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Home » Essentials

Easy Outdoor DIY: Painted Succulent Pots Tutorial

Apr 22, 2020 ·

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DIY Succulent Planters

These DIY Succulent Planters are really simple and leave your outdoor pots with a really cool, unglazed finish look. Turn your unused collection of pots into beautiful homemade pots!

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
drying 30 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 1 pot
Author Jen Pinkston

Equipment

  • White matte spray paint
  • Grey matte spray paint (we actually used grey primer)
  • Glossy top coat spray paint
  • Flower pot
  • Painter's tape
  • Bone folder
  • Saran wrap
  • Protective tarp

Instructions

  • With the pot standing right-side up (and the tarp protecting your work area), begin spraying even layers of white paint around the top half. Don't worry about completely covering the bottom portion since you're going to paint that a different color later. Pro tip: If you're painting on a high-gloss pot, you'll want to sand it down first so the paint has something to grab onto.
  • Once the white has dried, use the painter's tape to mark off a curved edge for the grey paint. Gently press a bone folder alone the tape's edge to ensure a clean line for the paint.
  • Tear off a sheet of saran wrap that's long enough to cover the pot. Cover the top portion and tape the saran wrap to the painter's tape that's already on the pot. This creates a protective "bubble" for the white paint.
  • Flip the pot upside down and spray thin, even layers of the grey spray paint until you've built an even color block.
  • When the grey has dried completely, carefully peel off the tape and saran wrap. Give the entire pot a generous coat of the glossy top coat, plant a few earthy succulents, and enjoy!

These DIY Succulent Planters are really simple and leave your outdoor pots with a really cool, unglazed finish look. Turn your unused collection of pots into beautiful homemade pots!

DIY Succulent Planters on shelf

We have been spending a lot of time out side lately. Any time the kids start to go haywire or homeschool jumps the shark, we fling open the door and do what we can to get some fresh air. Yesterday it was gardening and I was reminded of this tutorial we did with my friend Lindsay so many years ago! It's a really nice way to create some cohesion in your outdoor succulent pot collection or to mask one that doesn't fit in well with the others. Keep reading for the full tutorial from Lindsay...

Items for DIY Succulent Planter

Supplies For DIY Succulent Planters

  • Flower pot
  • White matte spray paint
  • Grey matte spray paint (we actually used grey primer)
  • Glossy top coat spray paint
  • Painter's tape
  • Bone folder
  • Saran wrap
  • Protective tarp

spraying planter

How To Make These DIY Succulent Planters - Step by Step

1. With the pot standing right-side up (and the tarp protecting your work area), begin spraying even layers of white paint around the top half. Don't worry about completely covering the bottom portion since you're going to paint that a different color later. Pro tip: If you're painting on a high-gloss pot, you'll want to sand it down first so the paint has something to grab onto.

placing tape around diy succulent planter

2. Once the white has dried, use the painter's tape to mark off a curved edge for the grey paint. Gently press a bone folder alone the tape's edge to ensure a clean line for the paint.

placing saran wrap over succulent planter

3. Tear off a sheet of saran wrap that's long enough to cover the pot. Cover the top portion and tape the saran wrap to the painter's tape that's already on the pot. This creates a protective "bubble" for the white paint.

painting planter

4. Flip the pot upside down and spray thin, even layers of the grey spray paint until you've built an even color block.

pulling off saran wrap

5. When the grey has dried completely, carefully peel off the tape and saran wrap. Give the entire pot a generous coat of the glossy top coat, plant a few earthy succulents, and enjoy!

two diy succulent planters on shelf

Are Concrete Pots Good For Succulents?

Absolutely! Concrete pots are porous so water can evaporate quickly, making them the perfect pot material for cacti and succulents. ... Concrete pots are durable and great at insulating plants against sudden temperature fluctuations. Make sure you use masonry spray to paint them.

What's A Good Size For A Succulent Pot?

Too big of a pot is probably the number one issue that people have when growing succulents. 

Not only does it take a ton of soil, but it also holds way too much water. 

A succulent plant stranded in the middle of a large pot will not be happy, they may survive, but there's no incentive to grow much. 

The ideal size of a pot for most succulents is that it's about five to ten percent bigger than the size of the plant at the surface. 

For rosette type succulents, this would mean that an Echeveria of around 3" across would fit into something that is around 3.5 to 4" across, or just a little bigger than the rosette..

Echeveria and many other succulents don't have much in the way of tap roots, so they can be planted successfully into a shallow bowl shape of a planter.  Other plants like Jovibarba heuffelii need more depth with their extensive tap root system.

How Do You Make Succulent Soil?

Making your own succulent soil is not only cheaper than buying the commercial stuff, it’s really easy! 

The succulent potting soil recipe you can use is:

  1. 3 parts potting soil.
  2. 2 parts coarse sand (turface or poultry grit)
  3. 1 part perlite (or pumice)

Top Tips For DIY Succulent Planters

  • Soak the pot in a tub of warm water for up to an hour, then scrub it with a stiff brush.
  • Use tarp to protect your work area, ideally spray outside. If inside make sure it's a well ventilated area.
  • Use a bone folder along the tape's edge to ensure a clean line for the paint.
  • Apply additional coats until the desired color depth is achieved.

Check Out These Other Great Outdoor Posts

  •  10 Dreamy Before and After Outdoor Projects
  • Summer Adventures in Our Own Backyard
  • Glamping
  • A Backyard Kids Halloween Party with Minted

Have you made these DIY Succulent Pots? Feel free to leave a star rating and I'd love to hear from you in the comments below!

Photography by Melissa Valladares
 
Print
5 from 1 vote

DIY Succulent Planters

These DIY Succulent Planters are really simple and leave your outdoor pots with a really cool, unglazed finish look. Turn your unused collection of pots into beautiful homemade pots!

Prep Time5 mins
Active Time10 mins
drying30 mins
Total Time15 mins
Yield: 1 pot
Author: Jen Pinkston

Equipment

  • White matte spray paint
  • Grey matte spray paint (we actually used grey primer)
  • Glossy top coat spray paint
  • Flower pot
  • Painter's tape
  • Bone folder
  • Saran wrap
  • Protective tarp

Instructions

  • With the pot standing right-side up (and the tarp protecting your work area), begin spraying even layers of white paint around the top half. Don't worry about completely covering the bottom portion since you're going to paint that a different color later. Pro tip: If you're painting on a high-gloss pot, you'll want to sand it down first so the paint has something to grab onto.
  • Once the white has dried, use the painter's tape to mark off a curved edge for the grey paint. Gently press a bone folder alone the tape's edge to ensure a clean line for the paint.
  • Tear off a sheet of saran wrap that's long enough to cover the pot. Cover the top portion and tape the saran wrap to the painter's tape that's already on the pot. This creates a protective "bubble" for the white paint.
  • Flip the pot upside down and spray thin, even layers of the grey spray paint until you've built an even color block.
  • When the grey has dried completely, carefully peel off the tape and saran wrap. Give the entire pot a generous coat of the glossy top coat, plant a few earthy succulents, and enjoy!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. aceconcretingcanberra.com.au says

    January 24, 2021 at 8:52 pm

    They are just darling. Great idea and a gift anyone would love to receive.

    Thank you,

    Scott (from Ace Concreting Canberra)5 stars

  2. Jennifer says

    April 22, 2020 at 9:17 am

    This is such a cute idea!!

    Jennifer
    Effortlessly Sophisticated

  3. Diane Wilcox says

    February 23, 2015 at 7:31 am

    This is a great idea for our spring plant sale at garden club! Thanks

  4. Amanda says

    January 24, 2015 at 3:24 pm

    this is stunning! I just bought a succulent today and was looking for some cute pots to DIY for it. this totally is up my alley!

  5. Ashley @ musingsandoats says

    May 01, 2014 at 11:53 am

    I am IN LOVE with these pots! Can't wait to try this at home! Would it be okay if I shared this on my blog? Such a fun idea!

  6. Megan says

    March 04, 2014 at 2:35 pm

    I just was gifted my first plants and was trying to find pots I liked, now I can just create my own! Thanks for the inspiration!

  7. James Wright says

    February 27, 2014 at 4:28 am

    A great idea to create your own pieces of art. I am a firm believer in succulents and cactus plants, mainly because I have killed just about every kind of plant you can imagine. Outside the home, I converted my lawn to a rock garden and ended up saving a lot on the water bill. No more sprinkler system.

    Inside, a little light and water them when I remember, and they thrive in despite of me. Cool DIY projects on this blog.

  8. Maru says

    February 25, 2014 at 9:02 am

    A very nice DIY project! Very original and easy to make 🙂

    • Jen Pinkston says

      February 26, 2014 at 9:49 am

      Thank you so much!

  9. Alyssa says

    February 25, 2014 at 6:20 am

    I love the grey and white combo–anything that I've tried to buy that looks like this is always so pricey, so this is a nice option!

    • Jen Pinkston says

      February 26, 2014 at 9:49 am

      I totally agree! I am a sucker for grey and white on just about anything-- and the price is definitely right!

  10. Molly {Dreams in HD} says

    February 25, 2014 at 6:06 am

    absolutely love this! a lot of the pots i have found have been really, really expensive...this looks super easy and i love the result 🙂

    • Lindsay says

      February 25, 2014 at 11:29 am

      I hear ya Molly, cheap is always my favorite way to go!

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