DIY Macramé Plant Hanger for Kids - Fondulac District Library

Let’s add some airy, green goodness to your favorite room in the house with this DIY macramé plant hanger and air plant combo. Don’t know how to take care of an air plant? That’s okay, we’ll teach you! Supply kits, including your very own plant, are available for kids ages 8-14 at the library (pick up from Youth Services or the drive-up window).

Supplies

Library Supply Kit:

– Air plant

– Bell cup (small, dried flower cups that will hold the plant)

– Eight (8) pieces of cotton twine

Supplies from Home:

– Scissors

– Glass bowl or disposable cup

– (Optional) Food coloring dye or Kool-Aid packets

Instructions

Fill a small glass bowl or disposable cup with enough water to submerge your bell cup as far as you want the dye to go.
Add food coloring or Kool-aid packet to the water and stir with a spoon until you have the color you want. Test the color out on a paper towel to see if you like it.
Place the bell cup into the dyed water for 1-2 minutes, but no more than 5 minutes to prevent cracking. NOTE: There is a small hole in the bottom of the bell cup, so make sure to let the water drain from the cup as you take it out of the dyed water.
Let the bell cup dry. This should take about 10 to 15 minutes.
While your bell cup is drying, start creating your macramé plant hanger. First, take your 8 pieces of cotton twine and line them all up.
At one end, tie a knot about 1½ inches from the end of the strings, leaving a tail.
Separate the strings into 4 sections of 2 strings per section.
Take one pair of strings and tie them together about 1 inch from the knot where all 8 pieces of string are tied. Repeat on the other three pairs of strings.
Gather your strings back into pairs. Next, take one pair of strings in your right hand. You will match up the left string of that pair to the right string of the pair to the left of the one in your hand.
Tie these two strings together 1 inch from the previous knots. Repeat for the remaining strings.
Your strings should now look like a square with a t-shape or cross in the middle. Gather your strings back into pairs to prepare for the final knots. Take the outermost piece of string from one section and match it up with the closest piece of string from the section to the left of it, just as you did for the previous round of knots.
Tie these two strings together 1 inch from the previous knots. Repeat for the remaining strings.
Now, place your dry bell cup in the center of your macramé strings with the big knot with the tail in the center hanging underneath it.
Pull the loose ends of string up around the sides of the cup. Make sure the cup is centered over the big knot.
Gather the loose ends of the strings in place and decide how high or low you would like your planter to hang.
At that spot, tie off the loose strings with a big knot. If you want, you can cut off the tail of strings at the top, but make sure to leave at least one inch so the knot does not come undone.
Place your air plant into the bell cup and adjust the strings again so the big knot at the bottom is centered under the bell cup. NOTE: We recommend that you only place air plants into these bell cups since they do not need soil. Soil and water will cause bell cups to crack over time. If you choose to put a succulent in the bell cup, make sure it is planted in a small plastic pot and that you water it outside the bell cup.

Source: For the Makers — DIY Plant Hangers

How to Care for Your Air Plant

We call them that name because they live in the open air without soil, but they do still need sunlight and water to live. To take care of your air plant, you’ll want to hang it in a place in your house with indirect sunlight, meaning that it’s in a room with a window that lets sunlight in, but the plant is never directly in the sun. You’ll also want to water it once a week by submerging it in room temperature water for 10 to 20 minutes, then gently shaking off the water and letting it air dry for 3 to 4 hours before placing it back in your hanger. Try not to put the plant back in the bell cup before it’s dry, as water can make the bell cup crack over time. If you’re new to the plant world, then this is a great first plant to have as it doesn’t require a lot of care. Be careful not to over-water it and it should be with you anywhere from several months to a few years.

Additional Resources

To learn more about how to care for and arrange air plants and other drought-tolerant plants like succulents and cacti, check out these books at our library!