Plant Saucer Alternative Ideas
Saucers are only included with some pots you buy. However, the cost of purchasing saucers separately is more than the cost of making your drip trays. Don’t worry if you have yet to decide what to use for your homemade plant saucer; here are some things to think about.
Making plant saucers from repurposed materials may help you save money, lessen your impact on the environment, and unleash your inner artist. However, it’s not constructed from appropriate materials, which might harm the plant and scratch up surfaces. If you want a durable saucer, thick plastic is your best bet; wood and metal should be avoided.
While it’s true that you may save money by constructing your plant saucer, it’s still important to keep a few things in mind. Tell us whether you need saucers or can get by without them before we start talking strategy.
Why Use Saucers for Your Plants?
The plant cleans are not essential to a plant’s life, although they may be useful, particularly for houseplants. They collect liquids like rain, fertilizer, and soap suds that may otherwise soak through and ruin expensive upholstery, rugs, and flooring.
Wooden flooring and concrete decks might be stained by fertilizers and soil additives that seep through the drainage hole. As a result, surfaces should only be damaged by planters with something for them to sit on to collect the droplets.
However, your plant will be all right if you don’t use a saucer. You may water your plant in the sink or outdoors, but you’ll want to move the plant to a more exposed location. Please wait a few minutes for the water to drain out of the pot, and then bring it back inside. In this manner, you may protect the surfaces in your house without spending a fortune.
Is It Best to Use a Homemade Plant Saucer? Positives and Negatives
There are several benefits to making your plant saucer, including 1) financial savings, 2) less waste, and 3) an outlet for your imagination. But if the gardener employs the wrong materials, the saucers may harm the plant and even cause surface damage.
The DIY drip trays you’ve been looking for are often seen in homes. You may recycle the following items: 1) plastic storage containers, 2) ceramic plates, 3) non-stick pans, 4) plastic lids, 5) refrigerator trays, 6) plastic bottles, 7) old water panels, B) cupcake trays, 9) n smcers, and 10) plastic pales.
Advantages
You are a thrifty gardener, so creating your plant saucers appeals to you. Consider these benefits before you buy premade pot saucers:
You Should Avoid Spending Too Much!
Savings may be made by recycling kitchenware, such as saucers with chipped rims or old refrigerator trays. If you construct a saucer from things lying about the house, you won’t have to spend much money.
Recycle
Homemade plant saucers may be fashioned from a wide variety of recycled materials, including empty soda bottles, take-out plastic containers without tops, and abandoned food trays. Waste stainless steel cookware such as pots, pans, and plates may be recycled into planter catch basins.
Let Your Imagination Flow
Make your one-of-a-kind saucer by putting a new spin on familiar words. Search your storage shed or basement for ems you may use to create a saucer. It’s easy to personalize with a little bit of art or adornment. Make them unique by tailoring them to the planter’s aesthetic, whether that’s a rustic one or a modern one.
Disadvantages
DIY plant saucers may be fun, but it’s important to consider the materials you’ll use before getting started. The drawback of creating your plant saucers at home
Possible Inappropriate Material
Corrosive and porous materials shouldn’t be used as plant pots. Cleaning a plant with the wrong stuff might hurt the plant and damage the surface.
Aluminum saucers corrode when water submerges, releasing poisons that plant roots might absorb. The bottom will develop holes as it deteriorates, resulting in water leakage and spillage when the container no longer holds its contents.
Also, the porous nature of ceramic, wooden, and cement saucers means that they may get damp from underneath. As a result of this way, water may eventually deteriorate wooden surfaces.
DIY Plant Saucers from Other Gardeners
Some thrifty gardeners make do with old non-stick baking pans, fan trays, or frying pans as planters. Some folks use cement and mold to produce a saucer.
While all of these options are good saucers for your plants, there are a few considerations to keep in mind when using them. Aluminum pans may corrode over time when exposed to water, so it’s important to examine the bottom of your parts and trays for any signs of leaks or holes. Even though cement saucers are porous and let moisture through,
DIY Plant Saucers: What to Think About Before You Get Started A Look at Two Contributing Factors
It’s important to think about 1) the material you’re using and 2) the size of the finished product when making your plant saucers.
Material
Waterproof and corrosion-resistant construction is essential for a plant saucer’s usefulness. Plastic or glazed ceramics are ideal for saucers. These substances do not rust or produce moisture.
Waterproof saucers are impervious to water and will not sweat as they collect drops. However, non-corrosive materials are risk-free for plants since they do not break down into harmful byproducts that the plants’ roots may absorb. It won’t break down rapidly, so water damage shouldn’t be a concern.
An excellent saucer’s diameter should be at least as broad as the opening of the pot. For a pot with a 5-inch mouth, the accompanying saucer should be at least as wide. An appropriate saucer will enable water to drain without rapidly overflowing the pot.
When you choose a saucer that is too tiny for the size of the pot, the saucer will soon fill to the top as water drips from the pot. The worry of the saucer spilling will encourage you to water your less plant. The result will be water stress for your plant.
Your efforts to maintain your plant alive and well were useless since you were trying to protect your furnishings. The best way to properly water plants is using saucers slightly bigger than pots.
Saucer-Making Tips
It’s fun and not too much trouble to make saucers for your plants. If you need some guidance in making them, here are some suggestions.
Make use of strong plastic storage bins. Pick a plastic that is both thick and durable. They are not readily broken or pierced. Make a plant saucer out of an empty detergent or liquor bottle. It’s as simple as giving them a good scrub and trimming their batons to the right length.
Avoid using any products containing wood. Mold eventually grows in wooden bowls and on corkboards. In addition, it perspires due to the water from the bottom and allows it to seep up to the top.
Put together a string of stones or use them as a border. Create a unique plant saucer to match your elaborate planter. Decorate your creations using thread, shells, pebbles, and marbles.
Conclusion
Plant saucers’ main purpose is to catch excess water as it drips from the pot, protecting the floor, furniture, and carpet.
DIY saucers may be made using repurposed materials. As a result, you’ll be able to save costs, recycle more, and awaken your imaginative faculties. The material you select for your plant saucers is important to consider.
Making plant saucers requires some forethought, as you must determine whether the size and material will work. Saucers made of plastic or glazed ceramic are durable and attractive. If you take a measurement, your saucer should be around the same width as the opening at the top of your cooking vessel.
These are alternate options for using saucers for your houseplants. If you’re searching for a method to improve your plants and want to be happier, healthier, and more productive, the other choices are for you.
This is also the most economical method of watering your plants. The advantages of using terracotta or clay pots are retained, but the hassle and upkeep of working with these materials are avoided.
Additionally, you may plant flowers, herbs, succulents, and other similar plants. These plant-saucer options are a wonderful place to start if you’re searching for a unique way to brighten up your house this season.
FAQ
How do I construct a planter base?
You never know what useful natural resources you could have lying around the home or yard. For seasonal gardeners who often repot their plants, the biodegradable nature of pine cones, wood chips, leaves, and sticks makes them a sustainable option.
When a planter doesn’t have drainage holes, what do you use to fill it?
It is usual practice to separate the soil of your plant from any extra water by placing pebbles or gravel at the bottom of the container.
Should you use saucers for your plants?
The vast majority of us believe that they are quite resilient. Plant drainage, however, might cause problems. This means that you should use saucers for all of your outside plants. Damage to your deck or patio that requires costly repairs might result from potted plants that aren’t placed in saucers.
Just what should I place beneath my planter to collect the water that drains out?
A piece of broken pottery or a tiny square of fine mesh screen are just two examples of things you may use to plug the container’s drainage hole before planting. You may also cover the gap with a folded newspaper or a paper coffee filler.
