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Everyone loves a little touch of green in their homes, especially in such an urban setting as New York City. However, not everyone is born with a green thumb.
For those like me, who are not so horticulturally inclined, succulents provide a perfect middle ground, and for very low cost, time or effort, can bring a beautiful (and given the size of New York homes) a perfectly proportioned petite touch of greenery to any apartment.
Succulents thrive in the simplest of environments as one of the easiest plants to take care of – and they are super cute! From painted pots to vintage containers, succulents can grow in almost anything. And don't tell anyone, but fake succulents will "thrive" anywhere. CB2 has some very cute options, and I just bought this one for my bathroom.
Porch.com has a great list of 15 easy DIY succulent planters - My two favorites are below, but there are plenty to choose from, so get your (semi) green thumb on and try a few of these out!
Supplies:
- PVC sewage drain caps in various sizes - Power drill + drill bit - aluminum sheeting in brass color (I used 38 gauge.) - X-Acto blade - Steel ruler - Measuring tape - Permanent spray adhesive - Cutting mat (optional, but helpful) - Black paint + primer (optional)
Step One: Paint the PVC caps if they are not black. (optional)
Step Two: Step Two: Drill drainage holes in the bottom of the larger PVC caps. (3-4 per cap) Succulents are desert plants, so they need drier soil to grow in. Of course, they still need to be watered well, but the moisture has to go somewhere or root rot will occur and your succulents will die a sad death. Relying solely on pebbles in the bottom of your planter for drainage is risky, so it may help to make a pedestal style planter so that the bottom portion is a saucer that catches excess water through the drainage holes of the top portion.
Step Three: Measure the circumference and height of the PVC pipe. Add .25" to the length and subtract 1/16" from the height before noting the measurement.
Step Four: For each PVC cap that you're using, cut a piece of sheet metal to your noted measurements from step three. Be very careful when handling the aluminum because it is easily imprinted and warped, and those imperfections are not easily removed.
Step Five: Lay out each strip of sheet metal facedown onto newspaper or protective paper, making sure there are several inches of space between them. Spray the wrong side with permanent spray adhesive, making sure to completely cover the edges without getting overspray on the good side. Spacing out the pieces will help prevent overspray from sticking to the good side of the aluminum.
Place the PVC cap upside down and attach the adhesive side of the aluminum to it by pressing the middle part of the alumimun to the PVC cap, working your way around to either end. When you get to the end, just overlap the excess metal and press with your finger to make sure the end will adhere completely.
Step Six: Fill the bottom of each aluminum-wrapped PVC cap with a layer of pebbles. This will assist in draining the water from the soil.
Step Seven: Cover the pebbles with a thin layer of fast-draining potting soil, arrange the succulents inside the PVC cap, and then fill in around them with more fast-draining potting soil.
2. This step by Step Photo Guide from BlueBirdKisses makes the progress very simple,and shows that you can use almost anything to pot your plants, but note from "A Beautiful Mess" above to be careful to include enough gravel in your pots so that the succulents can drain!
