Use A Plastic Bottle To Take Your Succulent Planter To The Next Level

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Succulents are a great choice of plant for beginner gardeners because they're low-maintenance, drought-resistant, and come in a wide variety of shapes and colors. However, simply chucking them into a pot sometimes fails to do justice to the fascinating forms and flowers of succulents. Why not add a little dimension to your succulent planter to better display the plants and offer them a chance to spread out? There are some stunning DIY planter ideas you can steal from TikTok or other social media sites, such as crafting a tiered planter from upcycled plastic bottles.

This project involves creating a planter with different levels. Each succulent species gets its own section, allowing you to curate a more visually interesting and dynamic display. You could, of course, simply stack planters of various sizes or buy this Time&Trave Red-Brown 3D Printed Broken Effect Flower Pot for about $28. However, there's a far more budget-friendly way to achieve this look using repurposed plastic bottles.

For this easy DIY, you'll need a larger planter, a bag of Hoffman Organic Cactus and Succulent Soil Mix, and at least one large and one small plastic bottle. Look for plastic bottles made of high-density polyethylene (HDPE), a sturdier plastic that won't break down as quickly and potentially leaches fewer chemicals into the soil of your planter. As for tools, all you need is a pair of scissors or a utility knife. You can take cuttings from existing succulents in your collection or buy a 12-pack of Shop Succulents Live Mini Succulent Plants for a little over $28.

Ready to turn trash into a cute succulent planter with this DIY? Start by gathering all your materials in one place, then fill the planter with soil. Cut the top and base from each plastic bottle so that you end up with two straight-sided tubes. Press the larger tube into the soil in the planter and fill the tube with more potting mix. Repeat the step with the second tube. You can, of course, create as many tiers as you wish — it all depends on the size of the planter and how many bottles you have.

Now you can add your succulents. Trailing species — called spillers in the classic spiller, thriller, filler container gardening technique — are perfect for the bottom layer of your tiered planter. All going well, they'll eventually cascade dramatically over the edge, creating a waterfall effect without blocking other plants. Plant mini succulents, such as Corsican stonecrop (Sedum dasyphyllum), Crassula ovata 'Baby Jade,' and sand rose (Anacampseros rufescens), in the other tiers. You could even pop a slow-growing but fascinating living stone (Lithops spp.) in the top, smallest tier.

This cute DIY levels up growing succulents as decor. You can put it pretty much anywhere inside or outside your home, from your kitchen table to a covered front porch. It does, however, come with a few precautions. Make sure the planter has lots of drainage holes and your potting mix contains materials like gravel, sand, or perlite to improve drainage. Succulents can quickly rot in soggy soil. Also make sure to air-dry succulent cuttings for a few days before planting them so that they develop a protective callus.