This Genius Way To Upcycle Old Wine Corks Is Perfect For Plant Parents

If you love plants, you'll know that oftentimes everything you need to know about caring for your plants can be overwhelming. This results in frequent searches for inexpensive, effective, and aesthetic tricks to help you have a successfully growing garden. There are plenty of upcycle DIYs out there to help with these goals, but this one is the ultimate project for wine enthusiasts. If you're a wine drinker and hate wasting corks time after time, then using this upcycle to incorporate them into your garden in a helpful and chic way. 

As it turns out, wine corks are a bit of a hot commodity. This is because of their many DIY uses as well as the fact that cork can only be harvested once a decade from each individual cork oak tree (found in Spain or Portugal). This specific project utilizes leftover corks to fill the bottom of your planters. It's as simple as cutting up and then dumping your leftover corks in the bottom of your planter and layering on the soil. You can also sprinkle corks on top so this project doesn't just help your plant functionally, but will also elevate an otherwise boring garden design.

One of the reasons using cork inside your planters is such an effective idea is because of the properties of the cork itself. It's a lightweight, impermeable material which means it won't soak up water and won't weigh down your planter. You can cut your cork into small pieces (or leave them whole) and place them first in your planter, below the soil and plant itself. The small pockets of air between the corks will create better water drainage for your plant. Plus, the corks will make your potted plants lighter and therefore easier to move around whenever you get the itch for some redecorating. Using corks will also mean you need less soil, and therefore have less cost per plant (always a wonderful bonus). 

Though this may not be as important in an outdoor plant DIY, you might want to consider how to clean cork stoppers before putting them to use to avoid smells. If you want to add some corks on top of your soil for a unique visual, go ahead and give them a nice clean first. That way, if someone stoops to smell your potted roses, they won't risk getting an unpleasant whiff of dank cardboard. After using all those wine corks, have you found yourself with any leftover wine? Here's how to store it the right way using Mason jars. Now, you can confidently say no cork or wine has been wasted with this project!