A No-Drill Hack For Turning An Old Ceramic Mug Into A Planter

If you're cleaning out your cabinet and wind up with a bunch of old, chipped ceramic mugs, consider turning them into planters instead of tossing them in the trash. But before filling that "Richmond Folk Fest 2006" mug with potting soil, you will want to make sure it can drain so you don't risk overwatering and root rot. All you need is a single hole at the bottom of the mug, and you can use a ceramic drill bit if you have one. But if you don't have the hardware to drill a perforation, there's still a solution: You can also use a nail with the helping hand of immersing the whole thing in water.

For this project, you'll need a hammer, a sink, a large pot, and a mug of your choosing. It's best to use mugs that are cute, colorful or jokey, like the birthday mug from your sister that announces, "I'm not 60, I'm 18 with 42 years of experience." Oh, and you'll also need a nail. A common nail or a box nail with a large enough diameter to make a decent drainage hole should do the job just fine. Once you've completed this project, you can plant plenty of pollinator-friendly flowers that work wonders in a garden, and place them wherever you want outside: Your patio, balcony, window box, or around your garden. You can even decorate a porch railing with these mug planters for a whimsical tiny garden.

For this project, you'll need to fill your stock pot with enough water so that when you lower the mug in, it will be completely submerged. The water around the mug prevents it from cracking when you puncture your hole through a physical phenomenon called the Rehbinder effect (though some people feel the Rehbinder effect applies only to ductile materials, and this has more to do with suppressing sympathetic vibrations). The mug needs to be upside down for the next step to work, because you need to access the base and punch through it. Fill it with water from the pot as much as possible before inverting it. Place a nail in the center of the bottom of the mug and use your hammer to tap a hole through it. It should happen with one or two well-placed whacks.

Once you have your drainage hole, pour a layer of potting mix at the bottom of the mug, place the plant inside the mug, surround it with more potting mix, and  water it. Don't forget to put a plate or a saucer under the mug to catch the water that drains out. Succulents and herbs grow particularly well in mugs because they don't require much space, but you can also plant certain flowers. You want to look for small flowers that don't need too much growing space. Good examples include petunias and marigolds. 

There are plenty of other household items that can be repurposed for fun and easy garden decor. You can also grow plants out of drawers, plastic bottles, and even shoes. To be even more resourceful, add lawn clippings to your potted plants to fertilize them.