Tag Archives: planter

This flexible vase expands in size (like an accordion) as your plant grows bigger

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Only 3% of plants survive being repotted when they grow too big for their old, smaller planter. I’m making that statistic up, it’s absolute nonsense… but here’s something that’s absolutely, undeniably true – Repotting plants as they grow bigger is a headache. You need to be incredibly gentle to avoid damaging the root system, and once you introduce a plant into a new, bigger pot, you need to hope and pray that the plant adapts to that shift. Repotting plants is a painstaking (and frankly messy task), although Lidia Gómez has a pretty clever solution.

The FlexVase by Gómez is an expandable vase made from hard-silicone. It uses an accordion-shaped profile to expand vertically in size, allowing you to simply stretch the planter as the plant inside it grows. As the planter expands in size, it creates more space for the roots to grow, as well as breaks the soil up, aerating it so the roots get more oxygen.

The FlexVase sports a set of folds that run along its width from top to bottom (looking sort of like pottery lines but much more uniform). Tug on the upper lip of the FlexVase and the folds open one by one. This allows you to increase the vase’s height in increments, making it taller as the plant grows. A similar design detail even exists in the Que Bottle, which uses a silicone construction and a spiral-shaped accordion detail to expand and collapse, making it easier to carry around while in its compact size.

While the vase’s innovative detail is functional in nature, it does lend a unique form to it too. When closed, the FlexVase looks like a normal vase, but expand it and it takes on this interesting wavy, fluted appearance… something that looks even more eye-catching when combined with the vase’s wonderful color palette!

Designer: Lidia Gómez

Giant Ice Cream Cone Planter: You Have to Eat Your Greens

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Wafer cones: they’re everyone’s least favorite kind of ice cream cone behind waffle and sugar. Me? I’ve always been more of a sundae-in-a-cup man myself. But enough making myself hungry. This is the giant Safe-T Cup ice cream cone planter created by Rotary Hero and available at Urban Outfitters for $55. I can already imagine myself pretending to take a bite out of it to entertain dinner guests. Add a plant and it makes it look like you’re growing dessert! Although not a dessert I’d be inclined to finish my plate to be rewarded with. Finish my greens just to eat more greens? Nice try, mom! Also, I’m pretty sure that plant is poisonous.

The durable plastic planter measures approximately 26″ tall and has an 8″ opening in which to place a plant. Of course, if you actually do put a plant inside instead of eight gallons of ice cream and trying to eat it all in one sitting, what are you even doing with your life? Not the same thing I’m doing, that’s for sure.

[via The Green Head]

Kickstarter’s tiny self-watering herb planter is back with a bigger, better design

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After 15 months of lockdown, I can barely take care of myself, leave alone my plants. My sleep habits are completely haywire, my junk-food intake is off the charts, and I won’t lie, I’ve skipped quite a few baths. The point I’m making (apart from the fact that I’m kind of disgusting) is that taking care of plants is a TASK. It requires dedication, effort, and involvement which comes naturally to some… but for others, there’s Pico.

Pico first appeared on the scene last year as an incredibly compact and versatile self-watering planter. It was tiny enough to attach to your fridge like a fridge-magnet, and all you had to do was put the seeds in and watch them grow on their own. Pico not only automatically watered your plants for you, it automatically gave them sunlight too, taking care of practically all of your plant’s needs. After gathering over $1.5 million in crowdfunding last year, the designers behind Pico decided it was time for Pico to have an elder sibling – Meet the Pico Max, a compact, self-growing planter that turns your kitchen counter into a kitchen garden. From herbs to fruits, veggies, sprouts, succulents, and even leafy greens, Pico Max manages it all.

If last year’s Pico was for enthusiasts looking to dip their toes in gardening, Pico Max helps them take gardening more seriously by actually cultivating plants that serve as decor, natural air-purifiers, or as kitchen ingredients. It comes with a wider gardening bed than its predecessor, allowing you to grow even more plants than before. The planter itself comes in a funky set of colors that add vibrance to your decor, and have an integrated window on the front that lets you observe the planter’s water level. Each Pico Max comes with its own dedicated water reservoir and the plant basically waters itself as and when it needs. All you really do is replenish the water reservoir every couple of days and you’re good to go!

Just like the original Pico planter, the Pico Max comes with its own LED lights that auto-switch on/off and auto-dim to give your plants the light they need to photosynthesize. The LED panel is carefully calibrated to mimic sunlight, and the entire panel sits on telescopic arms that let you adjust the LED’s height as the plants keep growing taller and taller. Each Pico Max runs on a 10,000 mAh battery that gives the planter 4 days’ worth of power at a stretch… although they can also be connected to a power source (quite like a smart speaker) for 24×7 use, and even linked together in series so that one plug-point can supply power to multiple Pico Max planters.

Using the Pico Max is as easy as making instant noodles – the planter comes with an optional all-in-one microgreen kit that contains the seeds, nutrients, and the growth medium. Just place the seeds in the growth medium and add water to the reservoir and your plant begins sprouting in a week. The planter can be placed on flat surfaces or even wall-mounted to add a splash of green to your space. Just like the original Pico, you can attach the planter to your refrigerator too, giving you a one-stop destination for fresh ingredients. You can use the Pico Max to grow practically anything – from fragrant flowers to succulents and even veggies and herbs. Pico Max’s extensively tested design takes the guesswork out of gardening, so all you need to do is focus on showing everyone else what a great plant-parent you are!

Designer: Arun Raj

Click Here to Buy Now: $75 $115 (36% off). Hurry, only 39/100 left! Raised over $275,000.

Pico Max – Grow a Garden Anywhere!

Pico Max is a bigger, better, and smarter version of Pico. It has telescopic LED lights, multiple mounts, and a self-watering system. With a click, anyone can grow a thriving garden.

Inbuilt Self-watering

Pico Max can sustain certain plants for up to ten days. It has a new inbuilt spout to top up the much bigger reservoir. The transparent window lets you know when it’s time to top up, typically once a week. Employing just capillary action and gravity, this design does not require any power supply or involve a motor or pump. Your plants will also grow quicker and healthier due to root oxygenation from below, provided by the ventilation holes.

Telescopic LED Grow Lights

Powered by high-performance power-efficient LEDs from OSRAM, Pico Max provides all the necessary wavelengths of light to replace the sun completely and allows you to grow plants all year round. These powerful LEDs are chosen to support a wide range of plants and each color wavelength stimulates a specific biological function in plants.

The LEDs are mounted on an easily adjustable telescopic arm—because plants grow like crazy under our LEDs! Now they come with an Industry-first Proximity Sensor-based automatic dimming function, to protect the plants from leaf burn or overexposure.

Multi-mount System

The revised mounting system involves one magnetic mount on the Pico Max and a mating multipurpose metal bracket, which could be mounted on a wall/ glass/ mirror using adhesive tapes or on magnetized surfaces like refrigerator doors or kitchen cabinets. With the optional battery, you could even showcase your beauties in places with no power outlets.

Daisy-chain Connections

With three USB Type-C ports, two in the bottom and one on the top, daisy-chaining is much easier. Just connect cables to either side, and Pico Max will accept and pass-through power to the next one, with the least wire clutter.

What Can You Grow?

Click Here to Buy Now: $75 $115 (36% off). Hurry, only 39/100 left! Raised over $275,000.

This clay humidifier, filter, lamp and planter is inspired from sustainable Brazilian traditions!

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Clay filters are common in Brazilian homes and designer Lucas Couto brings the best of them to more household appliances. Clay is an organic and natural material used by many developing nations because it is cost-effective, versatile, and easily available. Terracotta earthenware in the kitchen is an ingenious practice that is finding its way back into our modern lives and Couto extends the benefits of this material to lamps, filters, and humidifiers.

“I intended to respect the heritage, avoiding an approach to simply “modernize” the filter. I wanted to create a unique form factor that takes advantage of the materials and manufacturing process while introducing new functional features, such as a handle to assist in lifting the upper reservoir and a base to support a drinking glass,” he adds, “The cooling property of the ceramic inspired me to design a humidifier. This is a much-needed item in my hometown of Belo Horizonte, where the air can get very dry throughout the year.” Clay filters are actually proven to eliminate toxins from water through its existing properties while also keeping it cool according to research published in the book The Drinking Water Book: How to Eliminate Harmful Toxins from Your Water. The efficient filtration is a result of the gravity process, where water passes through the candles and drips slowly into the lower reservoir.

Couto wanted to create a multi-sensorial experience fostered by the terracotta. He retained the color, the textures, and the gradient caused by water absorption for visuals and touch. The water drops inside the filter and the vitrified sound of the material produce a soothing sound. Terracotta naturally smells like earth after rain and it also adds a unique flavor to water. The cooling property of the ceramic is why Couto made the humidifier too. All components are placed in the lid, which also contains a level indicator to assist the user with keeping the humidifier filled. The lamp and the planter were additions to the series to showcase the material in various forms outside the kitchen use. The planter has a two-compartment design to take advantage of capillarity for petrichor! The inner part of the pendant lamp is covered with a white glaze to increase light reflection while the terracotta prevents it from overheating. The clay range is organic, warm, functional, and aesthetic!

Designer: Lucas Couto

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Furniture meets dog house with this rattan side table that repurposes excess plant water for your dog!

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If there’s one thing millennials are keeping alive, it’s plants – and I am guilty of being an obsessive plant parent myself. A quick check of the #plantsofinstagram with its almost 10 million posts tells you this trend is here to stay. However, millennials don’t just want plants, they want plants that match their aesthetic goals with planter designs that are multifunctional and elevate their interior game!

Designed by Ben Hansen, this simple yet innovative dog house uses excess water from watering plants and filters it into the dog’s water bowl! Rattan with green accents gives it a light, airy feel. The minimal dog house will brighten any corner of your home – hard not to when it holds a cute plant and pet! It’s an adorable piece of furniture that not only serves as a home for your pet but also doubles up as an elegant plant holder, harmoniously merging with the interiors of your home. Ben’s approach to this is an almost reversal to the way we treat our pets and plants. While we love the use of rattan and wish to promote this sustainable material, there is also a certain lightness to the material which needs to be balanced by a strong and heavy metal frame to keep your energetic puppy from toppling this over! There are rather obvious questions about the actual purification of this plant water runoff and we hope Ben will soon share more details on the design’s execution.

This is the beauty of concepts – where we challenge traditional designs with the promise of something new. And while that new is not 100% ready yet, we know that this design can match our interior, pet, and plant baby goal in one neat package!

Designer: Ben Hansen

This sculptural terrarium brings the worlds of nature and architecture together

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No, it isn’t another Stefano Boeri building! The Chloroplast 2.0 is an absolutely captivating vertical terrarium that’s small enough to fit right on your tabletop. It combines aspects of architecture along with botany to create what TerraLiving calls a ‘botanical sculpture’. The terrarium features a microbiome of moss growing within a beautifully organic 3D-printed tower. The tower comes with a design that’s heavily inspired by the cellular structure found in plants, and the moss grows right within the towers, occupying individual cells to create a beautiful contrast of green against white.

The Chloroplast 2.0 is a custom-made, hand-grown terrarium designed by Malaysia-based TerraLiving. It comes with ZERO Moss, a preserved moss that requires virtually no care and automatically feeds off sunlight and CO2 to release fresh oxygen. The terrarium comes completely encased within a bell-jar which can be lifted to reveal the complex, self-sustaining natural biome within. Designed and developed by a group of passionate scientists and designers, the Chloroplast 2.0 is one of many unique offerings from TerraLiving, a company that’s dedicated to preserving and showcasing the complex world of mosses – one of the greatest survivors of evolution in the earth’s lifetime. The specially preserved ZERO Moss within the Chloroplast 2.0 doesn’t need watering at all, and can theoretically live for decades in its own self-sustaining microbiome. Place it on your desk, mantelpiece, or on your coffee table (preferably a place that gets sunlight) and the ChloroPlast adds a unique touch of living, breathing artwork to your space!

Designer: TerraLiving

This hydroponic planter uses water from dishwasher, washing machine, and toilet to grow plants

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It’s long been established that gray water can be used for irrigating veggies and plants, provided the edible part of the plant remains untouched by it. This is important since water from washing machines, dishwashers, etc can have traces of chlorine, grease, salt et al. – which can be harmful to it. Yet, the use of graywater for irrigation, not only benefits in saving water, but it also ensures less dirty water contaminates the local water bodies. There have been numerous examples of people using used water in gardens, now an avid designer has conceived an idea of a planter that uses water from household facilities for growing plants.

Dubbed “Grow”, this is a hydroponic system for nurturing plants, herbs, and more utilizing water from dishwashers, washing machines, and toilets. The designer’s motive behind such a design is to offer indoor gardeners a more conscious way to water their greens. While using graywater for watering indoor plants sounds like a perfect idea, the initial information about the Grow proves a different scenario.

From how it’s presented; when the water is flushed, fresh water flowing into the tank is first pulled by the planter system for irrigation and then it returns to the flush. This outrightly suggests that the Grow is not basically using graywater, instead, its utilizing fresh water for its needs. This may work beyond the idea of a worthy planter for the environmentally friendly; it for an instance sticks with us for the convenience of watering it offers. How the system checks the situation of overwatering or other tad bits of gardening, is something that still needs to come to light. Nonetheless, Grow does gives the notion of bringing nature into the home a new dimension!

Designer: Gal Kuflik

Old VHS Tapes Repurposed as Planters: Captain Planet Would Be Proud

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Remember when VHS tapes were the gold-standard in movie rentals? Seems like forever ago, doesn’t it? And where are all those VHS tapes now? I mean, besides my packrat parents’ basement? Landfills? Well, Etsy shop niftyrecyclables is doing their part to reduce, reuse, and recycle by selling VHS tapes that have been transformed into little planters. I’m going to grow a Blu-Ray tree!

Planters range in price from $25 – $30 depending on the movie title. You can even request a specific movie and, provided it isn’t too rare, niftyrecyclables will procure the VHS and turn it into a planter for $30. Obviously, Little Shop of Horrors is a must.

Provided you already have the movie you want to use, I can’t imagine modding a VHS tape for use as a planter is too difficult, even without instructions. Granted there’s no way I could do it, but I’m less of a do-it-yourselfer and much more of a destroy-it-yourselfer.

[via DudeIWantThat]

This multilevel indoor planter + lamp is the evolution for a millennial plant lover’s home!

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Plants are vital for a fresh inside environment, and the whole aspect of bringing nature indoors makes them worth all the effort. While in yesteryears simple planters were the norm, modern times call for indoor planters that go way beyond their intended purpose. Gökçe Nafak impressed us with the Lumiso desk planter that doubled as a lamp, and now, riding on the accolades of the cool accessory Gökçe has created another design that is well suited for bigger homes.

This is the GreenVita indoor planter which brings tenfold the greenery into your home – you can grow indoor plants or veggies in this exquisitely designed accessory that also functions as a lamp to give your space the right amount of ambiance. Place it by your desk or in the open lounge space alongside your aquarium, and you’ll feel that sense of calm when you finally retreat to comforting rest. The grow-light of GreenVita makes sure the plants and veggies get the needed light spectrum to bloom in all seasons.

It’s been designed to easily water the plants by pulling out the tray at two-level which can be loaded with different plants on one level and the veggies on another. The air perforations on both sides let out the optimum amount of fresh oxygen to keep the indoors free from any airborne bacteria. Rounded wheels on the bottom let you move the indoor planter to any corner of your home without much problem, and that’s great keeping in mind your plants will require to be exposed to natural sunlight every once in a while.

Designer: Gökçe Nafak

This minimal planter + table lamp design is the modern day desk accessory for every millennial home!

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Living in a confined apartment but you want to capitalize on your longtime dream of growing edibles and plants. Don’t let the lack of outside space pull you back. You can grow the herbs, veggies and greens, well inside the confines of your home. Of course, there are challenges in nurturing an indoor garden. Your plants will need the right amount of sunlight to grow since light triggers photosynthesis that plants turn into energy to grow. But how do you ensure ideal sunlight for growing plants indoors, especially during the winter months for instance? This is where you’ll have to weigh your options and a device like the LUMISO will fit the bill.

We know abundant sunlight is essential to assist the healthy growth of indoor plants. However, the key to successful gardening is to know which type of plant requires how much light to thrive, and what part of the house has that kind of sunlight. Or maybe you can introduce the LUMISO to your home, which comes with grow-lights that offer an exclusive light spectrum giving your plants the right amount of solar and ultraviolet rays they need to thrive.

Thankfully also, the LUMISO is not a mundane planter. It can sit beautifully on the desk and function as a table lamp as well as emitting cool and warm light that replicates the natural solar spectrum. The flower pot and lamp has a button in the base which is used to turn on the grow-light and it comes with replaceable blubs so they can be easily replaced at the end of life. So, if you are now willing to have a garden for your culinary herbs and little plants with additional light on your work desk, the LUMISO is a befitting device to let you do both.

Designer: Gökçe Nafak