Upcycle Plastic Bottles Into Hanging Planters For Your Home & Garden

If you throw away all those empty plastic soda bottles cluttering up your kitchen, they'll most likely end up languishing in a landfill for years and years. Instead, why not transform them into something functional for your plants? By turning trash into treasure — making a colorful DIY flower pot with plastic bottle caps, for example — you save money on gardening supplies, tap into your imagination and creativity, and help the environment. It's a win-win situation! Instead of seeing an empty bottle or old plastic cap that has no more purpose, tap into its hidden potential. Tie a loop of twine to a bottle with its base cut off, unscrew the cap, and voila! You have a hanging planter. Join a few together and you have a chain of mini hanging planters for indoor or outdoor plants. You're really only limited by your imagination.

Gather everything you will need to turn plastic bottles into hanging planters, starting with the most important piece of the puzzle — the bottles. Any empty plastic bottles will work, from small soda bottles to large water jugs. You can try this DIY using bottles in any shape or color, too. Just grab whatever you have on hand, making sure to wash the bottles and remove the labels. You'll also need some scissors or a utility knife to cut through the plastic, and some sturdy string or twine to hang the planters. Just as there are so many clever ways to repurpose plastic in the garden, you can endlessly adapt this idea to fit your specific needs, style, and supplies. Look around your craft room, art room, or even your garden shed for other tools, materials, and embellishments.

To get the hang of things, start with arguably the simplest hanging planter you can make from a plastic bottle. Cut off the bottom of the bottle, melt or punch two holes around the rim — make sure they're exactly opposite one another. Then thread twine through the holes. Paint the bottles or wrap them in twine or any other fanciful trim for decoration, or join a few together to create a tiered planter. If you struggle to water your plants on schedule, turn a plastic bottle into a self-watering planter. Remove the bottle cap, drill a hole in it, and screw it back on. Cut off the top of the bottle and invert it inside the remaining half. Push a wick through the hole in the cap. When you water your plant, it will collect in the reservoir at the bottom and slowly seep into the soil via the wick.

Plastic bottle hanging planters are a fun and eco-friendly way to display houseplants. Species that thrive in them include golden pothos (Epipremnum aureum), which has vining branches that will cascade down the sides of the planter, and trailing succulents like string of pearls (Senecio rowleyanus) and string of buttons (Crassula perforata). Since they're made of waterproof plastic, you can use these hanging planters outside, too. Hang them from the eaves of your balcony or shepherd's hooks and fill them with flowering plants that will spill over the rim, like million bells (Calibrachoa spp.) or 'Dragon Wings' begonia (Begonia x hybrida 'Dragon Wings') for a sunny spot. In fact, 'Dragon Wings' is one of the best flower choices for a full sun hanging basket. You can even use hanging planters made from really big plastic bottles for growing strawberries.