How-Tuesday: Micro Planters

How-Tuesday: Micro Planters

via The Etsy Blog by EternalSunshine on 1/17/12

Photo by Steve Belkowitz for Microcrafts

Cold winter days need not be devoid of sprouting green life. For this week's How-Tuesday post, Alicia Kachmar, Katie Hatz and Margaret McGuire, authors of the book Microcrafts, have a granular gardening project to bring life to even the smallest of spaces. Learn how to make a micro planter and a matching mini macramé plant hanger to add an itty bitty breath of fresh air to a nook in need of a little love.

Whether you live in a big country house or a teeny city apartment, it's easy to tend a wee secret garden. Any small container will do. Mini terra cotta pots are available at garden centers and craft stores, but household items like teacups, shot glasses, and thimbles can add a dash of charm.

Cuttings from spider plants, jade, and string of pearls thrive in small containers. Bonsais, mini ferns, dwarf mosses, and micro-orchids are available at greenhouses and online.

Supplies:

• Any little container or jar with lid
• A handful of potting mix or garden soil
• Miniature plants or cuttings
• Hammer and nail or wire mesh (for terrarium)

Directions:

1. Fill the container with dirt and gently pat it down. Use your pinky finger to make an indentation about
1/3-inch deep. Place your plant or cutting in the hole and pat down the soil to fill.

2. Water gently. Just be careful not to flood the little pot! It's fun to use an eye dropper, plant mister, or dollhouse watering can, which will also help prevent overwatering. Small pots dry out quickly, so water as needed.

3. Provide adequate light, depending on the type of plant you choose.

4. To make a terrarium, punch holes in a jar lid with a hammer and nail, or cut a bit of wire mesh to fit the top of the jar. Place your container or terrarium in a macramé hanger (see below) and hang it from a windowsill.

Macramé Hanger

Make your houseplant mobile! This fun and retro plant holder is easy to whip up and is perfect for hanging your little pot in a window or even from your earlobe.

Supplies:

• 8 yards of thin cord or embroidery thread or string
• 1/4-inch jump ring

Directions:

1. Cut 8 lengths of cord, each 36 inches long, and two lengths of cord, each 18 inches long. Use one 18-inch piece to completely cover the jump ring with half hitchknots. Fold the 36-inch pieces over and through the covered ring. Use the remaining piece of cord to tie a 1/4-inch wrap knot around all the cords to gather them at the base of the jump ring. Hide the ends of the knot.

2. Tie 1/4 inch of half-knot twists on each group of four cords. To create a half-knot twist, tie one-half of a square knot (as shown below), and repeat multiple times beginning with the left piece of cord.

3. Drop down 1/4 inch and tie a row of alternating square knots to connect the left two cords in each group with the right two of the group next to it. (To make a square knot, do steps 1 and 2 above, and then repeat, starting with the right cord this time.) Repeat this step two more times.

4. Place your chosen container into the hanger to make sure it will fit, and then tie a 1/4-inch wrap knot. Cut off and fray the ends as desired.

If you make your own mini planter, share a photo with us in the Etsy Labs Flickr group.

Thank you to Quirk Books for sharing this project with us. For more mini projects like this one, check out Microcrafts, available from Amazon or an independent bookstore near you.