Practical and pretty, these plant pokes will help keep track of the seeds you have planted - and they cost next to nothing to make!
Broken Clay Pot Plant Markers
big pieces of a broken clay pot
1/8 inch by 12 inch wooden dowels
acrylic paints
glue
sealer (if you're planning to use the markers outdoors, use a sealer recommended for outdoor use)
Broken Clay Pot Plant Markers
Instructions:
Start with a broken clay pot if you have one around. If not, do what I did - take a clay pot that you don't need any more for planting and drop it inside a brown paper bag. I mean take out some of your frustrations and really drop the bag (and the pot) on a hard surface. Now didn't that feel good? You should end up with some great shards to use for plant markers.
Pick one or two pieces that you think will work well. Start painting the pieces - there are no rules, so can paint a rim, like the one we have around the basil marker, or you can paint the shard entirely in one background color.
Draw on some simple vines and little flowers, just like you did in grade school. Use one of the paint colors to paint the dowels.
After the paint has dried, glue each pot piece to a one foot length of dowel, leaving just a little of the dowel showing over the top. You may want to prop the dowel so it stays nice and straight.
Lastly, if you plan to put the plant marker outside, seal the dowel and the marker with an exterior sealer. For indoor use, you can get by with a water based craft sealer in matte or gloss.
been making these for years, I recommend drilling a small hole on a corner(working from the backside of the pot shard) (use a drill bit made for glass). use a bamboo stake & wrap a piece of heavy wire around the top to make a hanger & hang your clay shard on it, stick that in your plant!!!!
Zippy – There
Jun 05, 2009 - 07:25
On your way to work or wherever, look for lollipop sticks, pick up, take home, write on them the name of the seeds/plant and puch in ground. Simple and you havent sat there painting bits of broken pot or cost the environment anything.
Kathy – Texas
Mar 22, 2009 - 10:16
I went to a local garden center and bought some plants. At the register I asked if they had any broken clay pots they were thowing away.. They gave me several pieces!!
Anu – london
Dec 12, 2008 - 15:17
Hi what type of paint would you use on terracotta pots?
Reply to Anu
Jane Lake – Editor at All Free Crafts
Dec 12, 2008 - 18:50
Ordinary acrylic craft paints were used for these, followed by an exterior sealer.
Patio paints would also be good; there are several different brands to choose from, I believe.
Orin – Orlando Fl.
Nov 03, 2008 - 17:31
Love your product
Can you tell me who is a large maker of clay pots in U.K.?
Best Regards
Orin
Kathy – Madison, Ohio
May 01, 2008 - 11:53
I have been trying for YEARS to get a plant marker that wouldn't get lost or lose it's plant name - HA! YOU found a way. Tnanks!
By the way, what kind of glue will hold the clay piece to the woooden dowel?
Reply to Kathy
Jane – Editor of AllFreeCrafts
May 01, 2008 - 12:36
For a waterproof bond, good enough for outdoor use, I would use silicone caulking - the kind used for weatherstripping around windows. You can buy tubes in many colors, even transparent, and it's useful for many bonding applications.
Two-part epoxy would also work, as would shoe-goo and probably gorilla glue. Check the glue section in your hardware store for more options. Good luck!
Pat – Bristol England
Mar 30, 2008 - 06:51
Take great care with this project - clay pot shards can be extremely sharp and dangerous - I have a friend with an eight inch scar on her arm from falling on one!
