Homemade Plant Holders

Look around your home for suitable plant containers. Rather than using new materials to build a plant holder, you'll save yourself time by using something that already exists. Old trash cans, teabag or food tins, plastic boxes (durable enough to hold your plant and its weight in water and soil) and old dishes (like teacups) can all be used to create plant holders.

Wash your found container. Remove all dust, dirt or sticky substances with dish soap so that you have a clean surface to work with.

Use sharp scissors, a knife or drill to poke several drain holes in the bottom of your planter, depending on how hard the material is. Chances are that you will need to drill the holes. Blow or rinse off any material dust and towel dry the planter.

Paint or decorate your container. Decoupage newspaper, vintage postcards or wallpaper onto the container for a colorful textured look, or paint it a bold hue using acrylic or latex paint. Embellish it with glass gems, stones or tile pieces you may have lying around.

Let your planter dry for several hours if you've painted or glued anything onto its surface.

Apply a coat of waterproof sealer to the planter with a brush. Follow the product's directions for drying times.

Gently place your plant inside of the planter once it is fully dry. Pour fresh growing media into the container if you're transplanting your plants into it. Leave enough room for the root ball, carefully fanning the roots out so that they'll naturally spread in their new home. Note that specific varieties may have different transplanting instructions.

Water your plant per its care instructions. Place your plants throughout your home or cluster them in one spot as a designated showcase area.