Last week I was feeling particularly crafty and decided to try and make a dent in the large bowl of corks I have. I quickly hopped on Pinterest and started looking up ways to use my corks. Well, one search led to another and I ended up on a succulent page somewhere deep in the “pinterest-sphere.” Trying to somehow figure out how to combine two craft ideas into one, I decided to do a little research and see if there would be a way to work the corks into indoor plantings.
Some of the fun facts I learned about cork:
- Cork is 100% recyclable, biodegradable and completely environmentally friendly
- Natural wine cork retains approximately 9 grams of CO2 in its lifetime
- Cork naturally has antifungal and antibiotic properties
- Cork is harvested from the bark of cork trees. It does not harm the tree and the tree will regenerate a new bark layer every 10-12 years
- Cork is an impermeable material. Adding whole corks or ground up corks as a layer beneath your soil or mixed in with your soil will aide in water retention and minimizes the rate of evaporation on hot days
After learning these bits of information, I knew corks would be a great substrate for a terrarium (a small container where plants are grown). I first picked my container and arranged the corks in a layer in the bottle. After that a layer of peat moss was put down to keep the soil above the corks for proper drainage and to prevent mold. A layer of activated carbon is then put in to keep any musty odors at bay. You can then add your soil and plants of choice. Make sure to water with filtered water to prevent mineral build up on the glass container. Succulents are very popular right now, and sustainable as well. You can take Succulents trimmings and plant them directly into the soil; they will take root and grow a whole new plant. They also require a minimal amount of water and different varieties do well in full sun or shady environments. This project was so much fun and easy to boot! Try it for yourself with all those old corks you have lying around.
–Lauren Minogue
–Do you Pinterest? What’s been your favorite project from their site?
No comments yet. You should be kind and add one!
By submitting a comment you grant Ponte Winery Blog a perpetual license to reproduce your words and name/web site in attribution. Inappropriate and irrelevant comments will be removed at an admin’s discretion. Your email is used for verification purposes only, it will never be shared.