Tall planters filled with flowers or plants look gorgeous on your porch, patio, yard, or indoors.Most plants don't need that much soil and using all of it to fill the planter is very heavy and costly.To save money and make it easy to move your tall planter around as you please, you can fill it halfway with another material and put your soil and plant on top.
Step 1: For a low-cost option, use collected soda bottles or cans.
This option is perfect if you drink a lot of water.If you collect the bottles or cans, you will have enough to fill 1/3 to half of the planter.If you use the aluminum cans, leave the caps on the plastic bottles.If you use this option, you will want to lay a layer of newspaper, landscaping fabric, or cheesecloth on top of your bottles or cans.
Step 2: If you have more than one inverted pot, try a smaller one.
Pick a pot that will fit in the center of your planter.If you want to add some drainage holes to this pot, drill them in.Don't block the drainage holes on the bottom edges of your planter with the top edges.You need to be sure that the water can drain through the planter.If you have a smaller pot than a larger one, you will want to use wood chips or clay pebbles to hold it in place.When filling a planter, you will need a lot of soil.
Step 3: For a simple choice, place a wood beam into your planter.
If you want to fill the bottom of your planter, you can use scrap 4x4 or 6x6 wood.Pick a piece that is easy to stand up in the center of the planter.Cut the wood so that it is half the height of the planter.If the drainage holes are in the middle of the planter, you should avoid this option.The wood won't allow the soil to drain properly.To hold the wood beam in the center of your planter, you can use wood chips, clay pebbles, or soil.
Step 4: For a sturdy option, use rocks or broken crockery.
The option is a bit heavier, but still works well.About 1/3 to half of your planter can be filled with rocks or broken pots.If your planter becomes narrower at the bottom and you're concerned about it tipping over from the weight of your soil, this is a good option.Don't let your rocks cover the drainage holes in your planter.
Step 5: As a lightweight choice, choose wood chip mulch or pinecones.
Purchase wood chip mulch at your local hardware store or collect enough pinecones to fill 1/3 to half of your planter.If you use this option, you will want to make sure the wood doesn't rot when you change the soil.
Step 6: If you have peanuts, use Styrofoam packing them.
If you have peanuts lying around, make sure they don't get wet.If they shrink or dissolved, place them in a bowl of water.You can fill 1/3 to half of your planter with these if they don't.If you replace your plant's topsoil each year, use mesh onion bags to hold the packing peanuts in place and avoid making a mess.You can fill your planter with larger pieces of Styrofoam by cutting them up.
Step 7: Plastic Easter eggs, milk jugs, or containers can be used for a long time.
Plastic is light and lasts a long time, so any plastic items that fit into the bottom of your planter are a nice choice.If you are using milk jugs, keep the lids on them and use intact Easter eggs.This will allow for good drainage from the soil above and keep most of the bottom of your planter filled with air.Don't block the drainage holes in the bottom of your planter if you're using jugs or containers.Don't put jugs or containers in the way of the holes.
Step 8: If the planter doesn't have some drainage holes, drill them.
If your planter doesn't have drainage holes at the bottom, be sure to use a drill to create some.Turn the planter over so the bottom is facing up, and use a power drill to make holes on the outside of the pot.If your planter is wide or you think it could use more, you can make more holes.Gloves and eye protection are required when using power tools.
Step 9: The planter should be 1/3 to half full.
Whatever you choose to fill your planter with, use it 1/3 to half full.Some people choose to measure the depth of their plants and then subtract that number from the height of the planter to figure out how much they need.If you use the planter for a plant that requires very little soil, this is fine.If your planter is 21 inches tall and the soil is 18 cm deep, you can either fill the rest of the planter with filler or half it.
Step 10: If necessary, surround the material with clay pebbles.
Extra support may be needed to hold the inverted pots or standing wood beams in place.Clay pebbles are a good choice since they provide good drainage and are lighter than wet soil.The garden/patio section of most hardware and home improvement stores has clay pebbles.You can use wood chips instead of clay pebbles.Water can cause them to rot, so they need to be replaced every year.
Step 11: The planter should have a layer of topsoil on it.
If your plant is shallow, put a 2 inches layer down on top of it.If you used cans, bottles, or other plastic items as your fill, you should add a layer of newspaper, landscaping fabric or cheesecloth between the soil and the plastic to prevent it from falling into the planter.
Step 12: Take the plant or flower out of the original pot.
Carefully tip the pot of the plant you are using in the planter to loosen the soil from the inside of its original pot.The best time to do this is when the soil is wet.Remove the plant's roots and soil at the same time.
Step 13: Place the entire plant in the center of the planter.
To avoid damaging the roots of your plant, try to keep them as much as possible.They will take up more space once they are settled into your planter, so don't spread them out.Set your plant in a planter with roots and soil.If the plant appears to be root bound in its current container, loosen the roots gently with your fingers.A root bound plant has roots that coil around the inside of the pot.
Step 14: The space should be filled with topsoil.
Unless your plant has original soil that is wide enough to fill your planter to its edges, you will need to put in some topsoil.Make a smooth top layer of soil at the base of the plant, and give your plant some extra soil if it lost any in the transplant.
Step 15: You should change the topsoil each year.
When the soil is changed each year, potted plants do well.If you want to replace the old soil in your planter, you can use a new bag of topsoil.If you see something that needs to be replaced when you replace the soil, you should look into it.If your wood is starting to rot, or becomes squishy and smelly, you should change out your aluminum cans.Plastic items and Styrofoam generally last a long time, but it doesn't hurt to check on them and see if they need to be replaced.The materials that last the longest are rocks, broken pottery, and clay pebbles.
Step 16: Instead of replacing your topsoil, mix in compost or soil amendments.
If you want to replace the top soil completely, you can mix compost, leaf mold, manure, peat moss, gypsum, or other soil amendments into the soil.If you started with healthy or living soil, this will work best.You will need to replace the soil every year if you use a mix like Miracle-Gro.It's a good idea to replace it with living or organic soil.