Easy Recycled Soda Can Rope Planters
If you’re looking for a fun way to use throw-away stuff to make new homes for your plants; we’ve got you covered. These recycled, soda can rope planters are a unique way to show off your green friends while contributing to a sustainable lifestyle.
They’re budget-friendly, easy to customize, and take about an hour to put together.
I planted small succulents in my rope planter, but any water-wise plants will work.
This little beauty is called an Crowded Haworthia (Haworthiopsis coarctata) because of the way her leaves bunch together. She’s native to South Africa and isn’t fussy when it comes to watering as long as she has enough of light.
The planters would also look great filled with a bunch of fresh flowers. You will need to seal the small drainage hole at the bottom though. Otherwise, you’ll have water running all over the place. But we’ll get to that in a minute. In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to recycle soda cans to make rope planters. But, before we get there, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Instagram. And don’t forget to subscribe so you’ll never miss a post!
What you need
- Empty soda or beer cans
- Scissors
- Glue
- Skewer or nail
- Pop rivet gun and rivets
- An assortment of beads
- Metal washer
- Rope or yarn
The rope I used was salvaged from one of our rugs. We have two male kitties who love using rope rugs to give themselves a manicure. Silly boys, we have a garden filled with trees, but I suppose this is more convenient. Either way, that thing was a tripping hazard so it had to go.
BTW, with the amount of rope I managed to save you can expect a whole bunch of rope-ish projects in the future. Oh, and I’ve also included some links to other rope projects made by my IBC friends toward the bottom of the post. So stick around if you have the rope to spare and planters aren’t your thing.
How to make recycled soda can rope planters
The base of these planters is made from an empty soda can (or beer can in my case). Use a sharp craft knife or scissors to remove the top and bottom of the can.
Cut down the long side of the can and trim away any rough edges. Flatten the cut can out so you’re left with a rectangular sheet of aluminum.
Starting on one corner, roll the aluminum sheet into a cone shape. If you’ll be adding real plants to your can and rope planter, don’t roll the can up tightly. There should still be a small hole at the bottom of the cone for drainage
Holding the cone shape firmly, make a hole in the overlap area with a metal skewer or nail. The aluminium is pretty soft so anything with a sharp point should work. Just mind you don’t stab your fingers. Pop a rivet inside with the long end sticking outwards from the can.
Use a pop rivet gun to secure the rivet. If you never used a pop rivet this video will show how.
Trim the top of the cone so it’s even. Don’t throw away the off-cuts until you see this gorgeous aluminum wall art.
Make two small holes towards the top of the cone so it’s easy to hang up once you’re done dressing it up with ropes and beads.
Sand the recycled soda can cones lightly with 100-grit sandpaper to roughen them up a little for the next step.
Adding the rope
Starting at the bottom of the cone, push one end of the rope into the bottom, overlap area. Not a lot, just enough to keep the rope in place while we glue and wind it around the cone.
When you reach the top of the cone add glue all the way around the rim before gluing down the rope. Secure with a small clamp or peg while you wait for the glue to dry.
And that’s it. The planter portion is done, you can just thread some twine through the holes at the top of the soda cans and hang them up. Or you can take it a step further and customize them to suit your decor.
Customizing the planter with beads
When it comes to personalizing the rope planters you can pretty much do anything. I added dangly beads to mine. Simply thread some twine through the drainage hole at the bottom of the planter and then through a washer.
Tie a knot at one end so the twine doesn’t slip through the washer and add beads to the other ends.
The planters can be hung individually or as a group. I tied mine to a branch and hung it in a window.
You can hang them outside too. The recycled soda can rope planters are rust-proof and together with the rope and bead detail should last a long time.
I’m guessing my African Pearls are happy. They’ve started making babies which means I may have to come up with more succulicious planters.
What do you think? Have you used soda cans or rope to make planters?
If you like the idea of recycling soda cans into rope planters, don’t forget to pin the tutorial for later.
Sharing is caring 😉
More rope ideas
I promised earlier to share a few more rope ideas, so here goes. Anita used all kinds of rope to create art. I think this is such a clever way to reuse small offcuts and create something unique for your home.
When I first saw this idea from Rachel, I thought the ropes were doing some kind of magic and holding the shelves up. Turns out I was wrong. Go check it out.
BTW, if you’re looking for some of the things we used, we’ve got you covered. Disclosure: Clicking on the links below, means we may receive a commission from Amazon. But don’t worry it won’t come out of your pocket, and it helps us make more amazing crafts to share with you 😉
And if you prefer to buy rather than DIY, then maybe these beauties will appeal.
And as always, wishing you a wonderful, crafty week filled with lots of love. Thank you for popping in for a visit.
This one is all about those hanging charms for me. What a genius touch. I love catching up with your crafty projects, Michelle. I’ve been watching them all go by on Facebook, but it’s been a busy summer and I haven’t had a lot of time to visit with my creative friends. Hopefully as fall settles in on my side of the globe, I’ll have more time to visit – since we’re trapped inside – but the silver lining is seeing what you whip up!!
So happy to see you again, Kim. Summer should be spent outside enjoying the beautiful sunsets and dipping your toes in the ocean so I don’t mind at all
What a great way to upcycle soda cans! The rope planter is lovely! I have a friend that would really love one of these, and she has a birthday coming in a few months. Pinned!
I bet your friend will be over the moon if she gets a handmade gift from you. Let me know how yours turns out.
Such a BRILLIANT upcycle!
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Creatively, Beth
Thank you Beth
I LOVE the hanging boho planter look so your DIY version is so cool! Love their compact size so they can also fit nearly anywhere! Super clever, Michelle.
Anytime I can upcycle something to make a home for our green friends, I’m a happy camper.
These are really lovely. My cats would have a field day jumping at them! But I have a window that they’d be perfect to hang in front of.
I was little worried about our fur babies too, but they haven’t glance up up, so we’re still safe 😀
What a brilliant idea and a cool way to recycle cans. I love the rope it looks very rustic. My husband was a castle lager person.lol
Thanks, Anita. My beer of choice is Castle too, but the hubby has always been an Amstel fan.