Make Your Own Dinosaur Planter

 

I like to think that I have a green thumb, but the fact of the matter is that my green thumb is quite limited in it’s domain. I can bake like no one’s business and I can even keep a Phalaenopsis orchid quite beautiful until it decides to drop its flowers and turn in to a stick in a pot. I have never had much luck with any other type of flowers though which is why I think maybe…just maybe I might have some luck with a generic fern or cactus. I found this dinosaur planter idea on none other than Pinterest and after clicking through a few links I found my way to The Thrillz of Hillz blog with a pretty awesome tutorial for making your own dinosaur planter.

How to Make Your Dinosaur Planter

What You Need for Your Dinosaur Planter

– One large hollow hard plastic dinosaur that you don’t mind cutting in to
– A large knife – or if like me you can’t be trusted with one, go for the Dremel instead
– Sandpaper
– Spray paint
-Newspaper
– A Small plant (Hillary advises using a succulent, this is a plant that retains water and does well in small spaces such as a dinosaur planter. I like the idea of using a dinosaur plant but I’m not sure how well it would thrive – I may just have to test this out.)
– Modeling clay
– Soil that is appropriate for your plant type (you may already have enough in the pot that your plant came in)

Getting Started

Take your dinosaur toy and very carefully cup a hole in the back of it around 2 inches by two inches or larger if you desire. Just remember that you are going to put your plant inside this hole so make it large enough but also keep it deep enough to secure the plant. Hillary makes sure to point out that this cutting process should always be done in a well ventilated area and you should make sure not to inhale any plastic shavings. While you have your tools primed, also make sure that you put in a couple of drainage holes at the bottom of your planter to allow for water to drain out.

Now that your dinosaur is on its way to becoming a dinosaur planter use sandpaper to round off the edges of your cuts. Next make sure you empty out all plastic shavings and wash and dry your planter thoroughly.

Take your dinosaur outside and put down your newspaper so that you can apply your spray paint. You don’t have to spray paint your planter but Hillary did and it looks AMAZING! I’m all about a gold triceratops!

Once the paint has dried you want to look at the internal structure of your dinosaur to make sure that there is no where for water to become trapped such as in the tail or in the head. If you find any of these areas use the modeling clay to fill these spaces to prevent standing water which can rot your plant and also smell really really bad.

Now is the fun part! Put a little soil in to your planter and then place your plant inside. Top off the plant with a little extra soil making sure not to pack it too firmly. Now all you have to do is water your plant as often as the plant you selected requires…or as often as you remember.

Thanks Hillary for an AWESOME Dinosaur Planter Idea!

Hillary has some really awesome do it yourself ideas in addition to this dinosaur planter over at her blog so make sure that you check her out!