How to Make a Succulent Cage
- 1). Set a pot that has a drainage hole in the location where you want the succulent cage. Fill the pot with gravel to within 1 to 2 inches of the top. Insert a tomato cage in the pot upside-down, so the stakes that usually go in the soil point up. As an alternative if you don't have a tomato cage, set a wire basket on the pot or any convenient work surface.
- 2). Wrap chicken wire around the tomato cage from the pot rim to the top of the stakes, or wrap the chicken wire all the way around the wire basket. Leave enough chicken wire to overlap itself by 1 inch and cut the excess off. It's fine to fold the chicken wire or cut slits in it to make it easier to wrap around the shape of the basket. Cut off the excess chicken wire.
- 3). Cut eight 2- to 3-inch pieces of floral wire, or any bendable wire. Bend the wires into "U" shapes.
- 4). Hold the chicken wire at the point where it overlaps at the bottom of the frame or basket with your non-dominant hand. Insert a piece of floral wire through the overlapped chicken wire and twist the ends together.
- 5). Twist a floral wire every 3 to 4 inches to secure the wire on the frame, leaving the top half of the chicken wire unsecured for access. Line the bottom of the succulent cage with 2 to 3 inches of sphagnum moss, and along the bottom of the sides in the shape of a bowl. Pour potting mix into the cage to the level of the moss.
- 6). Add another layer of moss to line the inside of the cage and pour in more potting mix to help hold the moss in place. Repeat until the cage is within 2 inches of being full, and then fill the top with moss. Position the chicken wire to complete the succulent cage, with the chicken wire's edges overlapping. Insert and twist a wire "U" every 3 inches to secure it shut.
- 7). Plant small succulents roots first through the chicken wire. Position the plants in patterns, if desired. For example, plant burgundy succulents at the top like a volcano's lava and fill in the rest with gray and green succulents. Leave at least 2 inches between plants to allow them room to grow.
- 8). Water the succulent cage lightly as soon as you finish planting. This will help the plants become established.
