Transform your planting pot into something magical with repurposed materials and a bucket of water!
Taking Upcycling to the next level
You can always work with brand new pots, but if you can, using recycled materials will save you money and reduce your waste. With a little bit of imagination and some basic crafting skills, you can transform almost anything into a unique and one-of-a-kind home for your plants.
Whether you're a seasoned crafter or a complete beginner, you're sure to find inspiration that will help you create your own personalized planters that will add beauty and greenery to your home or garden! This project is also really fun for kids in the garden, in an after-school club, or even at birthday parties!
How to Get Started with Hydro-painting
Hydro-painting, also known as dip painting, is a technique that allows you to create intricate designs by dipping objects into water that's been layered with paint. Here we will go over two basic techniques that you can use individually or together to layer up your designs. One technique uses spray paint and the other uses old nail polish. Both methods work brilliantly, and can be applied together again and again to create a one-of-a-kind design.
Materials Needed:
Planters to paint (recycled is perfect! or if you need to buy some: https://amzn.to/43frB5g )
White, matte spray paint or white acrylic paint (https://amzn.to/3GfThgf)
A few color options for nail polish (old polish works great)
A few color options for spray paint (https://amzn.to/3Mfev1z)
Large bucket
Gloves and an apron (https://amzn.to/3K2MlnU)
Optional: a couple of pipe cleaners and a washer to make a simple dipper
Steps for hydro-painting:
Select the ceramic or terracotta planter pot that you want to paint. This is a great opportunity to reuse old planters that could use a refresh. Not only does repurposing old planters save you money, but it also gives you plenty of opportunities to practice this technique and try different combinations.
Prepare the workspace: Cover your workspace with a drop cloth or newspaper to protect it from paint spills. Put on your apron and gloves.
Do your best to get the pot clean, smooth, and free of any grease, dust, or debris. If your pot is a bit dirty, give it a quick rinse and a scrub with a brush. Let it dry completely before painting. A clean surface will really help the paint adhere to your pot.
To make your colors really pop, you'll want to start by painting your pot a flat white. This can be easily accomplished using either a white, matte spray paint or a white acrylic paint. Let the paint dry completely. Both paints should dry in about 10-15 minutes in the sun.
Now that your pot is ready, set it aside and grab your bucket. Fill it with water, making it deep enough for you to be able to completely submerge your planter. Once it's filled, you can decide which paint technique you want to use, spray paint or nail polish. If you're trying out spray paint, you're going to pick a color and, keeping it close to your bucket, spray it directly onto the surface of the water. You'll want to spray each color for at least few seconds to build up the paint on the surface. To make the pattern interesting, spray a few different spots on the surface of the water. If you're trying out nail polish, grab a few different colors and, staying close to your bucket, pour each color all around on the surface of the water. Make interesting patterns with the paint as your pour it. Unlike the spray paint, with the nail polish, you don't need a lot! In fact, if you add a ton, it will start to become a thick, sticky clump when you dip your planter. It's totally fine if that's your style preference, but if you'd like to avoid it, just do a couple of quick drizzles of each color and stop there.
6. Dip the pot! Hold the planter pot by the rim with your gloved hand and slowly dip it into the paint. A good technique is to dip the pot in sideways and roll or swirl it to cover the planter as much as possible. If you see there's still paint in the bucket, you can dip again to grab the rest. If you'd rather not use your hand, you can make a makeshift dipper by threading a large bead or metal washer onto the end of a pipe cleaner and threading that through the hole in your pot.
7. Set it aside to dry or do it again! The best thing about this technique is that you can do it as many times as you'd like. Let the paint dry in between each dip, which should only take about 10-15 minutes since both spray paint and nail polish are designed to dry fast! If you look at your pot and see some blank spots, or you'd like to layer up the techniques, go through this process as many times as you want. You're the artist!
Time to plant!
Once your pot is dry, it's time to plant! My favorite suggestions for small (4-6") to medium planters (8-10") are:
Herbs
Thyme
Cilantro
Mint
Flowers
Calendula
Violas
Sweet Alyssum
Verbena
Chrysanthemums
Edible Plants
Strawberries
Spinach
Lettuces
Green onions
Wheat grass
I hope you have so much fun trying out this technique! Be sure to tag @purplecoopgardening so I can see your results!
Comments