer wall upstanding from the base and spaced from the inner wall, the outer wall defining with the base and inner wall a channel surrounding the central opening and in which a liquid can be contained.

2. A guard according to claim 1 wherein, the outer wall of the guard has a roughened or textured surface on the outside of the channel.

3. A guard according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein, the inner wall, or at least the surface of the inner wall, on the inside of the channel extends substantially vertically while the outer wall, or at least the surface of the outer wall, on the inside of the channel extends at an angle to the vertical.

4. A guard according to claim 3 wherein, the outer wall, or at least the surface of the outer wall, on the inside of the channel extends away from the inner wall.

5. A guard according to any one of the preceding claims wherein, the inner and outer walls of the guard are of substantially the same height.

6. A guard according to any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein, the inner wall is higher than the outer wall.

7. A guard according to any one of the preceding claims wherein, the inner wall and/or outer wall or the guard has a continuous lip or overhang at the upper edge.

8. A guard according to any one of the preceding claims wherein, the central opening is sub-divided into a series of compartments.

9. A guard according to any one of the preceding claims wherein, the guard is a one-piece moulding of plastics or the like.

10. A guard according to any one of the preceding claims wherein, the central opening is generally of circular shape.

11. A guard according to any one of the preceding claims wherein, the guard is free standing.

12. A guard according to any one of the preceding claims wherein, the central opening is adapted to receive a plant pot or similar container.

13. A guard according to any one of claims 1 to 11 wherein, the guard is incorporated into a plant pot or similar container.

14. A guard according to claim 13 wherein, the inner wall of the guard is formed by the wall of the pot or container with the guard positioned externally of the pot or container on the outside of the wall of the pot or container.

15, A guard according to claim 13 wherein, the outer wall of the guard is formed by the wall of the pot or container with the guard positioned internally of the pot or container on the inside of the wall at or near to the rim of the pot or container.

16. A guard for protecting a plant from slugs, snails or the like substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings.

17. A guard for protecting a plant from slugs, snails or the like substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings as modified by any one of Figures 3 to 5 of the accompanying drawings.

18. A guard for protecting a plant from slugs, snails or the like substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figure 6 or Figure 7 of the accompanying drawings.