Introduction: 3D Printed Geometric Planter With Drainage

By Becky Stern
About: Making and sharing are my two biggest passions! In total I've published hundreds of tutorials about everything from microcontrollers to knitting. I'm a New York City motorcyclist and unrepentant dog mom. My wo…
Tinkercad Projects »

I designed and 3D printed this geometric succulent planter, which has five chambers with drainage and a catch tray.

Supplies

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Step 1: 3D Model

I designed it in Tinkercad, where you can copy the original design file:

I've also uploaded the STLs to Thingiverse and attached them to this step.

To model the planter, I hollowed out a truncated octahedron, which is available deep in the Shape Generators section of the Tinkercad parts bin. Models are made up of solids and holes, so the hole centered within the solid, when merged, will result in a thin-walled hollow form. After duplicating and arranging the shapes, I then opened up the tops by merging with some rectangle shaped holes. The drainage is accomplished the same way. You can remix this model by making a copy of it on Tinkercad.

Disclosure: at the time of this writing, I'm an employee of Autodesk, which makes Tinkercad.

I sliced the model for printing using Cura to prep for printing on the Creality CR10s Pro.

Attachments

Step 2: Slice and Print

I printed the model using Hatchbox PLA in pure white and wood varieties.

Print settings:

  • Rafts: no
  • Supports: no
  • Resolution: .2
  • Infill: none needed if unscaled, 20% recommended if upscaling the STL

Step 3: Sealant

I spray my planters with concrete sealant to protect them from water and UV and prolong their life (not suitable for plants you plan to eat, like herbs).

Step 4: Plant and Enjoy!

For succulents, use a potting soil formulated for them with good drainage. It's important that they can dry out completely between waterings, and the plastic doesn't allow water to evaporate through it like a clay pot would, making the soil mix that much more important.

You can use this planter as an incubator for baby cuttings, or dedicate a chamber to each plant. I keep mine in a south-facing window in the warmer months, and under a grow lamp in the winter. If you make one, I'd love to see it in the I Made It section below!

If you like this project, you may be interested in some of my others:

To keep up with what I'm working on, follow me on YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest.