Welcome to the final part in this plant pot saga!
Unfortunately, making the whole VCR into a potted plant seemed out of reach for the time I had left. Granted, time management was never my strong suit, but I did manage to turn the VHS tape inside into a succulent pot. Don’t worry, I still have the guts of the tape, so one day I can figure out what exactly is on it, but for now the shell of the tape now serves as a new home for two succulents.
First, I had to unscrew the two sides of the shell apart, so I could remove the tape. Next, I sealed the two circular holes with transparent packing tape, in hopes that you would be able to see the roots and dirt of each plant. With that done, it was then time to remove material from the side opposite of the title. I did this by chipping off small chunks of plastic with pliers, until there was almost no material left. I screwed the two sides back together, and then sealed them together with brown packing tape lining the sides. I did this by lining up one side of the packing tape with the sides of the VHS tape, and then trimmed the excess with a knife.
Finally, it was time for the plants! I acquired the plants at Home Depot, two small succulents as I was concerned about the amount of space each plant would need to survive. Let’s face it, succulents are not picky. I filled the VHS case about halfway with some dirt supplied by my roommate, and I took the succulents to the sink to rinse away the dirt from their previous home. Once the roots were bare of any chunky dirt, I carefully place their roots inside the VHS case and continued filling it with dirt. After this step, it was just finishing touches to make sure the plants were happy.
And voila! The pot is done.
One improvement I would like to make is to paint the title of a movie/film/show that really delves into this aesthetic. Something like Planet of the Apes, The Walking Dead, The Last of Us, etc.. Someone else made a similar plant pot with the Jurassic Park title on the side of the tape, so I would draw inspiration from them.
All in all, I love this little project! Since its flat, it sits against windowsills really nice. This is a great introduction to plant-care, and I hope my new succulents like their new home!
4 Comments. Leave new
Hi Sam,
Excellent project! Having the soil show through the planter looks amazing and adds so much to the aesthetic. I think the choice of plants is great too as it is somehow perfectly fitting to the VHS tape’s shape and size. How did you come up with the idea for the tape? It seems so out there as an idea for a planter but looks totally cool! Great work Sam!
Thanks Reed! I really like how it turned out. I originally wanted to turn an old VCR player into a large plant pot, but found that it might be too difficult for the time I had allotted for the project. I found an old VHS tape inside the player, and decided it was worth a try to put some succulents in there. They’re still alive today, so I think they like their new home!
I really like this project! Making creative planters is amazing and this is a really good idea for recycling materials. I especially like the compact shape that will make it really nice for finding a place on a window sill. I am curious about if you will start a collection of planters? I feel like this planter would feel out of place if it was placed next to other planters
Thanks Ethan! It definitely fits nice right up against a windowsill, which is where its currently residing. Now that I know how easy it is to make a planter out of anything, I think a collection off odds things acting as plant pots is only appropriate.