Posted on: 11 November 2015
Glass bottles can be recycled at your local recycling plant, such as Main Street Fibers, but there are also some creative things you can yourself do with those old wine or soda bottles. Glass is durable and beautiful, and you can use it to make some unique plant watering devices. Read on to find out how you can turn those old glass bottles into something useful as well as interesting.
What You Need
Before you begin, you will need a few glass bottles of your choosing. Select some unique wine or beer bottles to add visual interest to your garden. You will also need gloves, a paint brush, some wax paper, masking tape, an x-acto knife, and some glass etching cream that can be fond in most arts and crafts stores. Before you begin, you'll need to remove any paper labels from the bottles. You can do this by soaking them in hot water for a few minutes and then peeling them off. Use steel wool to help you remove any left over glue.
Creating Your Pattern
You can create some neat patterns to add to the glass bottles before you put them in planters. Make a stencil with the wax paper using a pencil, and then cut it out with your x-acto knife. You can choose to make pictures of the plant you will be watering, or just make some creative patterns like leaves and flowers. Place the stencil near the bottom of the bottle using masking tape. Once it's secure, apply the etching paste to the stencil cut out area using a paint brush. This paste eats away at the glass and leaves behind an attractive pattern. Make sure you wear gloves when applying the paste. Let it dry for fifteen minutes, the peel off your stencil and rinse the bottle under cool water.
Using the Bottles
Now that your bottle has been decorated, it's time to use it to water your plants. Fill the bottle with water all the way to the top. Then, quickly turn the bottle upside down and insert it into the soil about six to eight inches deep. As the water comes out of the bottle, it will empty into the soil and automatically water the plants. When the soil dries out, more water will flow from the bottle. When it's empty, simply refill it with water and repeat the process. Using old bottles to water your plants is a creative and earth friendly way to recycle and enjoy your handiwork.Share