This little planter is so cute! It’s the perfect spring time project and can easily be made with an old teacup, or one picked up at a local thrift shop or garage sale. The other items can be purchased at any home improvement or gardening store.
The most important thing to consider when making a planter out of a non-traditional planting container is drainage. Cups, teacups and bowls do not have drainage holes so you will need to create drainage space with pebbles. Drainage is especially important for planting cacti and succulents; desert plants that have evolved with the ability to survive with very little water. I recommend using a potting mix specifically designed for cacti and succulents, it will be better suited to the needs of the plants used in this project.
Depending on whether or not you use a teacup you already own and if you garden fairly often, you may not need to purchase anything for this project, other than a small cactus or succulent. If you do need to make purchases, the cost should be relatively low, with pebbles and potting soil leftover for future projects!
To make your own teacup cactus planter you will need:
• 1 teacup
• Small pebbles
• Cactus/succulent potting soil
• Small cactus or other succulent
• Larger pebbles or other decorative items
• Water
• Spoon (optional)
Before beginning the project, make sure to thoroughly clean the teacup you are using. Once the teacup is cleaned and dry, add the pebbles. You’ll want a layer about an inch in height. If your teacup is rather large, you can make the pebble layer deeper.
Take your cactus or succulent out of the container you purchased it in. Gently tease the root ball so it’s a bit loose before setting the plant in the teacup. Make sure that the top of where the soil begins is not taller than your teacup, if it is, you need to remove some pebbles so your plant will sit lower in the teacup. Once your plant is sitting where you would like it, add your cactus potting soil to the teapot. It’s easiest if you pre-moisten your potting soil with a bit of water before adding it to your container. Dry soil will get everywhere; with damp or wet soil you have more control. I prefer to spoon a little bit of soil into a plastic container, add water and stir before adding the damp soil to the jar. I also use a spoon to add my soil to the teacup, but that’s entirely optional.
The final step is adding a decorative touch to your planter. I use some of the same pebbles that make up the drainage area in the bottom of the teacup to decorate the top of the soil. Any small items can be used, a little plastic animal or other trinket adds just a little something extra!
Cacti and succulents prefer bright, indirect light. Keep an eye on your plant and be sure not to over water it.
If you have enough teacups and leftover supplies, you could make an entire tea party of cacti!
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