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Published: 2008-06-05 01:04:19 +0000 UTC; Views: 18488; Favourites: 306; Downloads: 2288
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If you like Bottle Tree, perhaps you'll like Tomato in a Bottle, too: [link]If you’re anything like me (you don’t have to admit this) you have wine bottle that will be, at some point, empty.
Here’s something to do if you’re really bored, feeling creative, and want to break something.
1. Take empty wine bottle, wash, rinse and set aside.
2. Find a small bucket.
3. Find another wine bottle or two, preferably colored.
4. Smash bottles on concrete. (This is best done by holding it out sideways and dropping it from about four feet in the air.)
5. With gloves, pick up shards of glass and place in bucket. A broom and dustpan may also come in handy.
6. Smash glass shards with the end of the broom handle until most of them are about peanut-sized. The sturdier parts of the bottle, such as the neck and base, probably won’t cooperate. Just dig these out and throw them in your neighbor’s yard.
7. Add some water to the bucket and slosh it around. This will sort the pulverized glass according to size. You don’t want the sand in the bottle (or maybe you do!)
8. Still wearing those gloves, put half of the glass in the bottle.
9. Find a little tree growing in your yard. It’s spring, and unless you live in some sort of denatured city compound, they’ll be there. Look near big maple trees, it’s a sure bet.
10. Dig this tree up, making sure you get all of the roots. Pulling it up won’t work — you’ll need a teaspoon or proper digging utensil.
11. Wash off the dirt and drop the tree in the bottle with the glass shards. You may have to fiddle with it a bit to get it to stand upright.
12. Put the rest of the glass in the bottle, or at least enough to cover up the roots.
13. Add water.
14. Put in sunny place.
15. Enjoy.
There are enough minerals floating around in tap water to keep your tree healthy, but a pinch of sugar may help it overcome the shock of transplant. Just don’t get too carried away (we’re talking about 20 grains of sugar here)
Soon, your tree will outgrow the bottle and push its way up through the top. You can leave it like this, or you can trim the tree with some long hospital scissors to keep it inside.
NOTE: I’m not responsible for your bloody hands. This is broken glass… you should know better. Nor am I responsible for your arrest and subsequent fine for digging up a tree on public land. Either don’t do it, or don’t get caught.
NOTE 2: Safety glass works quite well, too. And it breaks into little cubes. You can get this from your neighbor's car window. Or from the hardware store. Your call.)
NOTE 3: I’m testing one made with plastic shreds, too, but I’m worried that the plastic compounds might kill the tree. I’ll post results later.
Also: Wow... there are a lot of people who have added this to their favorites! You are free to use this image in whatever way you please (non-commercial), and I'd love to see what you do with it... send me a message!
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Comments: 44
Dr-GigglesTheFox [2014-03-26 17:16:20 +0000 UTC]
I want one but I don't drink alcohol and I don't think a water bottle would be as pretty...
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Greenglassnotes [2013-08-30 23:39:02 +0000 UTC]
I'm planing on doing this with a rose that my boyfriend gave me. Of course, I need to get gloves first. Where can you get all those pretty colored glass? I only got clear and brown (not that I have a problem with it).
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
amwtm In reply to Greenglassnotes [2014-02-25 20:00:00 +0000 UTC]
Hi! I'm sorry it took me 6 months to reply!
I smashed up a blue wine bottle for this. How did your rose project work out?
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Greenglassnotes In reply to amwtm [2014-02-25 20:56:19 +0000 UTC]
It died. I might try again at some point, and hopefully it'll turn out better.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
amwtm In reply to Greenglassnotes [2014-03-03 16:15:59 +0000 UTC]
Aww. Too bad. It might not have been anything you did wrong. Sometimes those little trees just don't work out.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Greenglassnotes In reply to amwtm [2014-03-03 20:52:13 +0000 UTC]
Like I said, once it's not so cold, I plan on trying again. I'm probably going to reread the instructions too, just to see if I did do something wrong with the rose.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Jake-Kelton [2012-06-03 07:41:58 +0000 UTC]
Shared on: [link]
Will take it down if you'd like me to.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
amwtm In reply to Jake-Kelton [2012-06-09 08:44:37 +0000 UTC]
Keep it up! I appreciate this.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
WanderingClover [2011-10-01 18:24:31 +0000 UTC]
What is it about green little plants in clear bottles that I find so attractive :0
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
BlooSpider [2011-05-24 01:34:03 +0000 UTC]
I would love to make one of these sometime. BOTTLE TREEEEE
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
BlooSpider In reply to amwtm [2011-06-26 01:20:36 +0000 UTC]
No problem, the bottle tree is so cuteeee
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
LeoLyn [2010-05-19 19:20:22 +0000 UTC]
thanks for that inspiration ... for a freind of me
to show him the way out of his crisis thanks
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
LeoLyn In reply to amwtm [2010-05-24 23:04:58 +0000 UTC]
no problem ... it was a wonderful inspiration for a picture called "the bottle of your life"
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
leggsXisXawsome [2010-04-20 22:38:32 +0000 UTC]
i am going to have to try this, i have been looking for a reason to break something.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
HendrixMusse [2009-12-27 23:51:39 +0000 UTC]
haha amazing, i got the same idea a while ago but i used dirt instead of glass. check out my gallary if you want to see it.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
amwtm In reply to HendrixMusse [2009-12-31 15:50:00 +0000 UTC]
Well done, sir. Did it survive? (The bottle trees have a 50-50 chance of making it)
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
HendrixMusse In reply to amwtm [2010-01-01 23:29:33 +0000 UTC]
yesindeed, one of them is well over 3 years now, but the one with the tree was broken by a stupid family member :/
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
kutething [2009-11-15 02:27:50 +0000 UTC]
Wow! I was going to do a terrarium, but this is interesting too! Have you tried the plastic or glass stuff they sell for aquariums? It might be easier than smashing wine bottles.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
amwtm In reply to kutething [2009-11-15 15:51:04 +0000 UTC]
It might be easier, yes, but then you don't get to smash bottles!
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
PhittPineapple [2009-11-03 19:57:07 +0000 UTC]
so it will grow? what else can you put inside?
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
amwtm In reply to PhittPineapple [2009-11-06 16:35:09 +0000 UTC]
Yeah, it'll grow. Though as it gets older, you will have to clean the bottle. The detritus from the leaves and roots and algae gets messy. I've had luck with vegetables in bottles, too.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
PhittPineapple In reply to amwtm [2009-11-07 19:15:11 +0000 UTC]
kool, i grew a potatoe in a jar once
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
AngelVoice113 [2009-05-27 14:27:35 +0000 UTC]
very sweet! I may just give that a try... I have gloves too ^_^
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
good-name [2009-03-19 01:18:29 +0000 UTC]
This is pretty cool, I cut my hands on the glass though... I guess I missed the part about the gloves.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
amwtm [2008-06-05 01:12:00 +0000 UTC]
Yeah, probably. You could prune it, though, and keep it from getting too out of hand. See "Maple Bonsai" on Google.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
drackar [2008-06-05 01:08:15 +0000 UTC]
And then in about..oh. a few years? it shatters the bottle.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0