Upcycling: Old Aquariums, Bamboo Skewers, Cake Stands
If you’re like us, you probably like to upcycle goods that you already have or can buy second hand. It’s always nice to find new ways to save a bit of money and to reuse items instead of wasting them by throwing them away. In our upcycling series we’ll go over some common items that you may have in your house — or probably see regularly — that can be reused as houseplant accessories.
Old Aquarium
This might seem like something not everyone has laying around, but they are really easy to come by, especially if they don’t hold water anymore. Check out Marketplace or Craigslist and you’re sure to see old aquariums listed. Not only can these be used to house humidity loving plants in separate pots, propagating plants, or germinating seeds as you can place a heating mat underneath, but they can also be made into some really interesting terrariums. If you decide to actually plant things into an old aquarium, make sure you know how to properly layer the substrate so you don’t have issues with drainage and root rot. Either way, there are a ton of ideas for what can be done with what some might assume is a useless old aquarium.
Bamboo Skewers
A lot of people have these in their house, especially if they are fans of kebabs. I have used these as a tool to poke a hole in my potting mix so I can easily place a cutting to root, and as a nice and simple pole/trellis for vining plants. If you use these as a pole to wrap a vine around, you will need something to hold it in place like little butterfly clips, a somewhat loosely tied piece of twine, commercially sold plant clips, etc. I have even seen some very crafty members use multiple bamboo skewers to create a trellis. To do this they have cut pieces of the skewers to tie horizontally to longer vertical pieces. If you want to see examples of this, since my description might not be a good guide, feel free to head on over to our Facebook group, which will be linked down below. No matter what you use these for, they are quite a handy tool to have!
Cake Stands
This is another nice way to use something you may have in your home that you don’t use very often, or that you can find for a low price at an antique/thrift store. With its solid top and sturdy base, you can put heavier plants, or plants that might have more delicate pots that you want to display differently. Remember, that the added height really shows off those vines and makes room for even more plants! What could be better?!
If you have questions or want to check out more pictures of these three items and more, feel free to click here to head over to our Facebook group House Plant Hobbyist.