Around two years ago I bought two succulent plants (insert breeds here) from a supermarket to keep me company in the small apartment that I lived in. Earlier this year after moving into a house, both plants started sprouting pups and I ended up with a small nursery of succulents in ugly plastic pots unsure of what to do with them.
Babies! I love how dark green these plants get when they're bigger
I noticed people sell succulent plants on Facebook marketplace and I wanted to do the same but without losing my pots that I want to use next spring for vegetables. I had the idea of repurposing recycling into plant pots and begun keeping an eye out for suitable containers.
After going to friends for dinner we had Gu pots for desert and I realised the glass jars would make a perfect home for my succulent pups!
I took the pots home to save them from the recycling bin and gave them a good wash
The first thing I had to do was find suitable drainage for them as these plants are very easy to over water. I wanted to continue the recycling theme and have something more aesthetic than gravel, so using a hammer and pliers and a lot of brute force I turned our old resin front door sign into potting grit.
It was time consuming but it saved the material from going to landfill and I think it looks good!
After this it was just a case of filling with soil and potting the pups. I'll keep them for a few weeks before selling to ensure that they take to their new homes. The glass should be useful for this as I'll be able to see the roots reaching the sides of the jars if they're thriving.
My glamorous assistant Max modelling the finished jars
I used soil from my garden that is quite high clay content but succulents don't seem to be very fussy about what they grow in, they're more bothered about getting the right amount of light and water.
One down, three to go
All finished. Plus the four that I didn't have Gu pots for, so I found yogurt pots as a temporary home. I'll leave them all for a few weeks to settle in before listing them online for sale.
Now I just have to resist the urge to buy more Gu pots!
