Okay, let me tell you about this little project I tackled recently, the whole thing with the ‘b2 flowerpot’. It wasn’t anything groundbreaking, just something I got my hands dirty with over a weekend.
So, I had this plastic pot kicking around, I think it had ‘B2’ stamped on the bottom, maybe that’s why I started calling it that. It was a decent size, sturdy enough, but I remembered the last plant I put in a similar pot didn’t do too well. My gut told me it was the drainage. The holes at the bottom were tiny, almost useless.
Getting Started
First thing I did was grab the pot and give it a good clean. It had some old dirt and cobwebs inside. Just used some soap and water, nothing fancy. Let it dry out in the sun for a bit.
Then came the main job: improving the drainage. I decided it needed more holes, and bigger ones too. I got my old hand drill out. Safety first, right? Put on some old gloves just in case the plastic decided to crack funny.
- I marked out where I wanted the new holes on the bottom. Aimed for about five extra ones, spread out evenly.
- Started drilling. Went slow at first. The plastic was tougher than I thought.
- Had a bit of a slip on the third hole, scratched the side a little. No big deal, adds character, I guess.
- Made the existing holes a bit wider too, just used the drill bit to carefully enlarge them.
Prepping for Planting
Once the drilling was done, I cleared out the plastic shavings. Now, just having holes isn’t always enough. Sometimes the soil can still clog them up. So, I found some broken bits of old terracotta pots I keep for this exact reason. Put a layer of these larger chunks right at the bottom, over the holes. This creates little pockets of air and lets water escape easier.
Next up, the soil. I didn’t use anything special, just some regular potting mix I had. But I mixed in a handful of perlite I had left over. That stuff is great for keeping the soil from getting too packed down and helps with aeration and drainage too.
The Final Step
With the pot modified and the soil ready, it was time for the plant. I had this small spider plant that needed repotting anyway, seemed like a good candidate to test out my improved ‘b2’ pot. Gently got it into the pot, filled in around it with my soil mix, making sure not to pack it too tightly. Gave it a good drink of water and watched to see how quickly the excess water drained out the bottom. Much better than before!
So yeah, that was my little adventure with the b2 flowerpot. Just a simple modification, really. Took maybe an hour? But it felt good doing it myself instead of just buying another pot. The spider plant seems happy in its new home so far. We’ll see how it goes long term, but I’m hopeful this time.
