Inverted Houseplant Care: Can You Grow Indoor Plants Upside Down

If you’re a gardener, you’ve probably heard about vertical gardening and maybe even grow crops upside down. The advent of the Topsy Turvy planter made this quite the thing some years ago, but today folks have taken it to a new level by growing not only outdoor produce but indoor plants upside down.

There are several advantages to upside-down houseplant growing, not the least of which is what a space saver an inverted houseplant becomes.

How to Grow Houseplants Upside Down

Whether you live in a cramped studio apartment or a palatial manor, houseplants have their place. They are the most sustainable way to clean the air and beautify your surroundings. For the aforementioned apartment dweller, upside-down houseplant growing has another benefit – space-saving.

You can grow indoor plants upside down by purchasing planters made especially for this practice or you can put your DIY hat on and make an inverted houseplant planter yourself.

• To grow indoor plants upside down, you will need a plastic pot (on the small side for the sake of weight and space saving). Since the plant is going to grow upside down, you will need to make a hole in the bottom to accommodate it. Drill a hole through the bottom of the pot.
• Use the bottom of the pot as a guide and cut a piece of air conditioner filter to fit. Fold this foam piece into a cone and then snip the tip of the cone to make a circle in the center. Cut a radius line into the filter next.
• Drill two holes for the hanging rope into opposite sides of the pot. Make the holes half inch to an inch (1 to 2.5 cm). down from the top edge of the container. Thread the rope through the holes from the exterior to the interior. Tie a knot inside the pot to secure the rope and repeat on the other side.
• Remove the plant form the nursery pot and place it in the new inverted houseplant container, through the hole you cut in the bottom of the pot.
• Press the foam filter around the stems of the plant and press into the bottom of the inverted houseplant container. This will prevent soil from spilling out. Fill in around the plant roots if need be with additional well-draining potting soil.
• Now you’re ready to hang your indoor plants upside down! Select a spot to hang the inverted houseplant container.

Water and fertilize the plant from the top end of the pot and that‘s all there is to upside-down houseplant growing!