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We recently bought some succulent plants and have been searching for just the right container or planter for them. We kind of knew what we wanted and after searching around in a few local stores and online, we decided to make our own.
Honestly, succulents are hard to grow. Hopefully these will survive.
Succulent plants need to be planted in a container that drains really well. Some articles we read while researching succulents said the pot or container should be ‘breathable’.
We had a very small amount of barnwood left from Dixie’s father’s old barn that was torn down several years ago. So, we thought what a perfect way to use it. Even if the succulents don’t make it, we will still have a planter box for another use!
The barn was torn down and replaced with a new, metal barn. Most of the wood was burned since it was damaged and not re-usable. But we salvaged several pieces and it was shared among Dixie’s sister and niece. We’re not sure how old the barn was but speculate that it was 50 plus years old. The house Dixie’s mother lives in now was built on the property in late 1971 to early 1972. The barn was on the property then.
Here are step-by-step instructions:
- Determine the dimensions of the box you want. Ours (below) is about 15 inches long by 5 inches wide and 3 inches or so tall. That seemed a perfect size for 9-10 succulents. We also built another smaller one about 5 inches by 5 inches holding 5 succulents and gave it to our granddaughter who already has a pretty large succulent collection going.
- Cut the pieces. We used 45 degree miter cuts, but you could simply use 90 degree box edges
3. We used a nail gun to assemble the sides, but if you have a Kreg jig or simply some finishing nails or even wood screws, those all work great too. A picture frame clamp is a great aid in getting the 90 degree joint you need for the box.
4. Once you have the sides assembled then attach with the nail gun or other means around the bottom of the box. Don’t forget to drill some drainage holes in the bottom. We drilled three 3/4 inch holes.
5. We also added a couple of legs to raise the box so it could drain properly
6. Fill the box with potting mix. Make sure to use a potting mix that is for cactus and succulents for better drainage.
7. Arrange your succulents as desired making sure not to bury any of the lower leaves under the potting soil.
8. Keep out of direct rainfall and Enjoy!
