Recycled Takeout Container Planter

Takeout containers are both wonderfully water-resistant and stylish. This makes them ideal for putting plants in and leaving them on a windowsill.

I'm hoping that the recycled takeout container planter, in conjunction with the Venus flytrap, will both liven up my living situation and rid me of those pesky mosquitoes that eat me alive when I sleep.

Feel free to plant something flowery and more welcoming in the one you make.

Step 1: Go get stuff.

You will need:

- 2 takeout containers
- 5 beaded pins
- Some potting soil
- A plant
- A screwdriver or awl
- A ruler
- A razor

Comments

[superMacaroni]

This would look awesome if you put bamboo in it. I'm going to our chinese takeout place later today, so I might try this.

[clamoring]

Hi! Great instructable! I love the idea of using the takeout container. However, VFT plants do best in shallow standing water (below the root level). Do not feed them, do not use tap water (use distilled), and keep them outside. cobraplant.com has some excellent care info.

[randofo]

Yes. As you could tell, it died.

[Kaki]

I bought the same kit.. :< Mine is tiny though.. It was one of the only three left and I really wanted one.. I hope I can fix it back up..

[dearcole]

this is such a great idea! nice one trying it out today...almost threw away those containers from some brown rice. glad i saved them!

[Sunny124613]

HA! nice Idea!! I have been only hearing about Venus fly traps but could you use like basil and other herbs or is it to harsh for them to be in such a large habitat.

[kreeningsons]

Haha. I bought the same Venus Flytrap kit in January. Yours looks very healthy. All my traps are always droopy. Maybe I should get it somewhere besides Wal*Mart. And those things do need to be watered good and plenty. I have mine in a terrarium so I really never have to water it since all the water just recirculates, but before I had that it had to be watered every day.

Cool idea too. I'm always strapped for pots and saucers since I always start lots of plants I find outside this time of year.

[masterochicken]

Haha. I have also bought that same kit twice. The first time from Wal-mart and the second from The 99 Cent Store.

[Spedy]

Wow, you find VFT outside? that's pretty cool. Nice looking plant BTW for a wal-mart one.

[TheCheese9921]

dont you feed the mouths raw beef?

[kreeningsons]

No. You don't. Feeding them raw meat risks killing the plant. The fat content in meat is way too high for them to handle. Some experts use special diluted fertilizer to feed the plant, but it's easy enough to feed them insects. You can get crickets at the pet store; I've been told they respond just fine to them.

[Galilxg3]

o crude, i just fed mine lil bits of cooked beef....

[pmac93]

I feed mine ants.

[Spedy]

That's a pretty good use for those things. I certainly wouldn;t have thought of it.

Wow, nice to see other Carnivorous plant enthusiasts here. I recently made my own plant howto instructable here. Feel free to comment.

[3sidedorchid]

This is an awesome idea! As soon as I move I'm going to set one up. The one thing I'm concerned about is the waterproofing -- I think that chinese food cartons may only be waterproofed over the paper -- if so, then the water holes at the bottom are going to allow water to seep in along the edges (b/c the waterproof seal has been broken) and undermine the intergrity of the structure. That said, it's probably easily remedied by blotting a bit of sealant around the hole edges. I only point it out b/c you may want to take a look at the bottom of yours, and seal the edges if needed. Thanks for the great instructable!

[randofo]

uh oh. You're on to me. The carton I was using was only waterproofed on the inside. Next time I was thinking of making larger holes in the bottom and sealing them around the edges with hot glue. Also, they are going to need a bit more elevation than I have given them because of the absorbent paper. I was thinking maybe a couple of washers or nuts.

[3sidedorchid]

: ) what if you used a couple of those decorative glass stones, glued on top of each other? it would be more work, but then you could make a layer of them in the 'tray' and it would not only add to the look of the planter (esp. with a high contrast color -- like red), but raise it up enough to keep the box out of the water.

[randofo]

Funny you should mention that, because I was considering using sea glass on the bottom, but I'm not sure I like the way it looks.

[TeacherOfTheWays]

Awesome!!! Got to get around to making one...