---
title: "Is it okay to grow plants in cans? I feel like a bean plant or a…"
description: "Is it okay to grow plants in cans? I feel like a bean plant or a spider baby would look so cute in a monster can 🤔"
url: "https://getplanta.com/community/lZ7uAE3pQ86jnFGxrCwLrg/t_OpsX7fTBuCY71hjjMRMQ"
community: "Anything about plants"
author: "Plant lover 2000"
published: "2024-09-14T20:40:27.532815Z"
language: "en"
image: "https://images.getplanta.com/v2/cloudinary/global_data/communities/everythingHousePlants.jpg"
---

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# Is it okay to grow plants in cans? I feel like a bean plant or a…

_Posted by Plant lover 2000 on 2024-09-14_

Is it okay to grow plants in cans? I feel like a bean plant or a spider baby would look so cute in a monster can 🤔

## 6 comments

### NicTheBucket commented on 2024-09-14

I’ve seen it done! You can easily make your own drainage holes too. It’s an awesome way to reuse “junk”

My personal favourite was seeing a sting of pearls in a can of peas 😆

#### Plant lover 2000 replied on 2024-09-14

I was wondering because I heard aluminum was toxic to plants.

#### NicTheBucket replied on 2024-09-14

Yea, I was wondering about that too. I might not be a good long term option then. I’ve never done a can, but I’ve used metal stacks in my pots without issue.  
Now that I think about it tho… my aunt found rust on the roots of her plants that were in metal. It wasn’t a food can tho.

### Adrian commented on 2024-09-15

I personally would not recommend it. My dad broke the pot for my mom’s jade plant (cough. Broke it twice), and the second time he literally tossed the remnants of the plant into a tomato can. Now, this jade plant is ridiculously hardy, he’s 30 years old now, and my dad is now banned from coming within a foot of him, but rust and lack of drainage is a huge concern here. The other concern is that it can become dangerous to try to free a plant from it if it becomes rootbound (which some plants enjoy being) I still use this can, but only as a cover pot, as it miraculously remained intact throughout the years, but still has no drainage hole. You’d also probably have to sand the top of any can down if you plan on using one as a planter. Essentially, what I’m trying to say is if you like the look of a can as a planter, you could try using one as a cover pot, but make sure it is never holding any sitting water that comes from the drainage holes, sanded down around the rim, and I always check for any sign of rust, mold, and always wipe it down and dry it out before using it for another plant. Hope this helps you decide on what you’d like to do 👍

#### Adrian replied on 2024-09-15

Here’s proof of said tomato can. Again, it’s a cover pot, but I consider the can a little rite of passage for my smaller plants to eventually grow out of, and other plants like trailing plants to have some height added so their trailing stems and leaves don’t touch the windowsill or get damaged. Option 2 if you like the look is to remove the label of a can, or for a serious DIY, cut the can down the side, remove the top and bottom, and glue it around a pot suitable for whatever plant you’re planning for the rustic can look (please sand the sides and edges down for this).

![Attachment 1 of 1](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/CQyscbeN5f0KZltdaSyx3VQZZh8uHYoaKDmCZlFICjE/xbI-ohW3QfOmsDZ9BhfTEQ.webp?size=large)

### Plant lover 2000 commented on 2024-09-15

What's hardyness on a plant?

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