How to Make Your Own Upside Down Planter From Pop Bottles
Growing tomatoes and other vine-type vegetables is gaining in popularity, but commercially available upside-down planters can be expensive if you need more than one or two. Instead of paying retail, make your own upside-down planter from recycled pop bottles. This eco-friendly solution is not only cost-effective, but growing vegetables upside down increases your overall available gardening space. Hang the pop bottle planters around your fence line or from shepherd's hooks in a sunny area of your property. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- 2-liter plastic pop bottle
- Marker
- Craft knife
- Drill
- Drill bit
- Eye bolt and washer
- Duct tape/spray paint
- Potting soil
- Plant
Instructions
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1
Mark a 2-inch diameter circle on one side of the pop bottle, 1 inch from the bottom. Carefully cut out the circle with a craft knife. You can also drill through the plastic with a 2-inch drill bit. This hole allows you to fill the planter with soil and provides access for water.
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2
Drill a hole through the bottom center of the pop bottle, equal to the diameter of the eye bolt you chose to hang the planter.
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3
Cover the outside of the pop bottle with duct tape or dark spray paint. This will protect the roots of your upside-down plants from receiving too much sun. Duct tape is available in a variety of colors so you can create decorative upside-down planters. You can also paint over duct tape with acrylics, if you like.
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4
Cut an X in the duct tape covering the 2-inch hole. Fold the four cut sections inside the pop bottle to re-open the space. The duct tape also adds a layer of protection over the sharp edges of the cut plastic.
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5
Cut a slit in the tape over the hanger hole. Insert the threads of the eye bolt through the hole, from the outside in. Secure the washer to the threads on the eye bolt inside the pop bottle. The eye bolt is your hanger.
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6
Feed the roots of your plant through the top of the pop bottle. Fill the planter with potting soil. Hang the upside-down planter.
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Tips & Warnings
You can also make upside-down hanging planters using plastic milk jugs and orange juice containers.
