DIY Concrete Succulent Planter

The concrete trend has completely taken off in the last year. Our social feeds are overflowing with pictures of concrete counter tops, furniture and even floral planters. Here at 46 & Spruce, we cannot get enough of these concrete planters! Not only are they simply beautiful but the earthy characteristics of a concrete succulent planter is sure to bring out the all natural elements in your home.

A concrete succulent planter can be presumably difficult to create but are actually quite simple when boiled down to the basics. So if you are interested in learning how to create your own DIY Concrete Succulent Planter, keep reading our step-by-step guide!

For this project you will need:

Concrete Succulent Planter Materials:

• Cardboard Boxes (2) (One should fit evenly inside the other with 1” gaps on all sides)
• Duct Tape
• Concrete Mix
• Weights
• Bucket
• Trowel
• Mask
• Rubber Gloves
• Concrete Polishing Pads

Succulent Planting Materials:

• Terrarium Hydrostones (or gravel)
• Terrarium Soil
• Succulent(s)
• Terrarium Tools

Concrete Succulent Planter Directions:

1. To start your concrete succulent planter, you should tape up both of the boxes to completely cover the inside and outside with duct tape. Tape down the top flaps to the outside of the larger box and remove the flaps on the smaller one. Make sure to tape all the corners extra well. Also, keep in mind the pattern you are overlapping the tape in; this will create lines in the concrete so be mindful and intentional with your desired pattern.
2. Place the fully taped smaller box inside the fully taped larger box and lift the smaller box up 1” and mark the where the top of the large box is on the outside of the smaller box. You will reference this line to know how far to push down the smaller box inside the concrete.  
3. Next, mix your concrete according to your package instructions in a bucket. You should wear a mask to avoid breathing in any of the particles while mixing. Additionally, rubber gloves are recommended.
4. After your concrete is mixed, pour half into the large box and then push the smaller box into the concrete in the large box. Use weights if the smaller box does not want to stay in place. Push down the smaller box so the top of the larger box aligns with the line we previously marked on the outside of the smaller box.
5. Continue adding concrete with a trowel to all the sides until it’s filled to the top of the large box.
6. Let cure for 4 days (or time specified on your concrete package).
7. To remove the cured concrete succulent planter from the boxes, start by tearing down the corners of the large box. After all the corners are ripped, the box should easily come off the bottom of the planter. Then you can maneuver the smaller box out of the middle by releasing the pressure around all the edges and tugging it out.
8. Sand down any rough edges with the polishing pads. And, your concrete succulent planter is complete!

Succulent Arrangement Directions:

1. Fill your new concrete succulent planter with a two-inch layer of hydrostones, or gravel, at the bottom. Hydrostones are a high performance growing media that is engineered to deliver proper air and water beneath the roots for optimal growing. This step is particularly important since the planter does not have a drainage hole.
2. Next add a layer of the cactus potting mix on top of the hydrostones. The cactus soil layer should be thicker than the hydrostone layer and be thick enough to support all the succulents’ root systems.
3. You will want to have an arrangement in mind before you plant your succulents, otherwise you risk damaging the root systems if you have to move them. Once you have an idea of your arrangement, plant the middle succulent by using terrarium tools to properly dig a hole and carefully plant the succulent.
4. Build out from the middle succulent and try to keep your succulents around 1-2 inches apart to allow room for growth and to avoid having to repot them soon after.
5. Add soil wherever it might look sparse; make sure all the roots are completely covered.
6. Lastly, let’s cover how to water succulents in a concrete succulent planter. This part is actually easy since we added those hydrostones; any excess water will sit in the hydrostones instead of in the soil and roots. Give the entire arrangement a light water, just enough to dampen the top layer of soil. 

Now that you know how to create your own concrete succulent planter, get started by checking out our Terrarium Tools and other Succulent Care accessories!