These gorgeous concrete pumpkin succulent planters can be enjoyed any time of year. If you’ve not used concrete before I recommend you head to your local hardware store and ask them about the best kind of cement to use. My first attempts were absolute failures as I had no idea what I was doing and I used the cement without sand, which meant it all fell apart! I ended up using quick dry cement, mixed with sand, but the ratios may differ from product to product.
Here’s how I went about creating mine!
What You Need:
A wooden mixing spoon
2 cups of quick dry cement
1 cup of sand
Some gloves
A pair of hosiery
A large plastic cup
Some string
A small plastic seedling flower pot (big enough to put another small pot of succulents inside!)
A mixing bucket
Some water
White spray paint
Gold leaf (optional)
Steps:
First mix the dry ingredients in your mixing bucket. Wear gloves and a face mask so you don’t breath in any of the dust, and always play with cement in a well ventilated area!
Start adding the water, just a bit of the time. You want the mixture to look and feel like brownie mix. You’ve put in too much water if it starts pooling at the top. If you feel the mixture is too sloppy, just add a bit more cement and sand.
Now take your hosiery, and cut about 20cm from the foot end. Stretch the hosiery into a large plastic cup.
Fill to the top with cement.
It’s a really good idea to work on scrap paper because things are about to get really messy!
Tie up the top, and take your hosiery out of the cup. Don’t worry if you see a lot of water come out this is normal!
Trim your plastic pot if you need to so it’s about 8cm in height, and gently push it into the concrete mixture, right in the middle. Twist and turn it a few times if you need to so it sits at the bottom.
Cut three 40cm pieces of string and tie these around from bottom to top – continue to do this will all the pieces until you have a nice pumpkin shape. Tie the string up tight. Leave it for at least 24 hours until it’s dry.
When it’s dry, you can cut off the string and the hosiery.
Dust off the excess sand and remove any rough bits with sandpaper, and get the last bits off with a brush. First seal with clear spray paint, and then add a few coats of white spray paint. Decorate with gold leaf if you wish!
Now all is left to do is give succulents their new home – as succulents need very good drainage, I put them in a separate pot then inside the pumpkin. Take them out and water every six weeks, and drain it well before putting them back inside the pumpkin.
First created for Create and Craft TV