If you're tired of expensive and fragile flowerpots that easily topple over in storms and break in cold weather, consider making your own concrete pots. As long as you have the mold, you can make as many pots as you want. These sturdy flower pots are inexpensive and durable.
Step
Step 1. Make a mold to mold the concrete into a flower pot
Use two similarly shaped containers with one slightly larger. You can use two bowls or buckets as long as the smaller container is at least 3 cm smaller than the larger one. You can also make a square or rectangular mold out of plywood.
Step 2. Coat the inside of the outer mold and the outside of the inner mold with cooking oil or non-stick cooking spray
For wood prints, use car polish paste or wax paste.
Step 3. Prepare a 3 cm PVC pipe, then cut it into two or three pieces
This piece of pipe will be used to make drainage holes in the concrete pot. Cut the pipe about 5 cm long.
Step 4. Wear gloves to protect your hands from the concrete mix
Mix quick-drying concrete according to the instructions on the package. If you want, you can mix in the dye at this stage.
Step 5. Pour the 5 cm thick concrete mixture into the larger mould
Insert the pipe pieces into the concrete base with a distance between the pipes of 7 cm to 10 cm. Smooth the surface of the concrete around the pipe, making sure the pipe is not covered with concrete so that the pipe can function as a drainage hole.
Step 6. Carefully insert the smaller mold on top of the concrete layer right in the middle of the larger mold
Press the smaller mold until the bottom touches the pipe.
Step 7. Finish by adding the concrete mix between the larger and smaller molds
Gently tap the mold on a hard surface to compact the concrete, then add the concrete all the way to the top of the mold. Smooth the concrete with a trowel.
Step 8. Let the concrete harden for at least 24 hours, then remove the smaller mold to open your concrete pot
Spray a little cold water on the concrete pot. At this stage, do not remove the large mold.
Step 9. Cover the pot with a sheet of clear plastic and leave for about a week for the concrete to harden
Spray water as often as necessary to keep the concrete moist.
Step 10. Hit the bottom of the concrete pot gently but firmly by hand to release the pot from the mold, then remove the mold from the concrete pot
Step 11. Clean the mold from the remnants of concrete
You can use this mold again to make pots.
