Well-loved Boots

Give Your Well-loved Boots New Life

save your favorite boots from getting tossed. Put them to good use as fabulous succulent planter

If you’re anything like me the thought of tossing out your favorite pair of well-loved boots is painful. When I look at mine I think about all the amazing rides I’ve had in them. Spending time with incredible horses. The times I’ve had to brush myself off and get back in the saddle (metaphorically and literally) while I was wearing those boots. In their own way they are a part of me.

Call me a sappy hoarder but it’s just too hard to toss them in the garbage. Even if they are worn out to the point of filling will dirt every time I set foot in the arena. Someday I want to be an old lady with dozens of pairs of well-loved boots. I’ll know that my time was well spent wearing holes into all those boots. 

When your riding boots are far beyond saving it's time to repurpose them. Give those well-loved boots new life by turning them into a succulent planter. They're the perfect way to remember all the great rides you had in them.

Years ago my mom had the perfect solution to finding a way to give my well-loved boots new life. She took an old pair of my worn out Ariats (she knew I didn’t have the heart to throw them away back then either) and she made them into amazing planters. I love plants almost as much as I love boots so this idea was an instant winner in my book.

When your riding boots are far beyond saving it's time to repurpose them. Give those well-loved boots new life by turning them into a succulent planter. They're the perfect way to remember all the great rides you had in them.
When your riding boots are far beyond saving it's time to repurpose them. Give those well-loved boots new life by turning them into a succulent planter. They're the perfect way to remember all the great rides you had in them.

Turning your well-loved boots into succulent planters

Boot planters tend to dry out quickly. Choosing plants that don’t like a lot of moisture is going to be your best option for keeping them alive. Succulent plants work great as they don’t need tons of room for extensive roots and can handle the conditions.
In these three sets of boots, I’ve got a couple different types of aloe, mother of millions, agave, hen & chicks, and a couple of other succulent varieties. If you don’t have a garden center handy or are looking for more varieties, I’ve found these succulents (*affiliate link) to be the best deal for buying them online. 

After you’ve come to gips with retiring your well-loved boots and picked out your succulents, the next step is to picture where you want them to layout and start cutting holes in the boots in those areas. It’s best not to make the holes too big as then it can be hard to get the plants to stay put. I used a utility knife to expand some of the holes that were already in mine and put in a few new ones as well.

When your riding boots are far beyond saving it's time to repurpose them. Give those well-loved boots new life by turning them into a succulent planter. They're the perfect way to remember all the great rides you had in them.
When your riding boots are far beyond saving it's time to repurpose them. Give those well-loved boots new life by turning them into a succulent planter. They're the perfect way to remember all the great rides you had in them.

Fill the boots with potting soil. Make sure that it reaches down into the toe part so the plants on that end of the boot can root into it.

Then carefully nestle your plants into the holes and the tops of the boots. Succulents tend to break easily so you will need to be gentle with them as you firmly tuck the roots in. If you do happen to break any plants in the process, don’t sweat it many of them grow from broken pieces so just plant them anyway. I found that using trailing vine type succulent for the tops makes then look like they are spilling out over the front of the boot.

When your riding boots are far beyond saving it's time to repurpose them. Give those well-loved boots new life by turning them into a succulent planter. They're the perfect way to remember all the great rides you had in them.
When your riding boots are far beyond saving it's time to repurpose them. Give those well-loved boots new life by turning them into a succulent planter. They're the perfect way to remember all the great rides you had in them.
When your riding boots are far beyond saving it's time to repurpose them. Give those well-loved boots new life by turning them into a succulent planter. They're the perfect way to remember all the great rides you had in them.
When your riding boots are far beyond saving it's time to repurpose them. Give those well-loved boots new life by turning them into a succulent planter. They're the perfect way to remember all the great rides you had in them.

caring for your boots

After you have all the plants in place you can give them a good watering. I usually water them till the boots are soaked and I see water starting to run out of the holes. They won’t need to be watered again until the soil gets dried out.

When your riding boots are far beyond saving it's time to repurpose them. Give those well-loved boots new life by turning them into a succulent planter. They're the perfect way to remember all the great rides you had in them.

I keep mine outside all growing season then bring them in to live as houseplants during the winter. The teal pair have kept hen & chicks growing for over four years. If you’re keeping them as indoor plants its handy to put them in the bathtub when you water them so you don’t have puddles all over.

When your riding boots are far beyond saving it's time to repurpose them. Give those well-loved boots new life by turning them into a succulent planter. They're the perfect way to remember all the great rides you had in them.

It makes me so happy to give them new life now that they are no longer up for my next horse adventure. I love the way they look and the memories they hold.
Thanks, mom for showing me this great idea and for appreciating my well-loved boots as much as I do.

Insightfully,

Becky

When your riding boots are far beyond saving it's time to repurpose them. Give those well-loved boots new life by turning them into a succulent planter. They're the perfect way to remember all the great rides you had in them.

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