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Like many people I enjoy gardening and growing houseplants. While my wife and I have a large garden during the summer months I have often thought about how it would be nice to grow things such as tomatos and beans indoors during the winter months. Now I could have the floors lined with even more pots and planters than I do now but as much as my wife likes the movie I don’t think she would appreciate the house having that little shop of horrors decor.
The logical choice for my indoor gardening is 1: container and 2: hanging. So after doing a few searches on the net I had come across a few options. There were of course the usual hanging planters that are really nothing more than a regular pot with strings tied to a ceiling hook. These really didn’t appeal to me due to previous experiences where the water of flowed down through the soil and filled the overflow basin at the bottom. Another option is hanging inverted planters which have been around for a very long time. Some in a much older design made from terra cotta in a traditional mexican style and a newer one made of plastic that had internal foam spacers for dirt/water containment.
This naturally put my mind into make it myself mode. Wow, that’s a lot of m’s. Whenever I get one of my project “ideas” I start drawing different options in paint. I wanted it to be a conical-type container for water retention purposes. After drawing a few designs the one I decide on was to use a inverted 2 liter soda bottle with a few modfications to make it better suited for planter use.

Attention! This page and plans contained herein are to provide a background of my IPlanter and the concepts involved. If you plan on making one please use my new improved method for construction which can be found here.

Here is my final drawing and the steps leading to it. Below that you will see the actual photos of building the planter.

What you will need:

[1] A vining plant such as cucumbers, tomatos, beans peas and many others. (obviously:)
For the purposes of this how to I had started a couple bean plants from seed 2 weeks ago. I also have 6 tomato plants growing that I will put in planters once they are tall enough.

[2] an empty 2 liter soda bottle (more depening on the number of plants you have)

[3] string 4 pieces cut into equal lengths (about 6-8″ each) and a fifth piece cut longer (2-4′)

[4] potting soil

[5] hot glue and hot glue gun

[6] scissors/utility knife

[7] roll of masking tape for marking purposes

[8] marker

[9] a hook

[10] small piece of paper towel or plastic wrap

Growing times a wasting let’s build.

[1] Remove the label, cap and cap ring from the two liter bottle

[2] Place the roll of masking tape on top of the bottle and mark around the bottom using a marker.

[3] Carefully cut the top off on the line you just marked using a utility knife or scissors.

[4] Cut the bottom of the bottle off on the seam.

[5] Cut four evenly spaced holes on the bottom. The bottom will become the top and these holes will be used for hanging the planter.

[6] Turn the bottle top which you cut off upside down and place it on the bottle.

[7] Glue the top to the bottle on the seams. You may have to glue it in several layers as the hot glue has a tendancy to make the plastic bottle melt, flex and shrink.

[8] After thoroughly gluing the top and letting it cool turn the bottle upside down. Pour water into the bottle and check for leaks. If there are any drips add more glue to problem areas as needed.

[9] Tie the 4 pieces of string through the holes in what is now the top of the bottle. 1 in each hole. Next tie the four stings together in a knot and tie the 5th strings onto the knot.

[10] Remove the plants from the pot and shake any dirt loose from the roots.

[11] Carefully push the roots of the plants up through the bottom of the planter.

[12] Gently push the piece of paper towel into the space between the plant stems and the planter opening from the inside taking care not to crush or break the stems. Another alternative is to use a small piece of plastic or saran wrap and gently pinch it around the plant stem and bottle opening to create a tight seal. Fill the planter with potting soil.
I will be using the plastic wrap method for all future plantings.

[13] Water and hang in a sunny location from the ceiling or a door frame using the small hook.

With a little watering, sunlight and care your plants should thrive growing upside down from your newly constructed planter.

Additional info:

I was recently asked a question about dirt escaping through the bottom. I placed the small piece of paper towel in the gap between the plant and bottle opening to stop dirt from spilling though until the plant has grown enough roots to completely cover the opening. There is no reason to remove the towel. As the plant grows the root ball will cover almost all of the bottom.
This is a quick animation I made to show what I am describing. Obviously it is best to pour water into the planter along the outside edges, at least until the plant has grown alot of roots.

Be sure you don’t over water. The inverted bottle top will prevent water from escaping the container but only up to a couple inches. Remember, the plant roots are already at the bottom so the water will reach them along with the nutrients the plants need to grow. Make sure you have properly sealed the bottom with glue and hung the planter from something that can support the weight. Have fun and happy gardening!
2-1-06