Tabletop Cactus Planter

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Want to add a touch of nature to your living space? Look no further than a tabletop cactus planter. With their unique shapes and colors, cacti make for a stunning addition to any room. And the best part? They’re incredibly low maintenance.

cactus planter in a glass bowl on a table.

You need to try making one for these cactus planters. I’m in love.

It was so much fun to put this together from selecting the plants to arranging them in a unique and beautiful way in my planter.

A tabletop cactus garden is not only beautiful to look at, but it also has numerous benefits that will make you fall in love with this project. If you’re looking for a low-maintenance yet stunning addition to your home decor, a tabletop cactus garden is perfect for you.

Why You’ll Love This Project

  • Aside from adding a touch of nature to your living space, cacti have been proven to have significant health benefits. Caring for cacti can help reduce stress levels and improve air quality in your home. According to studies, plants have been shown to reduce stress levels and increase productivity in work environments. Cacti specifically have been found to absorb pollutants and improve the air quality in your home.
  • It’s an affordable and easy way to elevate your home decor. The array of colors, shapes, and textures of cacti make it easy to match your current decor or even create a new theme altogether.

So why not give it a try and see for yourself why a cactus planter is such a worthwhile addition to any living space?

Tabletop Cactus Garden on a table with book and glasses.

Let me show you how I put this together.

Materials

Here’s what you’ll need to assemble a cactus planter.

supplies laid out for cactus planter.

Let’s get creating!

How to Make

Below, I’m going to give you a detailed process of how I made this cactus planter. I’ve also provided a more condensed version of the procedure as a printable card at the end of this post. 

hand adding rocks to a shallow glass dish.
  1. Line the bottom of a shallow dish with rocks. You can use any type of dish you have. I liked this particular dish because it’s clear, round, and fairly shallow.
hand placing cacti into planter.
  1. Then start putting in your cacti. Because the pots are taller than my dish I cleared as much soil as possible off the of roots of each cactus before putting them into my dish. This way, the bottom of my cacti would be flush with the top of the dish.
hand adding soil to cactus planter.
cactus planter with dirt spread around the table.
  1. After that, fill in with dirt.
hand adding rock to cactus planter.
  1. Finish off the garden with a few more rocks. I like to put them in groups of two or three.
top view of complete cactus planter

That’s it! Your tabletop cactus planter is complete.

It literally takes all of ten minutes to do this project and the results are spectacular.

Choosing the Perfect Cacti

The key to creating a beautiful cactus planter is choosing the perfect cacti. With so many options available, it can be overwhelming to know where to start. One important factor to consider is the size of the cacti. Choose a variety of sizes to add depth and interest to your garden. Also, be sure they are going to fit into your selected container.

Another important factor is the texture and shape of the cacti. Consider pairing a spiky cactus with a rounder one to balance out the look. Don’t be afraid to mix and match textures and shapes to create a unique and visually appealing garden.

When selecting cacti, it’s important to also consider their lighting and watering needs. Choose cacti that have similar requirements to make caring for your garden easier.

up close photo of cactus in a planter.

Caring for Your Cactus Planter

To keep your tabletop cactus planter looking its best, you’ll need to provide proper care and maintenance. Cacti are easy to care for, but they do require some attention to thrive.

  • Make sure your cacti are getting the right amount of light. Most cacti prefer bright, indirect sunlight, so be sure to place your garden near a window or under a lamp.
  • Water your cacti only when the soil is completely dry, and be sure to use a well-draining soil mix. Unlike other plants, cacti don’t require frequent watering. In fact, overwatering can be harmful to your garden.
  • Fertilize your planter with a cactus-specific fertilizer every few months during the growing season.
cactus planter on a table in a room.
Tabletop Cactus Garden on table with books.

To be honest, I haven’t really been a cacti fan in the past, but I’m totally in love with them these days. Their textures and shapes add so much variety, interest, and life to a space. Plus, they bring a wonderful contemporary feel to a room. I think a terrarium filled with cacti would also make a great gift.

So why not try your hand at creating one of these beautiful planters and bring a little bit of nature into your home?

Tabletop Cactus planter on a table.

More Plant Ideas You May Enjoy

Have you had any success with tabletop gardens or terrariums? Think you’ll give one a try? Please leave a comment and a 5-star rating below. 

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cactus planter on a table in a room.

Cactus Planter

Want to add a touch of nature to your living space? Look no further than a tabletop cactus planter. With their unique shapes and colors, cacti make for a stunning addition to any room. And the best part? They’re incredibly low maintenance.
5 from 1 vote
Print Pin Rate
Course: Home Decor Craft
Cuisine: American
Keyword: cactus, diy, planter
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 1

Ingredients

  • shallow container
  • succulent / cactus soil
  • gloves
  • small decorative rocks
  • assured cacti

Instructions

  • Line the bottom of a shallow dish with rocks. You can use any type of dish you have. I liked this particular dish because it’s clear, round, and fairly shallow.
  • Then start putting in your cacti. Because the pots are taller than my dish I cleared as much soil as possible off the of roots of each cactus before putting them into my dish. This way, the bottom of my cacti would be flush with the top of the dish.
  • After that, fill in with dirt.
  • Finish off the garden with a few more rocks. I like to put them in groups of two or three.
  • Add a sprinkle of water to lightly moisten the soil.

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38 Comments

  1. I made my little garden today! I used a long dish instead of a round one….it has the cacti in a short row. I think it looks great and I’m going to put it on my desk in my craft room! Thank you for the inspiration! I’d love to show you pictures, but I’m not sure how. Email me directly if you’d like to see it.

  2. Wauw, what an amazing idea. I was searching for some inspiring ideas with cacti in an interior for my weekly post for Showhome.nl . I found this photo on Pinterest and directly go to your blog. I think it looks great and i add you to my bloglovin roll. I will take a look at your blog tonight. Will you step by at BintiHomeblog too? Curious what you think. Have a good day!

    best regards,
    Souraya Hassan
    bintihomeblog.com

  3. Do you remember where you picked up the glass dish you used? I think that dish is just perfect!

    I’m creating a craft room for myself, and I think I’ll add this to my decor! I see those colorful little cacti from time to time, but I have never thought to group them like you did. The end result is wonderful! Thanks for sharing!

    1. Judy – it was actually from my gift shoppe (which is now closed). It’s from a company called ‘Tag’. I feel like I’ve seen them at HomeGoods or TJMaxx at some point or another too.

      xo Michael

      1. Thank you!
        I found something I think I’ll like at Ikea, but it’s not available right now.
        I’ll check around. I appreciate the quick response!

    1. Yes! Me too. I’m hoping to find some really practical / useful crafts and DIY projects. All suggestions are welcome! 🙂

      xo Michael

    1. You can call me that once they’ve survived a couple months! Haha.

      I have yet to start reading it, but it’s next on my list! I can’t wait.

      xo Michael 🙂

  4. thanks Michael, you come to my rescue. I love gardening (and I am good at it too) but…. cacti seem to hate me – I kill them off quickly, which upsets my husband, who loves them. Now I will try again (as a ‘secret’ little gift to him) with my glass dish and pebbles – that hopefully will do the trick.
    The other thing, I love your curtains!! Who is the Designer?
    I really enjoy your postings, but I have an issue with W/P – often I cannot “like” or “comment” because W/P is not available (so it says on screen) – that means many a times I just have to delete, or my email box gets clogged up. Take care and have a nice (creative) weekend. Carina 🙂

    1. Yeah! I’m glad I was able to give you the courage to try again. To be honest, I’m a little nervous about keeping mine alive too!

      Thanks for the curtain love. I guess I’m the designer. Haha. I made them myself. You can read about that here: https://inspiredbycharm.com/2011/04/garden-suite-curtain-reveal-and-tutorial.html

      I’m not quite sure about the WoodPress issue. Where is this happening? In your email? Any additional info would be appreciated. Thanks!

      xo Michael

    1. Um, I’m not sure yet. I have another large cactus and they don’t seem to bother it. Thankfully these smaller guys aren’t too sharp. I hope they just leave it alone.

      xo Michael

      1. Oh, I know. Just check your cactus before you bring them home. It’s surprising how soft some of them are. I assume they get harder/sharper as the plants get bigger. Good luck!

        xo Michael

  5. Fantastic job, Michael! I love cacti and succulents. Some of mine have died; others have done well. I’ve trying not watering them for a loong time to watering them more often to moving away from direct sunlight. Hope yours stay as beautiful as they are now!

  6. I was a commenter in the survey about DIYs, and here you are with a new one! This is exactly what I was hoping for! I really like the cacti too – classic and easy (hopefully?) to maintain. Great idea, Michael!

    1. Well thank you again for your survey answer. So many folks were very constructive and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate that! Glad you are liking the tutorial and I certainly hope you enjoy the rest of the series!

      xo Michael