Make a Dog Bowl Planter, So Your Pooch Can Water the Plants!

Dogs don’t have quite as refined table manners as we do, but instead of begrudgingly mopping up the splash zone after they go in for a drink of water, why not make the most of their messy habits? Create a dog planter bowl full of plants that get watered every time your pup gets thirsty. It’s pretty genius, honestly! As a garden and pet centre, this is definitely a DIY craft we can get behind! Here’s how you can make one yourself for indoor or outdoor use.

 

How Do You Make a Dog Bowl Planter?

This easy DIY plant craft will be quite the conversation piece! Here’s everything you need to make your own water bowl planter:

  • One ceramic water bowl
  • One round metal tray or cake pan with a rim, about 2” deep and at least 13” wide 
  • One small plastic bowl, roughly the same size as the water bowl
  • An assortment of small, pet-friendly succulents, plants, moss, or grasses
  • Succulent potting mix
  • Pretty pebbles

Most of the items on this list can be easily found at a craft store, aside from the plants and potting mix—but of course, you can find those here at Mother Nature in Powell River!

mother nature blog - messy dog drinker

Dog Bowl Planter Assembly Instructions

Seriously, these water bowl planters are so easy to make that you’ll want to start giving them away as gifts! Don’t be surprised if you get commission requests from your friends—once they see yours, they’ll have to have one of their own!

Step One: Place your small plastic bowl in the center of your metal tray. Add a layer of pebbles so that it’s filled halfway.

Step Two: Fill the surrounding space in the metal tray with your succulent potting mix.

Step Three: Plant your succulents or other pet-safe plants into the potting mix. Leave some space between them, and don’t crowd them in tightly—you want to leave some space for them to grow! If necessary, add additional potting mix to help your new plantings stay in place. 

Step Four: Use your decorative pebbles to cover any exposed soil—it looks prettier this way!

Voila! Your planter is complete, and you can fill up that water dish for your pets and set it in the central plastic dish so they can get cracking on that watering. If you’re finding that your pet is a particularly sloppy drinker and a lot of water is soaking the soil, you can move your planter outdoors so that the sunshine evaporates the moisture more quickly. This way, your plants will stay hydrated without the soil getting too soggy, leading to root rot. 

these water bowl planters are so easy to make that you’ll want to start giving them away as gifts!

The Best Pet-Friendly Plants for Your Planter

Many plants are toxic to animals, so you want to be very careful about which plants you choose for this project. You’ll also want to stick to low-growing plants with more shallow root systems, so they’ll sit comfortably in the tray. Here are some top recommendations for non-toxic plants you can use for this DIY craft.

Pet-Friendly Succulents

  • Echeveria
  • Sempervivum (Hens n’ Chicks)
  • Aeonium
  • Sedum Morganianum (Burro’s Tail)
  • Haworthia
  • Portulacaria

Pet-Friendly Grasses

mother nature blog - dog dish in planterOther Pet-Friendly Plants

Mother Nature is your one-stop-shop garden and pet centre, so visit us soon to stock up on the necessary supplies to complete your dog bowl planter! We have plenty of dog-friendly plants for sale and an impressive selection of quality pet food and supplies.

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