My plants entered a growth stage, most of them have been repotted and taken outside, and feeding and watering doesn’t require too much time. Although I have a lot of baby plants and propagation projects on the way, I still have to be patient and only check on them to make sure they have appropriate levels of humidity.

This situation left me with some time on my hands and since even in Britain is summer, I engaged in a DIY project for BBT. 

I got home from Bryden’s DIY a bag of Rapid Repair Cement, a plastic measuring jug, garden wire, garden twine, a small bottle of PlastiKote garden green paint and bamboo support sticks. 

First, I mixed some cement with cold water – instructions are on the cement bag, and poured the paste in a silicone mould I had at home from an older project. I placed on the bottom four small sticks to create drainage holes and I left it to dry a few hours to make sure I can take it out of the mould without damaging it.

I had a glass square container, slightly bigger than my new cement planter. Although the planter looked very cute inside the glass container, I wanted to have it elevated, for the self-watering feature. To achieved this, I measured my planter, cut two pieces of garden wire and twisted them to create a support inside the glass container. 

I bought the green paint in an attempt to replicate my logo on the planter. I made the leaves in my logo with black permanent marker, then I splashed some paint with a small brush and after drying, I drew the leaves again. This is definitely not a valuable piece of art, but it was so fun to create and added a bit of colour to the grey planter. 

Next, I twisted some garden twine on two small pieces of wire and put them in X shape through the drainage holes. The cotton twine will absorb enough water from the glass container to keep the roots moisturised. One of the most common problems with houseplants is watering. Not enough water is damaging the foliage, and too much water is drowning the plant and causes root rot. 

For this project I’ve chosen a Syngonium Batik baby plant that needs constant moist soil, but not waterlogged. Since the baby plant lost the support from the mother plant after I separated it, I added a bamboo stick to keep it erect until it will establish stronger roots. 

@greenmonstera.com

Syngonium Batik repotting in a DIY cement self watering pot #selfwateringplanter #syngoniumbatik #plants #greenmonstera #diyplanter #selfwateringplanter #cementplanter

? Flight of the Bumblebee – Emiliano Bucci

Syngonium Batik is a tropical plant with arrow shaped leaves that can climb on a moss pole and develop bigger leaves or can be fashioned as a trailing plant. To thrive, Syngonium needs well-drainig soil, so I mixed multipurpose compost, perlite and orchid bark and I’ve put water with Baby Bio houseplant food in the glass container. 

In July, BBT is highlighting the benefits of DIY, and my little project is going to sit next to the tills at Bryden’s, where it has bright indirect light; direct sunlight would scorch the leaves. In the shop you’ll find Jacquie, a DIY expert. She’s brimming with knowledge and overflowing with enthusiasm to advise you with any project. Whether you need guidance choosing the right paint for your upcycled masterpiece or advice on creating the perfect drainage system for your container garden, Jacquie’s got your back! 

Keep your eyes peeled for an upcoming competition; you can win this self-watering cement planter by liking BBT Facebook page.