How to Make a Plaster Plant Pot

Plant pots come in all shapes and sizes. The typical cylindrical plant pot is overused and looks unappealing. A more intricate dodecahedron plant pot design can be made by casting plaster. Learn how to make a plaster dodecahedron plant pot in this Instructables plan.

Materials:

• 45x30 cm Polypropylene Sheet
• Metal ruler
• Safety ruler
• Stationery knife
• Pencil
• Protractor
• Compass
• Adhesive tape
• Plaster powder
• Water
• Bucket
• Stirring spoon
• Drill
• Sanding board

Draw a 5 cm line on a sheet of polypropylene with a pencil. Measure 108º from the right end of the line with a protractor and draw a mark at the 108º angle. Move the protractor away and connect the right end of the line and the mark to make a 5 cm line. Place the protractor on the end of this new line and measure 108º again. Continue this process until you finish drawing a pentagon. If the last side you draw ends up less or more than 5 cm, erase the previous lines and remeasure. Continue drawing pentagons to create the net shown above (one pentagon isn't needed because there will be a hole at the top of the mould).

Cut out the net using a stationery knife and safety ruler on a cutting board. Try not to cut the inside of the net. Fold the net on the lines you have made and tape the sides together to create a dodecahedron shape (make sure to tape it securely so no plaster will leak out).

Find a PVC pipe of 4 cm in diameter. Place it on a sheet of polypropylene and outline the circular base with a pencil. Cut out the circle with a stationery knife and use tape to stick the circle to the end of the PVC pipe. You can stick it from either the outside or the inside.

Put 3 parts plaster powder to 2 parts water together in a bucket and mix with a spatula to form liquid plaster. Drop around 30-40 drops of purple coloring into the mixture and mix thoroughly. Pour the liquid plaster into the dodecahedron mould until it almost reaches the top, then push the core in the center of the mould so that it is a few centimeters from the bottom (make sure that the core goes in with the covered base first). Use tape to secure the core in place. Wait for at least 30 minutes for the plaster to solidify.

Once the plaster is solid, use a stationery knife to take apart the mould. Try not to scrape the plaster with the knife. Carefully pull out the core.

Sand the rough edges of the plaster on a sanding board in a back-and-forth motion until they are smooth.

Turn the plant pot upside down and drill a hole in the center of the plant pot. Any appropriate drill size will suffice.

Enjoy your finished plant pot! Hope it didn't crack :/