Transforming your backyard garden into an oasis of greenery has never been easier, thanks to a simple hack using an empty plastic bottle.
By fashioning your own planting tool, you can save time, effort, and your back when getting all those seedlings, bulbs, and plugs into the ground this season.
The scoop
Gardening influencer Joesgarden (@joesgarden) shared this "quick plant tip of the day" in a recent TikTok video.
@joesgarden Today we are back and I thought I would do a short but sweet quick plant tip of the day. If you have any old empty bottles then why not give this tip a go and make your own DIY garden dibber. This time of the year, we are busy transplanting seedlings, bulbs and plug plants in the garden, and if you have a lot to transplant like me, this can be hard, long and back breaking work as you are bent over on your hands and knees all day. Instead of you cut off the top of your bottles, and screw the lid into an old bit of wood or ideally a broom handle, you can make a DIY dibber. Few key things to remember, the handle has to be smaller that the bottle neck, make your handle as long as possible so you can plant standing up and finally make sure it's strong and not rotten, as the screw will not hold. This then allows you you make your holes to transplant your plants, standing up, all in one go, and allows you do easily control distancing and depth without having to bend too much. Please let me know if you enjoyed this quick tip and I will try to do one a day, Thank you so much for watching, and I love you all, Joe 😊🌱💚 #upcycling #zerowaste #planting #ecotips #sustainability #gardening #gardentips ♬ Love Story - Indila - Penguin Piano
"If you have any old empty bottles then why not give this tip a go and make your own DIY garden dibber," Joe wrote in the video's caption.
To make the tool, simply cut the top off a plastic bottle and screw the lid end into an old wooden handle, ideally from a broom.
"The handle has to be smaller that the bottle neck, make your handle as long as possible so you can plant standing up and finally make sure it's strong and not rotten, as the screw will not hold."
How it's working
By allowing you to pre-make holes for transplanting "standing up, all in one go," this DIY dibber hack saves major time and back strain. No more "hard, long and back breaking work as you are bent over on your hands and knees all day," as Joe puts it.
It's a money-saver too, letting you upcycle old materials into a useful tool instead of buying one new. Even better, by keeping plastic bottles out of landfills and oceans, you'll cut down on pollution that harms our environment and health.
Currently, over 90% of plastic waste isn't recycled. When sent to landfills, plastic trash releases dirty pollution that warms our planet. When it reaches the oceans, it can contaminate seafood, harming marine life and our own food supply.
Thankfully, by reusing bottles in hacks like this, we can each do our part to turn the tide.
What people are saying
TikTokers loved this trick for sprucing up their gardens with less hassle.
"That's really cool, thank you for sharing," one commenter said.
"Ooooh! that's so handy!!!" said another.
"That is brilliant!" said a third.
So grab those bottles, get planting, and watch your garden — and positive impact — grow.
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