Eco-Friendly Living

Becoming a Cactus Mom

My beloved bamboo coffee cup broke and I was pretty upset about it.

seeds in the coffee cup that will be used as a pot

Even though it’s compostable, what’s the point of buying reusable cups if I keep breaking or losing them? I’ve already gone through 3 glass water bottles because I drop them, but I took the cover from my last one and put it on my ice-coffee cup so at least that got a make-over! A huge cracked formed down the side of the coffee cup and I tried fixing it – with nail glue – and realized it definitely wasn’t safe to drink out of anymore. Instead of throwing it out, I decided it deserves to be reincarnated as a flower pot.

Initially, I was just going to buy a flower. I used to have a plant in my room but I can’t remember what happened to it, it might have died, or my mam might have got sick of taking care of it, I was 10 so I don’t remember.

Cactus seed pod in front of pineapple ornaments

I settled on a cactus but decided instead of just buying a cactus I’d grow my own.  There are lots of plants I want, like sunflowers being my favouite flower, or a mint plant so I can try to recreate the life-changing mint tea from Morocco.

I also find something cute about cacti, I feel the same about pineapples, there’s just something I like about them. Besides, it’s pretty hard to kill a cactus.

I found a cheap little kit and decided to raise my new plant in my coffee cup.

It came with enough to make four separate pots, each meant to have 5-7 seeds each so it’s going to be a little cluster of cacti. They’re all different kinds too so it’s going to be a surprise to see what grows.

Empty jar with treasure chest sticker to be used as a flower pot

To plant a second one I used an empty almond butter jar and decorated it so my boyfriend gets one too, and it means I saved something from being thrown out. I’m actually jealous of how cool the jar looks, but at least I’ll get to visit it! I’m keeping the other two for if I want more later of if the two I planted just don’t germinate at all. I followed the instructions perfectly and they were so easy so if nothing grows I’ll be embarrassed.

I got the kit on June 27th, and it says germination takes from 2 weeks to 2 months so it could be a while until my next update. Hopefully next time I’ll have a cute little baby cactus, and I’d like to think that post will come sooner rather than later.

One measly little cactus isn’t going to do anything about climate change, but the more plants in the world the better! This upcycling project saved a coffee cup from going to landfill, and the need to buy a pot had I decided later I wanted a cactus!

The lesson here is when something you love breaks gives it a new life as something else!

Grow Your Own Cactus Kit from Amazon

28 thoughts on “Becoming a Cactus Mom

  1. I love cacti as well, so I guess that makes me a proud cactus mom, and I really like that you recycle items and turn them into plant pots!
    I’ve never bought Cacti seed starter kit but I think I might actually try it out!

    Samantha xx
    samanthacarraro.wordpress.com

  2. I think a better way to go is if you buy a reusable cup that is good for the environment when you dispose of it. It’s a double whammy that way! Having a cactus is nice! I’ve been growing one for ~20 years (since I was a kid) and WOW! They grow with you XD. Thanks for sharing!

    Nancy ♥ exquisitely.me

  3. Ahhh, how exciting!! I recently decided to become a plant and herb mum, and I wrote a post about the cute pots I found and planting them all over on my blog if you want to check it out! But I’m so excited I did, I thought I was doing something wrong for ages but once they finally started growing it was so cool. Usually I completely kill plants, too, but I’m doing good this time 😂 they look awesome now, so excited for your journey!

    Beka | http://www.bekadaisies.com

  4. Love this! It’s so neat finding other uses for items instead of just getting rid of them. Can’t wait to see your progress with the Cactus. I had a little one, but I don’t think it got enough sunlight where I had it. May get another one, they are so cute. 💛

  5. I think I’m the person with the least green fingers on earth, but I keep trying to have house plants. Last week I noticed I’d let a cactus die…. SIGH.
    I’d love to grown my own. You think I could find this kit on Amazon?

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