Wondering how to recycle your old flower pots? Ever seen those fanciful floral figurines lounging on people’s front lawns but you don’t have the space or resources to construct them? Here is our own spin to making a relatively fuss-free miniature Pot Man – perfect for the high-rise home setting.

A fun DIY project for everyone
This project is suitable for the entire family. You can also make or adapt on your own to create Pot Man of various shapes, designs and sizes. We will be using plastic flower pots as they are lightweight and easy to assemble.

For this project, the pot serves as the head. Do note that you should choose plants that can fit into the flower pot used in your projects. You will also need a dish or plate to place under the Pot Man to prevent water leakage during watering sessions.

Method

 

Materials needed:

• Wire ties
• Hemp rope
• Masking tape
• Plastic flower pots
• White spray paint
• Stocking
• Stick-on eyes
• Secateurs
• Scissors
• Superglue
• Cotton wool

 

Plants Used:

• Cryptanthus bivittatus ‘Pink Starlite’

Steps

1. Painting and Decorating – You can decorate the body of the Pot man in various designs. In this example, we will be creating buttons for the Pot man’s body.

1a. Cut out circles on masking tape and paste them onto the plastic pot.

1b. Spray the inside and outside of the plastic pot with white spray paint. Protective gear such as goggles should be worn when spray painting items. We recommend that adults handle the spraying.

1c. Carefully peel off the masking tape to reveal the circular ‘buttons’.

2. Making the head and limbs – Here, we will be making Pot Man’s arms as well as gluing on the head.

2a. For the arms, thread a length of white hemp rope through the drainage holes at the base of the pot.

2b. Next, attach on the head using superglue and stick the eyes onto the pot.

3. Creating the hands – The hands of Pot Man will be made from balls of cotton wool.

3a. Cut out a piece of stocking, tie one end of the stocking and flip it over. 3b. Next, stuff the cotton wool into the stocking.

3c. Knot the end of the stocking and tie the stocking onto the string.

3d. Next, cut a slit down the length of the excess stocking and wrap the stocking around the hemp string. Seal the edge of the stocking with superglue This is to hide the knotted string and to give the hands a finished effect.

3e. After wrapping both hands on the Pot Man, you may adjust the length of the arms by pulling out a length of hemp rope from the bottom of the pot (body). Shortern the arms by tying up the excess string. Keep the arms in place by securing it with twist tie.

4. Potting up the head

4a. Pour a layer of lightweight expanded clay pellets (LECA) into the Pot man’s head. This serves as a drainage layer.

4b. Add a layer of growing medium onto of the drainage layer, remove the Cryptanthus from its pot and insert it into the Pot man’s head. Fill in the sides of the pot with growing medium.

Next, place your Pot Man in a dish to catch excess water from watering sessions. It is best kept under partial sunlight, preferably near a window. 

Photos and text by Charis Chiang and Cherish Yong