With a minimal amount of work and careful planning, you can easily have your own DIY plastic bottle planter. Plastic bottle containers are common and come in many shapes, sizes and colors. Whether you’re interested in using them for food storage, or simply making a showpiece for your patio or garden, creating your own DIY plastic bottles is easy to do and surprisingly inexpensive.
If you have never planted a dry plastic bottle planter before, it may seem somewhat intimidating at first. There are a lot of tools and supplies you’ll need, as well as basic understanding of how plants grow and how to care for them. It’s not necessary to be a biology major to get started – even the youngest children can follow simple instructions and complete projects that will keep their backyard looking fresh this summer. You’ll need about two liters of soil for each two-liter bottle you make, which should be held tightly in a couple of hands, but won’t weigh too much.
Each DIY plastic bottle will require some sort of potting medium. This material can be found at your local nursery or hardware store, and it’s fairly inexpensive. The most difficult and tedious potting job will be feeding the plant roots with food every few days until the plant grows roots to the top. For younger kids, using pre-warmed wooden blocks or old boards is a great way to start. Make sure that you sterilize the blocks and boards before using them again. Once you get to know your plants, you can switch from pre-warmed boards to using a new container and a different potting medium.
If you choose to go the environmentally-friendly route, one of your goals will be to reuse everything you produce – even your recycled plastic bottles. Many folks have used these types of containers to house succulents, herbs and tomatoes, creating mini-garden areas all over their home. By reusing these types of bottles, you are helping to keep our earth clean and green.
Another way to go ‘green’ is to find a place where you can buy recycled materials instead of buying new ones. This can be achieved by buying paper products in bulk from your local grocery store, department store or supermarket. When you shop for these types of products, look for a variety that have “green” tags on them. Some examples include cotton candy, cotton buds, liners for hard candy, water bottles and so on. Many in plastic bottle planters can also be made out of recycled materials, but they don’t come with the same ease of use and variety as shopping for used items in retail stores.
Another way to go eco-friendly is to make your own outdoor broom or weed wacker. Using recycled materials and non-toxic paints, you can create a beautiful flowerpot to be proud of, complete with colorful pots and ferns. These plastic bottles can be reused to hold soil and fertilizer. You can also use these types of containers for holding your outdoor cleaning supplies such as toothbrushes and rags. If you want to get more creative with your gardening project, consider building your own garden gnome – a simple plastic container that will keep your kids entertained and occupied for hours.
One DIY activity you can do with recycled plastic bottles is to make your own laundry detergent bottles. With just a few supplies from your local craft store, you can make beautiful detergent bottles out of old cereal boxes and plastic bags. To save even more, you can find recycled plastics to be used as lids for your new laundry detergent bottles. You’ll be helping to reduce landfill waste and further promote recycling. This is an easy and fun project that will also help you feel good about doing your part in saving our environment.
Using DIY plastic bottle caps to add beauty and character to your life is a great way to express yourself. If you love flowers and want to give them to someone, but are worried that they will be tossed into the trashcan, using these caps to attach to the stems of the flowers will ensure that they will remain on display or within reach. If you are tired of collecting plates from restaurants that you never eat, but are sure to display because they are so lovely, consider using a plate hanger that has been printed with your choice of images and words to decorate your kitchen counter or dining room table. You can find plated dinner plates at your local grocery store and then order your own personal ones printed with photos, clipart or whatever you desire. Using customized plastic plates and other reusable containers made from recycled materials is a fun and inexpensive way to show your creative side and recycle without hurting the planet.