Recycled Flower Pots: 29 Water Bottle Planters and More DIYs

Make sure your pot has drainage holes.

You do not want the plant to get root rot and drown from lack of drainage. If you do want to use a planter without holes in the bottom, add a layer of rocks or gravel first to allow the water to drain. Or, do both! Claire Armstrong recommends drilling a hole in the bottom of the planter and layering the planter with gravel before adding the soil to aid in both water drainage and retention.

Use lightweight potting mix and plant food.

Potting mix is lighter weight than soil from the yard. Additionally, "Flowers in planters aren't able to get nutrients from the soil in the ground so to maintain healthy blooms it's important to feed them with plant food." -Claire Armstrong, pillarboxblue.com

If you have large drainage holes...

...add a piece of screen or even a coffee filter so the soil doesn't drain from the pot in addition to the water!

Next, choose your plants!

"The easiest flowers for beginners are bedding plants like pansies and petunias, they look really pretty in recycled planters and come in a variety of colours.  Geraniums work well too and you can get trailing varieties that look great in hanging baskets or wall mounted planters." -Claire Armstrong, pillarboxblue.com

According to Today's Homeowner, popular container plants include:

-African daisies
-Angelonia
-Begonias
-Ferns
-Geraniums
-Gerbera daisies
-Herbs
-Impatiens
-Ivy
-Marigolds
-Perennials (ivy, coreopsis, or grasses)
-Petunias
-Portulaca
-Sweet potato vine
-Verbena
-Vinca
-Zinnias

Here is a list of old items you can turn into adorable planters:

-Tin cans
-Soda cans
-Old shoes
-Milk cartons
-Toys like cars or doll houses
-Bathtub (seriously)
-Toilet bowl (seriously)
-Fast food cups (for seedlings)
-Old yogurt cups
-Repurposed tool box
-Wash tub
-Old dresser drawers
-Coffee cans
-Tea pots and tea cups
-TVs
-Pianos
-Old stereos
-Egg shells
-Bras
-Wood pallets
-Hanging shoe storage bags

What else would you use to make a planter?

Did you know that water bottle planters are actually more common than you might think? Recycling items for the garden is an excellent way to be eco friendly. You'll even take that next step and bring forth new life from the used container! 

If you've ever wondered how to make plant pots from plastic bottles, the Plastic Bottle Hanging Planters is an excellent tutorial. Hanging planters are so lovely for spring and summer outdoor, and you can also hang them in your home to bring new life to the space. Since we regularly go through plastic bottles of all sorts in our day-to-day lives, using them for something life-giving like planters is a beautiful way to reduce, reuse, and recycle.

"Look through your recycling and you'll find lots of containers that you can reuse. Get kids involved in the planting because they will love getting their hands covered in dirt. Then I try to keep them involved by having them help with watering - a repurposed plastic milk jug makes a perfect watering can!" -Stephanie Gerber, helloglow.co

Can you believe these Recycled Paper Seedling Planters are made from paper towel rolls and brown bags? Recycled planters don't only need to be made from ultra-sturdy materials like plastic and metal. You can use something as light as toilet paper rolls even! (Bonus: find more toilet paper roll crafts in our popular collection of 62 Uses for Toilet Paper Rolls.)

Recycled paper planters are excellent for seed starters and for transplanting, but you can make sturdy planters from paper, too! Learn how to make flower pots out of newspaper, paper bags, recycled books, and more.

Learn how to make DIY cement planters! The DIY Chrome and Concrete Garden Planter is so stunning for any home, and working with concrete is actually a fantastic crafting life skill. Learn how to make a variety of garden crafts using cement, such as these stepping stones and more! If you haven't given concrete crafts a shot yet, now is the time to do so.

The possibilities are incredible when it comes to tin can planters! Make Vintage Tins and Succulents DIY Planters for a charming look, try making crushed metal planters for a unique and surprisingly chic twist, or give paint can planters a try.

"My favorite materials to craft and upcycle with are definitely vintage. I love being able to take a piece that is old and worn out and give it new life. Using succulents or adding plants to these pieces is an easy project, and would be a fun and unique piece for your home, or to give as a gift." -Holly Bertone, pinkfortitude.com

As we mentioned above, you can use a TON of unique and unexpected materials to make flower pots. A few of the ideas in this collection include using these Converted Lantern Planters, and using wine corks, bikes, washtubs, and more to make beautiful planters for the garden. If you have any of these materials lying around the house (and we know you do), it would be awesome to turn that old something into a beautiful recycled flower pot.