How to Make a Concrete Hanging Planter

1. 1

   Step 1: Gather Your Mold and Hardware

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   Before any concrete gets mixed, get your bits together. The mold is nothing fancy: a round plastic or steel mixing bowl. The shape of that bowl is the shape of your planter, so pick one with a curve you like.

   You also want a short offcut of PVC pipe for the drainage hole, three little copper tube offcuts about 2 cm long for the rope channels, and a handful of sphagnum moss for the outside. Having it all within reach lets you work fast once the mix is ready.

   Tip:

   Watch this step Rub a thin film of cooking oil or dish soap around the inside of the bowl first. A lightly greased mold releases the cured casting far more easily.

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   Used in this stepround plastic mixing bowlPVC pipe fittingcopper pipe offcuts

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2. 2

   Step 2: Mix a Stiff, Dry Concrete

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   This is not your usual sloppy concrete. Tanya goes with a floor-mix: half a bucket of river sand to half a bucket of PPC cement, and only a little water. You want it dry enough that a squeezed fistful holds its shape with no water weeping out.

   Turn it over well so the sand and cement blend evenly. That agitation is what makes the mix compact hard later. For more on ratios, our guide to mixing concrete for crafts breaks it down.

   Tip:

   Watch this step Add the water in small splashes and stop early. You can always wet a dry mix a touch more, but a mix that turns soupy will slump right out of the bowl shape.

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   Used in this stepcement mixriver sandbuilder's mixing tub

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3. 3

   Step 3: Set the Drainage Tube and Pack the Mold

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   Stand the PVC pipe upright in the middle of the bowl. It holds the spot for your drainage hole so you skip drilling later. Now start pressing the dry mix in by hand, pushing it firmly against the base and up the walls.

   Hands work better than a trowel here because you can feel where the mix is loose and needs more packing. Keep the base a sensible thickness. Go too thick and you lose the space you actually want to plant into.

   Tip:

   Watch this step Press in thumb-sized amounts and compact each one before adding the next. Small, firm additions leave far fewer air pockets than big scoops.

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4. 4

   Step 4: Press Sphagnum Moss into the Outside

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   As the walls build up, tuck small pieces of sphagnum moss against the mold, then pack the next handful of concrete over the top. The moss ends up on the outside face of the planter.

   Once you demold, that moss gives you a rough, organic crust instead of flat grey concrete. Add it a little at a time and work your way around so the coverage stays even. It is the same look that makes hypertufa troughs feel aged.

   Tip:

   Watch this step Damp moss packs and grips better than dry. Give it a quick soak and squeeze most of the water out before you press it against the mold.

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   Used in this stepsphagnum moss

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5. 5

   Step 5: Add the Copper Rope Channels

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   Fill the mix right up to the top of the PVC pipe and leave the rim a touch rough for character. Now push the three copper tubes horizontally through the wall, about 5 cm down from the edge and evenly spaced.

   These tubes stay embedded in the concrete. They line the holes your ropes pass through, which stops the rope rubbing on raw concrete and cracking it over time. It is a tidy way to make a hanging point without weakening the wall by drilling.

   Tip:

   Watch this step Space the three tubes like the points of a triangle. Even spacing is what makes the finished planter hang level instead of tipping to one side.

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   Used in this stepcopper pipe offcuts

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6. 6

   Step 6: Cure, Then Demold

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   Because the mix is so dry, it sets quickly. Give it about two days, then slip a hand underneath, turn the bowl over, and ease the casting out. Pop the PVC pipe out of the middle and your drainage hole is already there.

   The copper tubes stay put in the wall, and the moss has locked into the surface. If you want to firm up the finish for outdoor life, this is the point to look at sealing concrete crafts.

   Tip:

   Watch this step If the casting does not want to drop, set the bowl on a folded towel and press evenly around the rim. Warmth and a gentle flex free the edges without cracking.

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7. 7

   Step 7: Thread and Knot the Hanging Ropes

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   Cut three good lengths of ordinary rope from the hardware store. Feed one through each copper channel and tie three knots stacked on top of each other underneath, so the rope cannot pull back through.

   Bring the three top ends together, check they are all the same length so the planter hangs level, and knot them into one. Leave one strand long. That is the strand you hook onto your pulley or ceiling hook.

   Tip:

   Watch this step Cut the rope longer than you think you need. You can always trim the tails after it hangs true, but a rope cut short cannot be lengthened.

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   Used in this stepnatural sisal ropeceiling plant hookhanging plant pulley

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8. 8

   Step 8: Plant It Up and Hang It

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   Add a few scoops of good potting soil, then plant. Tanya sets an echeveria in the middle and tucks trailing sedums around the edge so they spill over the mossy rim and soften it. Brush off the loose soil.

   Hang it somewhere sunny and give it liquid plant food to settle in. If you are moving a plant over from a nursery pot, our notes on how to repot a plant help it root in faster. For a matching set, try a standing concrete planter too.

   Tip:

   Watch this step Hang it on a simple pulley if you can. Lowering the basket to water it beats reaching overhead, which is the main reason hanging baskets dry out.

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   Used in this steppotting soilsucculent plantsliquid plant food

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