Turn a Champagne Cork Into a Tiny Air Plant Planter

I first got word of air plants from a coworker, who's a fellow plant nerd. The only maintenance they required, she said, was bright, indirect light, a weekly soak in water, and an occasional spritzing with a water bottle.  They apparently derive their nutrients from air/moisture and do not grow in soil, hence the name.  In nature, you'll find them perched onto other plants or structures.

In terms of vertical gardening, air plants are a good option because they are small and can be readily mounted onto your surface of choice and hung from a wall, ceiling or really any vertical structure.  I've come across a ton of neat DIY ideas using air plants, so I'll be posting more air plant DIYs as I try them out.

I bought a tiny Tillandsia at Buchanan's Native Plants for $1.99.  You can also find them on Etsy for as cheap as $1.00/each.  And after making mimosas on Christmas Day, I had several champagne corks on hand and decided to make a tiny planter for my new plant.  I especially liked the decorative writing on these particular corks :)

This is probably the easiest DIY ever.  All you need is a knife, an air plant and a cork.  Carefully carve out a hole in the cork that's big enough to fit the base of your air plant into, being mindful not to maim yourself in the process, of course.  Then carefully push the base of your plant into the opening.

Put your tiny planter in a sunny window.  Although some say misting is sufficient, I tend to err on the side of caution.  Many air plant suppliers recommend that you submerge your air plant in water for 20-30 minutes, once per week.  You can mist your plant in between soakings.

The possibilities are pretty much endless with air plants.  You could use these cork planters as inexpensive party favors or place settings.  Actually, the coworker I mentioned earlier bought succulents in bulk on Etsy and made super cute centerpieces for her wedding reception.  I don't see why you couldn't do the same with air plants. I've seen air plants mounted on wood, rocks or seashells, and placed in terrariums.  If you haven't noticed already, I'm pretty excited about my new plant :).