5 Plant-Centric Ways to Reuse Wine Bottles

Wine lovers, here’s one for you. Find yourself with an ever-growing heap of empties? Although wine bottles are accepted for recycling in some municipalities, reusing them within the home produces even less waste, and requires even fewer resources than recycling.

Wine bottles are fun, with or without wine inside. Here are five eco-chic ways to creatively reuse empty wine bottles that will show off your cut, dried, or living plants—all with minimal time and handy work. Cheers to that!

Small Bouquet Wine Bottle Vases

Photo: gamttep.com

How convenient it is that wine bottles and vases are practically the same shapes. Simply soak the bottle in warm water for 30 minutes and peel off the label (if you wish). Rinse out any wine residue, and voila! You’ll never need to purchase another vase again. Keep it simple—just a few flowers or pieces of greenery are enough to complete the arrangement. Freshly cut or dried flowers work well; long-stemmed items work best.

Wine Bottle Botanical Centerpieces

Photo: marliesdoes.com

Think of a clear, empty wine bottle as a display case waiting to happen. Simply feed some interesting-looking greenery into the neck of the bottle and fill it with water. Stick a long, skinny candle in the top, and you’re ready for your next candlelit dinner.

Wine bottles as Watering Globes

Photo julieblanner.com

You’re busy, and your plants have demanding watering schedules. Ditch the pricy watering globes and make your own. Find a bottle with a metal screw top. If there’s a plastic insert on the inside of the cap, remove it with a screwdriver. Place the cap topside down on a piece of scrap wood, and poke a hole in the top with a nail and hammer. Fill the bottle with water and screw the cap back on. Dig a hole near the base of a thirsty plant, and push the neck of the bottle into the soil. Sit back and watch your plant drink up.

Photo: freckleditalian.com

Because you’ll need to cut the bottle, this one perhaps requires the most effort. But it’s worth it—and easier than you think! Wrap a piece of masking tape around the bottle where you’d like to make your cut. Using the edge of the tape as a guide, score the bottle with a glasscutter or drill bit. Heat the scoreline directly over an open flame (a small candle works well), rotating the bottle to get even coverage. Cool the bottle in ice water, then carefully break the top off with a hammer. If all goes as planned, the bottle will cleanly break where you scored. Remove the tape and sand the cut edge with sandpaper. Place some stones in the bottom, fill with your favorite succulent, and wait for compliments from your friends.

Wine Bottles as Hydroponic Gardens

Photo: geturbanleaf.com

This is our favorite way to reuse wine bottles, but we’re biased. Our counter-top herb kits transform empty wine bottles into tiny gardens—no green thumb required. Keep culinary herbs at arm’s reach, and upcycle your empty bottles in the process. Learn how to choose the perfect bottle here. (Spoiler alert: green or brown wine bottles are ideal.)

Ideas for Wine Bottle Plants

Now that you know 5 different ways to reuse your wine bottles, here are some ideas on how to grow different houseplants in your recycled wine bottles.

Growing Pothos in Wine Bottles

Pothos (Epipremnum aureum), also known as Devil’s Ivy, Golden Pothos, or variegated philodendron, is one of the best plants to grow in wine bottles, as it can improve air quality and circulation in your home and is almost impossible to kill. To grow your own pothos at home, you only need a recycled wine bottle, some tap water, and Miracle-Gro, or any other fertilizer that you prefer.

Below is a quick step-by-step guide for you:

1. Get your wine bottle and make sure it’s clean. This is also a good way to recycle your unused and stored wine bottles at home.
2. Fill your bottle with clean, non-chlorinated tap water. If your tap water has chlorine, you can let the water sit in an open container for an hour, or you can use a cleaner source of water.
3. Add in your fertilizer. A few drops of it into the water before adding the plant is good. Check out our liquid plant food/fertilizer here.
4. Add in your plant. Place your pothos cutting in the wine bottle, making sure that the cut ends are covered with water. Wait for a few weeks, and you’ll begin to see roots forming on your cuttings. Time will pass and these roots will grow longer, making the cuttings more capable of supporting new growth.
5. Make sure to change the water at least every 2-3 weeks. 
6. You also want to make sure that most, if not all of your plant’s roots are submerged in water.
7. Make sure to replenish/add more fertilizer at least every 4-6 weeks.
8.  Lastly, clean algae as often as needed. For tips on how to get rid of algae or mold, you can check out our article here.

Growing Flowers in Wine Bottles

If you want to decorate and recycle at the same time, you can create your own bottle flower garden. Some flowers that can grow in bottles are marigolds, zinnias, and cosmos. Check out our Edible Flowers Bottle Garden Kit here for easier and hassle-free indoor gardening. Our bottle gardens kit already includes the following, you only need your own wine bottles and tap water:

• 3 x self-watering smart soil inserts
• 3 x seed packets
• 3 x germination domes
• 1 x quick start guide
• 4 x labels for bottles (one spare)

If you don’t have any wine bottles at home, you can also buy our signature wine bottles here.

Growing Money Plant in Wine Bottles

Money plant is a popular houseplant, which is known for bringing positivity, prosperity, and good luck to the area. Like the pothos (devil ivy), it is also one of the air purifying plants. To plant your own money plant in wine bottles, see the below quick guide:

What You Need

• Money plant
• Wine bottle (preferably recycled)
• Stones
• Water
• Scissors

Steps

1. Snip a few stems from a money plant tree.
2. Place the cutting into your wine bottle.
3. To secure the plant, place some stones in the container. In just a few weeks, the shoots will grow roots around them.
4. Pour clean, unchlorinated water into the jar.
5. Change the water every week to prevent mosquitoes and other insects from breeding.

Growing Herb Gardens in Wine Bottles

Just like houseplants and flowers, you can also plant herbs in your wine bottles. Check out our other varieties of Bottle Garden Kits here. As always, these kits already include everything that you need to start your own wine bottle herb garden. You just need to have your own bottles (or you can buy our own bottles, too) and water, of course.