i would not put silicone on cement.. it will be there for eternity ...

i have heard of peeps wiring something into the bottom of the pot.. thru the drain holes.. and then down into something in the ground ... but i have never done it ...

the link reminds me it was a bonsai application ... to secure hundred year old plants from being stolen from a local arboretum .... they wired right thru the pot to the display stand ...

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: link

Silicone will not provide enough adhesion to glue the pots to the concrete. And as Ken said, you'll run into problems when you try to remove it when you paint your porch. Tough situation. I would simply give up on the idea of pots if you're dealing with thieves on a regular basis. It's too frustrating.

I've wanted to put pots of some sort on my front sidewalk and steps for a while now, but I'm too afraid of what might happen. The only thing I might consider is something made of concrete and too heavy to move, but I haven't found the right thing yet.

Kevin

I agree with Kevin that I wouldn't tempt fate. The thought of attracting opportunists to come up on my porch would be a real turnoff to me.

But one possible idea would be to find a slender cable or chain to lock the plants to the porch railing. You could run it down through the drain hole in the pot, around the porch railing, and up to the top of the pot. Obviously you'd have to do that before you fill the pot with soil. You cold also find a pot with handles, like a bushel basket that has a metal handle (and wold look cute with mums), then run a lock through the handle.

Sorry that you are dealing with this, it's a sad thing that people steal plants. We have deer that come up on our deck and porch and invade our container plantings, but that's kinda different!

Thieves aren't fussy. If the container didn't move, they would probably rip the plant right out of the dirt.

pitim, what an absolutely beautiful yard!

danell, I hope you find a solution to your challenge. Stealing potted plants is a pretty lowlife thing to do. Something fairly inexpensive would be to attach a metal wire and door siren to your pot, so that when the thieves pull on the pot, the circuit breaks and the alarm goes off. The little sirens run on batteries and mount with velcro. We used one on a storage building and they make a lot of noise for less than 5 dollars. They may not stop your thief, but it may make him jump:-)

Thieves are LAZY and OPPORTUNISTS.

They won't want to REPOT your plants (if the pot is secured).

If you make it HARDER for your plants to be taken, .... they will pass them up and steal SOMEBODY ELSE's plants.

Alarm signs work exactly on this premise ...

You also could come up with signage warning about a TOXIC SPRAY on the plants ... and NOT TO TOUCH.

Something like ... "Plants have been TREATED with chemical which can be TOXIC to humans. Please do not TOUCH."

FYI, all of those wiring images in ken's link are of the routine bonsai practice of securing a top heavy specimen into a shallow container. Wiring is s.o.p. for bonsai and has nothing to with theft.

I like musicgal's idea, though my first choice would be to not put anything on the porch, at all. I'm not inclined to put that kind of effort into thwarting petty thieves.

What area do you live? I always worry about someone getting a shovel and stealing my plants. I live in Rosemead, ca and it sucks I have to think twice about planting!

Maybe you should put a motion activated camera (post the crooks on facebook) or sprinkler (get them wet) or loud siren (alert the neighbors) out on your porch?

We have an in home security system that drives me nuts. It goes off now and then because a spider gets into it. But no robberies yet.

A decent wireless IP security camera (with accompanying sign warning that the premises are monitored and images stored remotely) can be had for under $100.

yes you can use silicone mastic (that stuff you apply in a sealant gun for going around baths) and get a solvent at the end of the season which makes it soft enough to scrape off.(I use one of these to remove labels off jars for jam-making) My sister does this very thing (but mainly because she has a roof garden in high winds). Another thing is to run a bolt through the pot, attaching it to a paving slab....but this is all a bit of work with a high-torque drill and appropriate masonry drills.

Thank you for all the advice :-) i will be finding a way to glue the pots to the concrete banister. And i do have a surveillance camera i just have no idea how to set it up hmmm guess i depend on the husband way to much.

pitimpinai - Your yard is so beautiful!

All my nice plants are in my backyard. I haven't heard about people stealing actually pots/plants, but my next door neighbour had some solar lights stolen from her front yard a week after putting them in. Some people are scum.

I would just buy a cheap pot from the thrift store and fill them with nice annuals that bloom profusely and spill over to cover the pot. At least then you won't feel so bad losing it to opportunistic thieves.

Crime can happen in any neighborhood. I've had solar lights stolen from the back yard and plants uprooted from the front yard. Once a thief came onto the lit back porch while I was in the kitchen. I heard a sound and opened the door. I thought maybe we had an animal in the recycling bin, or maybe my boyfriend had arrived home from work and had stumbled. Instead a stranger glanced at me, grabbed one of our umbrellas and ran away.

I still garden, and I refuse to let others deprive me of the choice to have nice things. Good for you for doing the same. Do what you can to avoid being a target and give yourself peace of mind.

I've been tempted to buy a motion-activated sprinkler like the Scarecrow to deter both people and animals. Have you seen these? They're obviously not for drought-prone areas, or if your house is right on the sidewalk.

If space allows, instead of multiple small pots get one huge one. Think about the weight of the contents, not just the pot itself. Even plastic pots can be too heavy to lift if the container is large enough. One pot is also easier to secure than four. As Karin suggested, if your porch has a rail you can run a bicycle lock cable through the empty pot's drain hole and lock it to the rail. Having an expensive item stolen will make you even more angry, so look for pots on sale. Or make your own planter, if you like that sort of DIY.

I have had hanging plants stolen right off of my front porch. I now have the hanging baskets under lock and chained to my front porch railing. The few pots I have on my driveway are in very heavy concrete pots that even I cannot lift. And so far they are not pulling the plants right out of the concrete pots. One year I had three of my geranium pots stolen from my driveway and that was heartbreaking.

Betty

If it's an ongoing problem. Buy a really nice plant that they would likely steal again. But this time, put a poisonous substance in it. Hopefully it would kill the thief. Problem solved.

A friend does the bicycle lock thing. Uses a nylon covered cable through the drain holes in a couple of wooden planters. Those are then cabled to the wooden porch rocker. I think the rocker is then secured with a chain to something on the porch.

It is really sad when somebody feels that they are entitled to take what you have. I myself had a beautiful planter with a gorgeous rosemary stolen right at my front door. I really like all of the suggestions to deter plant thieves.

I do not put my pots out on the front stoop before Mother's Day on recommendation from a neighbor. Several neighbors have had their containers and hanging baskets stolen before then, but the incidence of thefts seems to drop off afterwards. I usually put out a few pots for the season after Mother's Day and haven't had any stolen yet (though I am sure it's only a matter of time). I have to wonder how someone rationalizes stealing their gift for mom. What would she say if she only knew...

Being in a bit of an "up and coming" neighbourhood, you sometimes think the likelihood for thievery would be higher, but I've never had anything taken. Most people here wouldn't have the interest in taking your rare plant or any plant for that matter; though they might break into your car for the few coins you have exposed in the front! The only time I had some tomfoolery was when one of my planters was moved off my porch - and placed on the front lawn of my neighbour's next door. Hardy har har. Most of the stuff I have in the front = if you really want to 'work' to lug those heavy ceramic planters off my porch and down the street - I say have fun with that and hope it's worth it.

Last year I had plants stolen and I’ve been determined to prevent it. It was the first time I’ve ever had it happen and they were plants I had for a long time. This year I have geraniums and a few others.

Today I bought some thick cord and poked a hole into the side of the container, ran it through, knotting it several times on the inside and then tying the other end into a developed bush. I bought a long metal dog chain that I will use eventually - I just have to figure out how to loosen parts so I can secure it to the pot.

Although cord can be cut it will take more of an effort and hopefully deter them or time to be seen by a neighbor.

Also when I purchased the pot I wrote on the side that doesn’t show “stolen from (my address)” in big black marker and I also wrote it on the bottom as well. If they get my plant they will get that included and perhaps have to go through trouble to repot or remove the markings. Who is gonna want to give their mom a plant that says it’s been stolen?

I'd set up an inexpensive wireless camera, along with a sign that says "smile, you're on camera!"

Yes. Cameras. I live out in the Country, but i once had a cherub statue stolen. I got a wireless security camera kit from Harbor freight, and let it be known that the cameras were there by putting up signs. Never had anything stolen again. Even a fake camera will deter most thieves if you dont wanna invest in a real camera system.

I have to very large cast iron planter set worth more then the plants that are in it . So what is stopping a thief from tipping over the planter and dumping the contents on the ground and walking off with my planter. Just saying If I was on holidays and no one home. What I did was I bought 2 6ft of threaded steel rod put them down threw the planter so about 3-4 ft went threw the bottom of the planter I had a large truck rim add a steel plate acting like a washer bolted it onto the threaded rod and buried the rim 3ft down and covered. . Were I wanted the planter to stay. For Ever" Lol Add a washer and bolt inside the bowl of the planter tighten down and grinded off the threads so it wouldn't come off with a wrench. Tried lifting them up they didn't budge....5 yrs later they are sitting in the same spot.. It's is sometime what you have to do to keep what is yours ,they were my Dad's and passed down to me .Cheers...

Old thread! But I’ll bite. The worst vandalism I had in my front porch was when I came out and one of my planters had been moved from my porch to the lawn of my neighbour’s house a few doors away. So, obviously just some folks making mischief. I laughed but at the same time it felt weird. So from then I decided I wouldn’t really place anything of “value” up front. The pots I have on the porch look nice - but they’re cheap plastic I spray painted. I used to keep a bonanza of pots on the front too - now it’s very simple, and I think I plant things in them that are nice, but “odd” so maybe that works in my favour. People would rather steal the petunias and pansies instead of the tarragon and lemongrass.

I've been growing in the front for going on 25+ years. There are small 1/4 acre lots in our neighborhood, and lots of walkers and people going by the house, so someone attempting that would be pretty conspicuous. I don't want to jinx myself, [g] but we've been very fortunate not to have anyone take anything. Lots of pots out there too. It makes me feel good about my neighbors and my neighborhood.

I did have a family move into the neighborhood about 5 years ago. Not close enough to know them, but they would walk by the house. One day I came out and the Mom had walked into my garden and was picking a tomato off my plants. Maybe she was just trying to get a taste, it was not like she had started to fill her pockets. She was caught red handed and was quite embarrassed. I see her every once in awhile but I think she avoids walking by the house now. That's the closest we've come to having anyone disturb the garden.

If I had a problem, I think I would opt for one of those cameras for wild life. But the idea of putting rebar through a pot was a great idea too, in certain situations.

Over the years I have had a few things “walk.” The worst was the theft of my concrete bhudda statue from the BACK yard. Still don’t know how they knew it was there. Then, two years in a row I had large very heavy pots full of dirt and annuals taken. They must have had a dolly to move them. They were probably 60+ pounds. So I stopped putting plants in the front. That was a while ago and I have recently returned to placing a pot on the front porch, but it isn’t a nicely painted ceramic one, rather a plain old plastic pot.

debra

Debra - A 60 pound pot?! It must have been a VERY pretty pot to tempt someone to try to take that. I hope you have better luck this time around!