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Flower Pot Tips

I found a few inexpensive flower pot tips on Pinterest and decided to test them out…

 

Trash cans as flower pots.

If you find inexpensive trash cans, they can make fantastic flower pots. This is a great option for those who enjoy vegetable and/or herb container gardening because flower pots and planters can get pricey.

The Spotted Lamb

You can read more about this project at The Spotted Lamb.

I wanted to give this trash can flower pot thing a try, so I found a $3 black round trash can at Dollar General.  It is not the most beautiful flower pot, but it is a great container for $3 (don’t forget to drill a few holes in the bottom of your trash can for drainage)!

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Flower containers can be used for pot filler and help with drainage.

I filled the bottom of the container with rocks and gravel and used another Pinterest tip.  

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I found this photo on Pinterest, but unfortunately, it doesn’t link up to a specific blog post.

To help with drainage and to fill space (so you don’t waste potting soil), use the disposable flower containers that came with your flowers as filler. They will help with excess water, and are especially useful for indoor pots which don’t have drainage holes, and it keeps your planted pot lightweight while helping prevent root rot.

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Use Diapers to keep hanging baskets moist.

The last tip I tried was adding diapers to hanging baskets.

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Unfortunately, the picture I found on Pinterest didn’t link up to anything – not even a blog.  

However,  I decided to give it a try since I’ve accidentally washed a diaper or two (or lots) and know HOW MUCH water those things can hold.

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Hopefully, I will be watering my hanging baskets a lot less this summer since they should retain moisture longer. This tip should be especially helpful for those full sun annuals.

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Don’t forget to add fertilizer/nutrients and use potting mix instead of garden soil in your plant containers, and you’ll have a patio, porch, and/or deck full of beautiful potted plants.

If you want more helpful tips, read through the comments below.  

Readers have left so many helpful tips in addition to the few I shared!  

If you want tips on how to create great curb appeal, check out THIS POST.

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37 thoughts on “Flower Pot Tips

  1. what a great idea to put a disposable diaper in a pot! What will someone think of next! I came up with one of my own ideas- I didn’t want to fill a really large pot with soil (both not to use all that much soil and to keep it light) so I filled the bottom with those pesky packing peanuts! Just put the sort right on top of the peanuts. I think it adds to the pot’s drainage as well!

    1. Thanks so much for sharing, Joanne! I may have to add your idea to my next round of flower tips!

  2. Thanks for posting these tips. I have tried the ‘flower container’ tip; it worked great. I will try the diaper tip this year (thanks be to my granddaughter!). Love your posts Sara D!

  3. My daughter sent me your tic-tac toe board idea. Love it!!! I have always painted ladybugs etc. on rocks so this was right down my alley!!! Love your creative mind!!!

  4. Soak the diaper, then remove the filled crystals, mix with soil, seeds sprout faster, cuttings do much better and plants stay watered.

  5. just wondering if a doggie diaper would work , do they have the crystals in them? Also, thanks for the great tip. I can not wait to put a diaper in my coconut basket. I avoided them because they dry out so fast. Now I’m excited to use them again.

    1. Hi Marcy! I assume doggie diapers would work? This is the second year I’ve used this trick with my ferns, and it does seem to help! I don’t need to water as much. Good luck!

  6. I also use old plastic milk jugs with the lids left on, coffee cans with the lids on, ice cream buckets with the lids on to fill up the space in large flower pots! It works great for drainage & takes much less potting soil 🙂 leaving the pots light for moving 🙂

  7. I use the empty 16 oz water bottles with the lids on at the bottom of my pots to fill them half way up.

  8. Packing peanuts will dissolve into mush and disappear if they get wet. I use sturdy empty plastic jugs. Stand them, not on their sides where the weight of soil will crush them.

    1. Mary, many kinds of packing peanuts do NOT dissolve and turn to mush… Unfortunately! That’s why using them is such a good idea. Keeps them out of landfills where they will last for 1000 years!

  9. Cat owners, you can re purpose those plastic kitty litter containers as planters, just like the dollar store trash cans! I’ve been saving them through the winter and will use them to plant veggies this year.

    1. Just make sure there are no chemicals in the kitty litter. Plastics do allow chemicals to leach into them and you don’t want your veggies to soak them up.

  10. Make sure you take the moisture blocking liner, in the inside of the diaper off before placing it in the pot (it prevents the water coming back onto the skin of the diaperit. It will hold water, but it will be inaccessible to the plant roots.

  11. Hi I used to buy water pellets for my window boxes, they were extremely expensive but a little went a long way. I would pour some in a bucket and add water and it was like cooking rice! I,t would over flow the bucket if I added too much water, is this what the diaper does too??? Appreciate your answer asap because today I had to stop planting I forgot last year I used the last of the water pellets and now I can’t find them anywhere. I can find diapers though if this is the same thing. TY!

    1. I had used the moisture crystals for years and then they were gone. I tried to find them for a couple of years but gave up. Last year I found them on Amazon. made by Miracle grow. The one box I had for years wasn’t a brand name tho. Expensive but lasts for years and saves on water.

  12. All the tips are amazing, specially I like the diaper one, really want to try this, very innovative, thanks for the tips.