Stop Your Planters from Falling Over – Complete Guide with Solutions

There are few things more frustrating than trying to figure out how to weigh down planters for your outdoor plants. But don’t despair, we have a few ingenious DIY fixes you can implement like:

• filling the bottom of the pot with heavy material,
• using pot stabilizers and wind breaks for your outdoor pots, or even
• looking to see if you have the right sized planter for your plants.

By the end of this article, our goal is for you to happily be admiring your (independently) standing planter showcasing your beautiful plants.

Before we begin:

Whether it is for artificial plants or real plants, an unstable planter is the same – a big old pain in the behind.

However, even though the problem is one of the same, the path to the solution is very different when you are trying to make planters stand up for real plants versus artificial plants.

You have to allow for different considerations for both, and overcome unique challenges. For example, drainage is an important consideration for real plants, whereas you never need to worry about watering your artificial plants.

In this article we will address the problems of outdoor planters toppling over. If you are looking for solutions to prevent your indoor planters from falling over for artificial plants, jump over to our other article, How to Stop Artificial Plant Planters from Toppling Over.

How do you weigh down a planter?

We find the best approach to solving the case of the topsy-turvy outdoor planters is to take a leaf out of Sherlock Holmes’ book.

That means, we won’t take the approach that most other resources take, which is listing a lot of solutions leaving you with information overload and guessing which one is the right one for you.

Not a chance!

We are going to tackle this from a slightly different angle.

Before we look at solutions, we’ll be taking a step back and looking at the possible causes of your falling planter. Identifying the causes of your knocked over planters narrows down the number of solutions you have to try, increasing your chance of success.

After we have identified the cause(s), we’ll then look at specific solutions to fix your problem.

Sounds like a plan? Go grab your detective hat and pipe because we have some investigating to do.

The Case of the Fallen Planter – Identifying the Cause(s)

Is Wind Your Nemesis?

One of the main suspects in the case of your fallen planter, is wind.

However, protecting your planter against wind is extremely tricky.

Wind can be unpredictable and can approach from many directions. It is strong and can cause a lot of damage to your pots and plants.

So, how do you stop a planter from blowing over? Here are a few solutions if the wind is causing your planters to fall over:

1. Move your planters. If you notice your planters are located in a section of the garden that has a natural wind tunnel, moving them to a space that is sheltered will help to stabilize your plants. We have listed this solution as number one, because it is often the easiest and simplest option to take. If all else fails, you can always move them back to their original position.
2. Install wind breaks. If moving your plants is not an option, installing a wind break can help to redirect the wind. Wind breaks can come in the form of natural vegetation, such as low bushes, hedges and even a row of trees. Alternatively, a fence can also help to defend against any strong winds. It is important to note, you shouldn’t place your planters directly next to the wind break if it blocks your plants from receiving any sunlight.
3. Weigh down planters. Use heavy organic materials at the bottom of your planters to help add additional weight to your planters. This is especially helpful if you are using plastic planters, that don’t have much weight to begin with. We recommend using organic materials, such as pieces of bricks or broken clay pots. Both of these materials contain water retaining properties, which help to maintain moisture levels for your plants roots. They also prevent soil from spilling out of the drainage holes when you water your plants.

   Note: it is important to use organic materials that has proper drainage. Using materials that could potentially block excess water from leaving from the planters’ drainage holes could lead to root rot. Unfortunately, excess root damage will lead to your plants becoming diseased and dying.

Were you doomed from the beginning? (Pot size)

Sometimes, no matter what you try, getting your planter to stay upright seems like an uphill battle.

But, my dear Watson, have you considered the problem may be staring you in the face?

Are you using the right planter for your plant?

There are many factors to consider when choosing the right pot for the right plant.

First and foremost, the size of your plant needs to be proportional to your plant size. If the plant in your pot is tall, the base needs to be big and wide enough to counter the plants’ height. A common cause of planters continuously falling over is due to the plant outgrowing its original pot.

Another reason your pot may not be the right fit is the materials that the pot is made from. Plastic pots may be durable and budget-friendly. However, they also tend to be lightweight and less stable against windy conditions.

When it comes to the choice of pots, we recommend the following solutions:

1. Select a heavy material. Choosing planters that are made from heavy materials like concrete, wood, ceramics or even terracotta will help to add weight and anchor a potted plant against strong winds.
2. Go two sizes bigger. If you are thinking about repotting a tall plant, we recommend taking the growth and height of the plant into consideration and choosing a planter that is 1-2 sizes bigger than the current planter. Not only will the bigger size add to the weight of the planter, it will help to counter the height of the plant, providing more stability and lowering the center of gravity.

Last Resort Solutions to Stop Plants Falling over in the Wind

If fallen planters are keeping you up at night, and you want the security of knowing you have done everything you can for your plants, then there are some more technical solutions we can suggest:

1. Supporting Wires. If the situation suits, try installing horizontal wires to lend support to your wind – swept plants. Simply tie one or two wires at a level where you can attach them to the main stem (or trunks in the case of small trees) of your plants.

   This method is frequently employed in nurseries and local garden center to help keep their stock upright and presented nicely (as demonstrated in the image above).

2. Container Stabilizers. Another solution that we love for its simplicity are the wired plant container stabilizers you can find in online marketplaces. At first glance, you may be deterred by their confusing appearance. But, once installed in your garden, you’ll soon realize they provide quite a discrete solution to your fallen planter problem. We like to call these tip-proof plant pots, because of the stability and wide base support they offer your planters.

What Next?

Why it’s elementary my dear Watson! (okay – we’ve probably over done it with the Sherlock Holmes jokes)

Finding a solution to your fallen planters is easy. Firstly, identify the most probably cause of your fallen planter by using our guide above.

Once you are confident you have found the likely suspect, begin implementing the suggested solutions for the cause.

If you are still struggling to keep your planters upright, use the last resort solutions, so you can be confident that your planters will survive and thrive.

If you have implemented a solution that we didn’t cover in this guide, let us know in the comments below or via our CONTACT PAGE. We always love sharing new and innovative ideas with the community!