10 Plants You Can Grow in Coconut Planters & How to Take Care of Them

If you’ve joined our journey since day one, you may already know that we started out as a brand offering coconut bowls for your smoothies, as well as bamboo straws and wooden utensils. Because of our customers like you, we have launched our “1 Product Sold = 1 Tree Planted” project and planted over 25,000 trees in Vietnam and Africa—in just less than a year since we began!

But that’s not all—we’ve heard you loud and clear: Coconut Planters are now part of our coco-collection! 

Gardeners and plant parents now have a way of giving their plants an all-natural home. Just like our bowls, our coconut planters are made from upcycled coconut shells and handcrafted by artisans. Most of them also come with plant hangers made of sustainable jute rope. So no trees were harmed in the making of these pots! They’re the perfect eco-friendly homes for your plant babies.

Watch the video to see how our coconut planters are made:

We’re excited to show you the many plants you can put in these coconut planters. But first, let’s talk about why you’ve made (or why you’ll make) a great choice of getting these planters for your garden.

Why You’ll Love Using Coconut Planters

Biodegradable

Anything that’s made of completely natural materials is biodegradable, just like our coconut planters. When they have finally fulfilled their purpose and need to be discarded, they’ll naturally break down into the earth as organic matter. So steer clear of plastic pots ending up in landfills and harming the environment for decades—choose these coconut shell planters instead.

Sturdy

Coconut shells are known for their durability—some researchers have even looked into using them as aggregate concrete. 

So when you have planters made of coconut shells, you can enjoy the fact that they’ll last years of holding your plants. They’re perfect for when you’re sick of ceramic or terra cotta containers getting broken!

Upcycled

Perhaps the most important benefit of using coconut planters is that they help reduce waste. Every year, billions of coconut shells are discarded. They either end up in landfills or burned in incinerators. By using these planters, you’re giving a new purpose to coconut waste and helping reduce carbon emissions.

Stylish

And the most obvious benefit? Coconut shell planters are just a sight for sore eyes. Thanks to the artisans in Vietnam, the once unwanted coconut shells are crafted into beautiful natural planters for any garden. They complete the natural vibe of your plants while bringing an island-style touch to your garden!

How to Turn Your Coconut Bowl Into a Planter

If you’re still unsure whether to get a coconut planter or not, you can try out its benefits with a spare coconut bowl. A lot of our creative customers have already tried using their coconut bowls as planters, and with complete success! 

Here’s how you can make a coconut shell planter out of your bowl too:

What You’ll Need:

• A Raw Coconut Bowl - we recommend this bowl since it’s the thickest of our bowls!
• Drill
• Drainage layer (pebbles or stones)
• Potting soil and plant
• Jute rope and screw hook (optional)

Instructions:

1. Turn your bowl upside down so that its bottom faces up. 
2. Securely hold your bowl and drill four holes into its bottom surface. These holes will serve as your plant’s drainage system.

If you’d like to turn it into a hanging coconut planter, you can do this by cutting eight pieces of jute rope. Make sure to cut them long enough to leave some rope for tying the knots around the pot and some extra length of rope that hangs above and below the pot.

1. Make a knot at the end of your eight strands of jute rope, leaving a few inches at the end. 
2. Separate them into groups of two and center the knot at the bottom of your bowl. 
3. Tie a knot in each of the groups of two strands, just a bit past the bottom curve of the bowl.
4. Grab one strand from a group of ropes and another one from a neighboring set of ropes. Tie them together so that it sits between the two knots above and right past the mouth of the bowl. Repeat the process with the other strands.
5. Turn your bowl right side up and tie a hangman's knot at the end of the ropes.

Now, before you hang your DIY coconut bowl planter, put the drainage layer and potting soil into the bowl first and set your plant baby in. Then, mount the screw hook on your wall or ceiling and hang your planter.

10 Plants You Can Grow in Coconut Planters

Outdoor Plants

Of course, getting a coconut planter is easier than making your own. Our coconut planters come in various styles, so you have different planter options for growing your outdoor garden! And because they’re crafted from upcycled coconut shells, they bring an island vibe to your porch, backyard, or patio as you grow your outdoor plants.

Here are some edible or ornamental plants you can grow outside with coconut planters:

1. Microgreens

Ever tried shopping for microgreens at the grocery store? They can get a tad expensive, but the good news is you can grow your own at home with coconut planters.

You can start by getting a pre-packaged microgreen seed mix, like mustard, arugula, spinach, kale, and cabbage. Put loose soil into your coconut planter, spread the seeds about 1/4-inch apart, and cover them with a shallow layer of soil. Water the soil thoroughly and place your planter in a cool, shaded area out of direct sunlight. 

Remember to mist it once or twice every day to keep the soil moist. Finally, harvest your vegetable confetti when their leaves are fully formed and enjoy your homegrown greens!

Bonus tip: Combine your freshly harvested microgreens with your choice of salad dressing, serve in a coconut bowl, and dig into your salad with a wooden fork!

2. Herbs

Herbs are some of the easiest edible plants to grow at home. You can choose perennial herbs, like rosemary, chives, oregano, and mint, to enjoy fresh garnishes from your coconut planter all year long.

You can grow herbs from seeds in moist, well-drained soil, just like the microgreens. But it’s best to put them, along with your coconut planters, in full sun.

3. Recycled Food Scraps

If you’re peeling potatoes or chopping some lettuce or other leafy greens, don’t throw their scraps just yet! You can set aside certain parts of these vegetables and regrow them.

There are lots of vegetables you can grow from food scraps. For instance, you can take a potato peel with at least one or two “eyes,” let it dry overnight, plant it in the soil in your coconut planter, and care for it as you would normally do when growing potatoes from seeds.

Another vegetable you can grow from scrap is your leafy crop, like lettuce, cabbage, or bok choy. Place their leaves in a bowl filled with a bit of water and put them under direct sunlight. Mist the leaves every couple of days until new roots begin to form. Finally, transplant them into your coconut planter filled with soil and water as needed.

4. Bonsai

Growing Bonsai is one of the most rewarding hobbies out there. This beautiful traditional art form traces its roots (pun intended) back in ancient China and was redeveloped in Japan. It involves cultivating small versions of full-grown trees. 

But any Bonsai owner knows full well—it’s difficult to care for this little tree!

The easiest way to cultivate a Bonsai tree is to buy a pre-grown one from a store. It’s best to choose an indigenous Bonsai tree in your area. That way, you’ll know that it has already acclimated to the local weather and temperature.

After you’ve chosen one, put a well-drained pumice soil mix in your coconut planter (we recommend the Pedestal Coconut Planter!). Then, plant your bonsai and water it thoroughly and regularly or as soon as the soil looks dry. Do regular pruning by cutting away branches, buds, and young shoots to control the shape of your Bonsai tree.

5. Flowers

Who doesn’t love bright flowers in their backyard? Some of the best flowers you can grow in coconut planters are daylilies, lavender, and salvia. Any perennial potted flowers go well with these natural planters as these plants bloom throughout the year!

Just put them, along with their natural planters, in full sun and water them during the hot, dry season. They’re pretty drought-resistant, which means they don’t need much to start blooming.

Indoor Plants

So now that we’ve talked about outdoor plants, let’s move to a topic that more and more people are becoming fond of (especially because of the COVID lockdowns): taking care of houseplants. We’ve rounded up the 10 easiest indoor plants to care for as well as trailing plants that look so pretty in hanging coconut planters!

We’re not only going to tell you which houseplants go well in coconut planters—we’ll also share with you some tips on how to keep houseplants alive and how to take care of indoor plants.

1. Spider Plant

Growing spider plants is super rewarding. Not only are they easy to grow in most conditions—but they also produce cute spiderettes or baby spider plants. Plus, they look perfect near your window in Hanging Coconut Planters!

Place a spider plant in your Hanging Coconut Planter, put them in bright, indirect sunlight, and let it flourish. Allow its soil to dry out, then water it thoroughly.

2. Snake Plant

Known as Mother-in-law's tongue and a “hard-to-kill” plant, snake plants are popular because they’re some of the easiest plants to take care of. While they don’t need tons of sunlight, they do thrive in bright, indirect light. Let the soil completely dry between waterings and plant it in a coconut planter with a well-drained soil mix.

3. Calathea

Another easy-to-care-for indoor plant is the calathea plant. There are various species of calatheas, and they’re a close relative of Maranta or the prayer plant.

Needless to say, calathea plants are pretty cool-looking, especially in coconut planters!

Like the two previous plants, calathea likes bright—but not direct—light. It prefers moist soil but not too much water. Because it likes moisture, it’s best to put your calathea, along with its natural planter, in a humid area.

4. Pothos

With trailing vines and heart-shaped leaves, pothos is easily a favorite choice of indoor plants. It thrives in low light and tolerates neglect—making it perfect for busy plant parents. 

Make the most of its cascading look by putting it in a hanging coconut planter. Over time, you can sit back and enjoy how it grows from a short houseplant to a several feet long one!

While it can withstand medium to low indirect light, pothos thrives in bright, indirect light. Allow the soil to dry between waterings as it only needs water every week or two.

5. Succulents and Cacti

We know, succulents and cacti aren’t the easiest houseplants to take care of. But we can’t help it, we just have to include them in our list!

One of the best ways to not kill your succulents and cacti is to put them in soil with good drainage in coconut planters. Our coconut planters come with drainage holes, so you don’t have to worry about your plants and their roots drowning in water.

To make sure that they have an excellent drainage system, use a special cacti and succulent potting mix, which often consists of sand, pumice, and gardening soil.

How about their water requirements? Well, desert-dwelling species prefer less water than winter-flowering cacti and succulents. So it’s best to do your research about which specific succulent or cacti you have in your coconut planter.

But the good rule of thumb when watering is to stick your finger in the soil and feel if it’s still wet or not. Is it dry? Time to give it some H2O. If it’s not, don’t. 

This rule (a.ka. the finger test) applies to most indoor plants. It’s a good rule to remember; overwatering is the number one problem that many indoor plant parents face.

Some of the easiest succulents to grow indoors are aloe vera, hoya, and jade. If you prefer trailing succulents and cacti in your hanging coconut shell planters, consider growing the string of pearls, burro’s tail (this is the easiest to propagate), fishbone cactus, Christmas cactus, string of hearts, and rat tail cactus.

Choose Your Coconut Planter

Before you go ahead and start growing your indoor or outdoor garden, you have to get a complete set of gardening supplies first:

Gardening gloves

Pruning shears

Trowel

Soil

Watering can

And of course, a coconut planter!

Repot your plant and put it near your window with our Hanging Coconut Planter. Or turn it into art with our Hanging Fiber Coconut Planter. If you want to repot three different plants in one planter, choose our 3-Tier Hanging Coconut Planter. And if you need a living, breathing centerpiece for your patio table, put your favorite plant baby in the Pedestal Coconut Planter.

When you purchase one of our coconut planters, you can have peace of mind knowing that you’re saving a coconut shell from becoming just a piece of trash. Plus, you’re helping us plant more trees! Learn more about our Mission.

Author Profile

A mother of succulents, various indoor plants, and a white mini Chewbacca, Diet Immarie Salazar simply adores living closer to nature—literally. In her home nestled in the mountains, she frequently writes about how and why people should enjoy a more natural and eco-friendly lifestyle.