Activity | Water Bottle Planter | Desert Botanical Garden


Saving Landfills One Water Bottle at a Time

Plastic bottles are everywhere. You may not realize how much they are used on a daily basis–here are a few surprising facts:

  • On average one person uses 156 plastic bottles annually
  • 60 million plastic water bottles are thrown away daily
  • Only 50% of what is recycled actually gets recycled

Do you have plastic bottles laying around at home? Instead of recycling them, repurpose them and create a plastic bottle planter. 

This is an all ages activity.


  1. Plastic Bottle – a 2L bottle is recommended
  2. Soil
  3. Water
  4. Twine
  5. Your Favorite Plant Seeds
  6. Scissors or another cutting tool 

water bottle planter supplies



First, rinse out the plastic bottle to ensure there is not any liquid inside.

Next, remove the bottle cap and use a pointy object like a metal skewer or a thin screwdriver, to create a small hole in the bottle cap.

water bottle planter step 2

Then, take the twine and tie one end of it in a knot, younger kids might need help with this step. Three to five inches of twine is needed.

Put the twine through the hole in the bottle cap so the knot holds the twine in place and put the cap back on the bottle.

water bottle planter step 3

Next, cut the plastic bottle in half and fill the bottom with a couple inches of water.

water bottle planter step 1

Take the top of the bottle, turn it upside down, put it in the bottom part, and make sure the twine is in the water.

water bottle planter step 5

water bottle planter step 4

water bottle planter step 6

Then fill the plastic bottle with soil and your favorite seeds.

water bottle planter step 7

Now sit back and watch your plants come to life.

water bottle planter step 8

Finished water bottle planter

On-site programming is currently on hiatus.

Ticket reservations are required for visitors and members.

