Inverted Wine Bottle Planter

Introduction/Gathering Materials

So a while ago I found a couple of Instructables about how to turn old plastic coke bottles and other various items into upside-down hanging planters (such as this one here). I thought it was kind of a cool idea, but it just looked far to scrappy to fit in with the rest of my place and wasn't something I would actually want to hang in my window or garden when guests come about… So I began thinking about how to make this idea a bit more aesthetically pleasing and decided that putting the plants into a planter made of solid material, instead of cheap plastic, was a pretty solid solution (no pun intended), which led me to wine bottles. Now this is my first Instructable, so any advice on how to improve on this is quite welcome (as I'd love to make more)… But since everyone has to start somewhere, here goes my dive into the world of Instructables!

For starters, let us grab some materials... This project, as with any project, requires certain materials which are listed below. For the most part everything you need is on that list, but I'd advise giving this Instructable a quick 'once over' before making your shopping trip for two reasons. The first is because once you hear my explanations you may decide that a different material may fit better with your take on my ideas… As you may have gathered from my intro paragraph or from the amount of Instructables I link to that I am a huge advocate of taking an idea and making it your own. Secondly, those links I just mentioned may also require materials if you decide to go a different route than I did.

But if you choose to do this exactly the way I did, then everything you need should be listed below.

Materials For Planter:
    Bottle Cutting Device
    Wine Bottle
    Aluminum Oxide
    Aluminum Oxide Sanding Paper
    Twine or Hemp cord
    Planting Supplies

Step 1: Cutting Bottle

The first step to making your Inverted Wine Bottle Planter is to cut the bottle, of which there are several methods. The method I used requires a Bottle Cutting Jig. They generally can run you around $15-$60, I purchased an Ephrem's Bottle Cutter for about $60 online (The local Glass Art Supplier was charging something in the ballpark of $125 here in Canada, but if you take the effort to look online you shouldn't be paying more than $60). If however you aren't as keen to drop a couple of bucks on a store bought Jig, here's a couple of ways in which you can make your own:
Jig1, Jig2, Jig3, Jig4

And if you'd like to for-go the cutting jig altogether, here's a couple other ways to go about bottle cutting.
Wet Tile Saw, Jet Torch, Nail Polish Remover, Hacksaw


If you choose one of the above methods, you can probably just skip to step 3 or 4, otherwise, here's how to cut your bottle (Although technically we're just scoring it right now).

So to cut the bottle you must first score it. To do this you need to adjust your bottle cutter to the right position to cut as little or as much of the bottom of the wine bottle off as you desire. Once you're happy with where the score will be made and you have your bottle positioned on your cutting jug you need to rotate your bottle on the machine while applying consistent pressure to the bottle in order to make one continuous score (you should be able to hear the glass being scored). You will want to try and do it all in one continuous line, spinning the bottle back and forth tends to score different areas differently, making the bottle more prone to cracking (which could give a cool effect if that's what you're going for, but I tend to like the clean breaks myself). If you listen you should be able to hear a faint click once you reach the point where you began the score, at which point you would want to stop... One rotation is all you need. Remember, you're not actually cutting the glass with this device, you're just scoring it.

Comments

[obax17]

Awesome idea, this'd be great for making an herb garden near to a door or window for easy access, or near an outdoor grill. I'd be inclined to attach a piece of mesh over the neck of the bottle and use it for drainage rather than for a second plant, but that's just me. I'll have to try to get my hands on some wine bottles now (I'm not a wine lover, so I'll have to ask around...)

[coolname123]

Actually, based on the first one I built (the one without the moisture crystals) having that plant coming out the bottom doesn't hinder drainage at all, it almost acts as a mesh of its own (if you can keep it alive). And I personally prefere the flower out the bottom, but to each his/her own.

[jessyratfink]

Oh, how pretty! This is a great reuse.