ADD GREENERY TO YOUR OUTDOOR SPACE WITH THIS EASY DIY PROJECT!
When you’re looking for fun DIY home garden projects to get the kids involved or even just keep yourself amused with, this one is perfect for a quick venture into garden innovation.
Have you ever thought that colander baskets would make the perfect planters? Well, now you know. The holes in the colanders make for easy drainage for your hanging plants. Quick drainage is essential for some plants that don’t like having their feet sitting in water. Not only are colander hanging baskets practical, but they are also quite beautiful in their shape and colour. You can get all kinds of different kinds of colanders these days so that you can have a variety of colander hanging baskets – a feast for the eyes.
This idea is one of many DIY home garden projects that you could try. But colander hanging baskets are quick to make, so you get an instant result.
MATERIALS
- 2 x kitchen colanders, used or brand new
- 2 x plants suitable for hanging, we have here in this example a spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum) and a string of pearls plant (Senecio rowleyanus)
- 2 wads of coconut fibre, to be used for potting the plants in the colanders
- Potting mix
- 1 pair of pliers
- Pinnacle single jack chain, black 2.5mm
- 8 single-layer key rings
- 2 double-layer key rings
You can often find a strainer or colander at an opportunity shop or thrift store.
If it doesn’t come in your preferred colour, you can always spray paint it your desired shade.
STEP 1
To make colander hanging baskets the easiest way, just use the existing holes in the colander. Attach four key rings by threading them through the holes.
You can also measure out where you want your holes in the lip of the colander and drill them yourself. But if you can’t be bothered drilling, using the existing colander holes will suffice.
STEP 2
Cut four equal lengths of chain using your pliers.
STEP 3
Attach your chain to the keyrings on the side of the colanders.
STEP 4
Then each piece of the chain will need to meet in the middle, attached by a robust double keyring.
All the weight will be on this keyring, so it is essential that you use a double rather than a single keyring.
STEP 5
Add your coconut fibre into your colander hanging baskets to create a padded area to pot your plants.
This coconut fibre also helps with good drainage and stops your potting mix from escaping out the holes in the colander.
STEP 6
Place your chosen plants into the colander hanging baskets, teasing the roots of the plants out before adding any extra potting mix that is needed.
The first thing you should do next is give your plants a good drink, to help the soil settle in your hanging baskets.
