Hoya planter project
I bought one of these pots and I really loved the look of it with my australis in it.
But I soon realized the problems with it. No drainage! I was able to pull the nursery pot out and tip it to drain. But it just became cumbersome after a while. But I like the idea of a long hoop trellis attached to a pot that you can hang rather than having it have to sit somewhere.
I love these plastic pots for my hanging hoyas. They are small, a 4" nursery pot sits perfectly inside if you want that. And I can water thoroughly at the sink, then tip the pot to drain the excess that's in the little saucer before I hang up again.
But they have three connectors to the pot and they don't really make a good "trellis".
So my brain spent way too much time today trying to figure out some way to do this. I thought if I could use one of the hang holes on top and then make another one on the opposite side. Then I'd create someting with wire to go in those holes, shape it into a hoop trellis with a loop for hanging. Like this (excuse my poor drawing skills).
Time to go to Home Depot to explore wire. I'm thinking of using coated black wire just because I think it disappears into the plant better. Maybe two strands. That way I can put two strands through the holes in the pot edge and then bend each outward in opposite direction for better hold/stability.
Comments (18)
popmama (Colorado, USDA z5)
last yearRelated Discussions
What non-hoya do you like or proud of?
Comments (25)Wow, how can you even choose faves? I never can. I guess my fave groups of plants are palms, orchids and aroids. I like hoyas, but they aren't my faves by a long shot. These are some of my faves that I grow: Rare entire leaf (undivided leaves) palm, Salacca magnifica. It is found naturally only in Borneo, where it grows at the base of cliffs in very moist locales in the rainforest. My largest leaf at present is about 10 feet; mature, they will be 20 feet, going straight up from the base at ground level. Very architectural, stunning in habitat. This is a little variegated Lady Palm (Rhapis) that I particularly like I love aroids with large leaves that have a little "something extra" like variegation or cool colorations, like this Alocasia "Purple Prince" I have growing out in the yard I love variegated monstera. I have managed to collect 4 plants and planted them in various sopts to climb up the walls This is one of my favorite trees, Erythina indica variegated, also called the "Sunshine Tree". It just glows and makes the entire area light up I love small understory palms that put out new leaves that are highly colored, like this Calyptrocalyx polyphyllus I guess of all theorchids, Bulbophyllums and Cirrhopetalums are my fave group, because they have such bizarre blooms...See MoreGrowing hoyas with no drainage. It can be done easily!
Comments (9)I am a huge fan of drainage, both in the pots and in the medium, but hey, this accomplishes the purpose AND works for you AND looks absolutely great, so I won't get on my horse. :-) OK, maybe I'll get on that horse for a little bit... gently... :-) Does tilting the pot upside down work when rooting cuttings? I try to touch them as little as possible in order not to break the tiny feeder roots, and turning the whole pot to the side while applying a bit of pressure to the medium to keep it in place may slow down rooting. Drilling pots has not been a problem for me. Unglazed clay is easy-peasy but even hard ceramics have never cracked for me so far. It takes patience though to drill those. Another technique that I personally find helpful and where I prefer a draining pot is for plants that like a bit more water. I'd set them on a saucer, often shallow but wide saucer(*), and when watering, I'd deliberately leave some water in there. So, roots sit in a bit of water, which conventional wisdom tells you not to do, but I find it's not harmful and even helpful - as the upper layers of soil dry out, the soil wicks the moisture from the tray to the top. To me, this is better than no drainage, because I can see how fast the water is being reabsorbed and can drain it out, or give it less water next time, if the water stays in there too long. (*) The saucer is shallow but wide in order for the water level to be low, but the volume of water relatively high. It helps that water to last longer and it creates more humidity because the water surface is larger. Finally, what I can think of now: saucers allow me to water some plants in place with no need to get rid of that water. This speeds up watering, which to me is a huge plus - in fact, watering time is THE reason I do not have even more plants than I do. But hey, I am glad it works for you, I really am. And you definitely win in the looks department....See MorePlanter depths and spacing for vertical planter design
Comments (16)My experience is limited to window boxes, but here is what I have learned: - Plastic liners do help to slow down the rot as well as retain moisture. They will also provide a barrier between the roots and any chemicals in the treated wood (which retard fungle & plant growth in addition to edible concerns). -Angle brackets for supports are definitely recommended if you want it to last longer. Drainage is necessary of course. To reduce the bottom wood exposure to moisture drill a larger hole (1”) than the plastic liner. All wood rots eventually, even teak, so be prepared for periodically mending. I‘ve been toying with the idea of trying fiber cement composit boards (from remnants). - Soil: Potting mix or leaf fro will be much lighter than topsoil. If using top soil add some peat or composted wood chips to lighten and loosen the soil. Mixing in some Soil Moist granules will help a great deal in reducing the frequency you need to water and makes the plants very happy. I’ve heard that baby diapers do the same thing but have never tried it. i Would also add a slow release fertilizer to store bought top soil. The design looks beautiful and ambitious. I would love to have one on my patio. It would get the strawberries away from the slugs, mice, and chipmunks who eat all of mine. Enjoy!...See MoreHas anyone used a self watering planter for hoyas?
Comments (46)I bought a hoya curtisii and it was already drowning from the store, after a few weeks od still being wet and going almos all yellow to fallinf i decided to experiment with it in one of this self watering planters, so i repoted it wirh almos all new dry soil moist it it a lil left her in the sun almost two days, the third day i implemented the bottom container from the pot ans bow is by the window and me with my fingers crossed…. is my first hoya ever and i really like it and i cant afford it to die lol after buying 13 planta in a week ny husband revoqued my right to any more plants 😜🤣😂 literally theres is no more space hahaha...See Morepopmama (Colorado, USDA z5)
last yearI just found some 4-strand wire hangers for plants. I may be able to twist them to make two from the four and then bend at the top to make a nice arch.
I guess it will depend a bit on how easy these are to bend. I'm going to order them and see what they are like.
popmama (Colorado, USDA z5)
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Bill M.
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petrushka (7b)
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last yearpopmama (Colorado, USDA z5)
last yearpetrushka (7b)
last yearlast modified: last yearpopmama (Colorado, USDA z5)
last yearpetrushka (7b)
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moonwolf_gw
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last yearThe original wire hangers I bought were too strong and couldn't be bent. So I bought the silver thin wire ones.
The pot is plastic. It comes with one of those 3-way plastic hangers. Great for hanging, not so great to use as a trellis.
Since the black plastic hoops were too flimsy and the silver wire on its own seemed too flimsy as well, I combined them!
This is now what I have thus far. I have to melt a hole in the top of the plastic pot opposite of one of the other holes (since they were originally deisgned for 3-way). But this is feeling pretty good now. Please excuse the extra wire at the pot rim. I will be taking care of that once I get the other hole melted. It will push through the hole then be twisted up under the rim of the pot.
It's not beautiful. And maybe my next step will be to consider some sort of wrap around the plastic+wire to disguise some of this mess. But well...maybe I'm satisfied!
the reason I like these plastic pots so much is because a 4" pot just sits right down in there. I don't have to disrupt any roots, etc. And when I water, I just take the whole thing to the sink, water thoroughly, then tip it to let the excess out of that saucer, then hang it back up.popmama (Colorado, USDA z5)
last year
Bill M.