Concrete planters are robust and continue to have many advantages. A common problem, however, is transporting things from the hardware store to your own garden. Particularly large concrete buckets have a high weight. But who says that you can save not only effort but also costs? On this page you will find detailed instructions on how to build a concrete planter yourself with little effort.
How can I make a concrete planter myself?
To make a concrete planter yourself, you need cement, water, quartz sand, peat (optional), container and masonry drill. Mix the materials, pour them into a mold, squeeze in a smaller container, and let the concrete harden. Then sand it down and drill a water drainage hole.
Instructions
Required materials
- Cement
- Water
- coarse quartz sand or bird sand from the pet store
- Peat as desired (forms dark streaks for a rustic look)
- Water
- Containers such as buckets, bowls or wooden boxes
- Wire brush
- a stone drill
Note: It doesn't matter whether you use cement or bird sand for the quality of your plant pot. The latter gives your pot a stony look.
Procedure
- mix the dry ingredients with cement in equal proportions
- Add water
- The mixture should stick, but not be too firm
- Pour the mixture into a large bucket
- press a second, smaller bucket into the middle of the mold
- Weigh down the small bucket with a heavy object
- leave to rest for at least two days depending on the weather
- then take it out of the mold
- finely sand undesirable coarseness with a wire brush
- drill a hole in the ground with the stone drill so that the irrigation water can drain later
- Now you can plant the self-made concrete planter
Note: Make sure that your concrete planter is at least 5 cm thick. Otherwise the material risks bursting in the event of frost.
Beautify concrete planters
Is there any cement left? Then use the excess mixture to add color to your planter. You can get small mosaic tiles in the craft store (€14.00 on Amazon). When purchasing, be sure to choose weatherproof outdoor ornaments. Otherwise, you can also use colored pottery shards. Glue these to the outer edge of your plant pot with the remaining cement as you wish.
It doesn't always have to be a plant pot. Of course, birds are also happy about a self-made concrete bird bath. Using a wooden box as a mold is ideal for this.
