It's bad news all around. Do not glue, please - have a container/bucket of rock/top dressing to top off the plants as they're given/placed. Glued-on top dressing is one of the horrors of the cactus and succulent world, but as horrors go, it's a lesser evil. In spite of the aesthetics you might feel it would present, it ain't necessarily so.

I was thinking of a very light, loose coverage of the glue on the top level pebbles so that will dissolve easily and still promotes good drainage. Main purpose is just for sale and transport purposes, *NOT* the crazy, sealed up, over-glued pebble layer as seen done at many store-bought arrangements that you literally need like a screwdriver to remove! Feedback appreciated...

Please forget it. If i bought one for your fundraiser, I'd be angry to find it has glue on top. You're presenting folks w/ a problem before even having a chance to enjoy the plant.

Unless you wish the buyers to throw the plants out immediately & be displeased w/ you (to say the least), pls. do everyone a favor & skip the glue.

I think it's a great idea. A water soluble spray glue would allow you to make sure the arrangements stay put while they're being transported. I did a quick search on google for "water soluble spray glue" and found many options, mostly used in crafts. I also founds that you could mix elmers glue with equal parts water and use a spray bottle to spray the mixture onto the pebbles. The glue would dissolve over time with water.

Cut a sqaure and surround then tightly secure an easy to remove clear wrape around the base of the plant move wrape outward away from plant and tight secure at the bottom of pot One piece of wrape for each pot.

Use a sized box set them into rows to fill box with enough pots to prevent tipping, add some cardboard cuts as fillers in bigger open holes to help pot(s) not slip into each other. Box should be about 2/3 height of the tallest pot.

Usually the lower spot of a vehicle prevents entire box set up from over turning sliping sliding, other types of events common to transport and can help with some bumps in the road.

If bigger pots are still top heavy use bricks blocks to help weigh them down, removed head rest choushins can help to stabalize them.

Forget glue it will take even longer and be a bigger pain in the keaster than imagined, as mentioned it's just not a good thing to do for any plant.

Visit a local area plant show or metting and ask someone who bought in plants the same question, you would get even better ideas for plant transporting.

I really don't think glued rocks is a good idea, and we on garden web
really try to avoid it, I think the plants look better without ity

I like the idea offered by cactusmcharris. Take the rocks with you and apply the top dressing on site. I know you want things to look perfect for the fundraiser. Been there, done that. But you also want the healthiest situation for the plant, as well.

Good luck with your fundraiser!

Are you using containers with no hole in the bottom?

Nida, I agree using glued pebbles is a bad idea.

Yes, glued stones will keep soil from spilling, but as far as health, watering and breathing soil, forget it!

The employee at Home Depot who said the glue is water soluble is wrong. Well, the glue may be, but it'd take years to break up.

I avoid buying succulents with glued pebbles..when a plant is watered, instead of saturating soil it bounces off rocks. lol.

There must be a temporary measure for display. How about sheet moss, taped to container? And instructions moss must be removed. Toni

I'm curious too. I've made some as Christmas presents and transporting is a pain. I like the, add dressing later, option that cactusmcharrisa offered.

That's the way to think, chicago!

kamloops

Thank you all for feedback. I've decided no adhesive topping, but a taped 'paper cone' on the pot rims when selling at the fund raiser should hopefully help keep pebbles in place for folks to take home from our scout fundraiser! (we've all had spilled plants in cars and carry-home bags. dirt and pebbels everywhere..that's what I'm hoping to avoid!)

That sounds like a great idea. Also allows your "customers" an easier time to remove the pea gravel down the road if they choose to do so.

Planto

I still would like to know the answer to the question.................what type of glue is used? It would work great on dioramas.

Hope it works out for you, Nida. Personally, as a slight spin off of Jeff's idea regarding the top dressing pebbles ....

Perhaps have one or two "display plants" which have the pebbles in place. Then with the rest of the pots purchased supply a baggy of pebbles for the buyer to sprinkle on top once they get home. That way if a plant should tip, the pebbles won't get lost in the mix.

Would the paper cone you mentioned have the potted plant sitting in it or will the cone come from the top of the plant down? Unsure of just how you would be doing this and would be curious to know more. What I have done when shipping plants in pots (not something I do often as it adds weight and can be a pain in the tush) is to tape strips of paper down across the top of the pots to hold the media in place. The strips should overlap and be taped so soil can't escape.

HU, I'd guess contact cement or some other clear adhesive.

Paul, why do you ship plants in medium? I've only shipped C&S, so I always sent them bare-root or as cuttings.