Display Your Favorite Small Plant in a "Hand Made" Planter
Adding decor to your garden oasis is so much fun, and the more unique the better!
A simple but very fun planter to make is a concrete hand planter. This planter is good for plants like air plants, small house plants, moss, and succulents. A great combination for this planter is succulents and moss.
You can display this planter in many different ways. It has a very connected-to-nature look, and is a conversation piece for sure.
Gathering supplies
To create your own concrete hand planter you will first need to gather some supplies. You are going to need a rubber glove or two. Since concrete can be a little unpredictable, a good suggestion is to make two planters, just in case.
Speaking of concrete you will need a small bag of concrete. At your local hardware store, there are different options when it comes to concrete. If you would like a smoother look, look for concrete for casting. You can use traditional concrete as well, just know it will have more rocks in it.
You will need protective gloves, and a bowl to “form” the hand. A plastic 6-inch planter saucer is very helpful. Using this, you will get the hand form you would like, with a flat bottom.
In making a few of the hand planters, the flat bottom is so much easier for displaying. A larger rock, can, or something heavy to place in the center of the glove is good to have. This will form an area for your plant to sit in, and the rock holds your hand in place while it hardens.
Lastly, grab a clothespin for closing up your glove after it's full of concrete. Since concrete is fast to set, make sure you have all of your supplies laid out, and easily accessible while you are forming your hand planter.
Next, you are going to fill up your rubber glove with concrete. You can stretch your glove over the opening of a plastic cup to keep your glove open. If you have a helper, have them hold the glove open while you add your concrete inside. You want to add a little at a time, making sure to fully fill the fingers, working out the bubbles.
After your glove is full, you will want to seal the end of the glove. Twist the end of the glove closed with a clothespin. The reason you do this is because if you find, maybe it's a rainy day, and your concrete mix is more liquid than you wanted, you can carefully open the end of the glove, and release any water that may have pooled.
Rest and cure
Gently place your concrete-filled glove into the bowl or saucer you are using to form your hand shape. You can form the hand however you would like, just think of a hand holding a plant.
Feel free to use paper towels, rocks, etc. to hold the fingers in place while your planter is curing.
A big tip is to make sure that there is plenty of concrete at the connection of the hand and fingers. You don’t want the fingers of your planter to bend sharply. This will result in your fingers being very fragile on the planter, and they could fall off.
You want an even thickness from the “palm” of your planter to the “fingers”. Add the larger rock in the center of the hand last to form an indention where your plant will go, and hold your hand planter into place while it's hardening.
Now place your planter in a safe spot, and allow it to harden completely. Let the planter sit for two to three days, just to be double sure it is totally hardened. After 24 hours, take the clothespin off and open the end of the glove to help with drying.
Carefully unmold
After your hand planter is totally dry, it is time to remove the rubber glove. You want to do this very, very slowly, and carefully. The fingers can still be a little fragile at first, so gently cut the rubber glove pieces out a little at a time. You can even use tweezers to get out any stuck pieces of the rubber glove.
After the glove is off of the planter, let the planter sit another day to again be sure the planter is totally hardened.
Now, at this point, don’t be discouraged if a finger falls off. When trying this for the first time, it could happen. If this does happen, allow your planter and the “finger” to dry the extra 24 hours.
Before you plant, glue the finger into place with a clear outdoor, waterproof adhesive, and you will be good. No worries! That is the excitement in creating, every project is a little different.
After your planter is all hardened, it is time for planting! Use whatever small plant or succulent you would like. Place them in the center and add some moss around to keep the plants in place and help keep moisture after watering.
To water your hand planter, you can spritz some water around the base of your plant, and moss. Find the perfect place to display your planter and are you all set!
Hopefully, you now have some inspiration to create a planter that is a showstopper, and so easy to make! Happy creating!
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