Jack O' Lantern Jade Plant Planter

We have a pumpkin carving contest at work every year. This year, I made a pumpkin planter filled with Jade Plant and Elephant Bush cuttings.

Before Treatment

After Treatment

The cuttings are leftovers from pruning a few overgrown outdoor plants. I left the cuttings out for a couple days so the cuts would form a callous. The potting medium is a mix of perlite, cactus potting mix, and whatever pumpkin seeds and innards I was too lazy to scoop out. I suspect the leftover pumpkin brain funk may hinder proper rooting, but you never know. I'm always impressed how easily succulents can root.

As a Jack O' Lantern, this was very basic carving. So it will probably not be impressive enough to win the competition, but I don't really care. I'm honestly more excited to see what happens to the planter later. Smashing pumpkins the day after Halloween is fun, but it always seems like a waste. Instead, this year I'm going to move the Jack O' Lantern into the garden after Halloween and let it slowly rot away while enriching the soil below and feeding (hopefully rooted) plants above. Or at least that's the plan. For all I know, this could be a total disaster that stinks like hell and attracts horseflies. But now that I've got the idea in my head, I've got to try it at least once. And in the meantime, it makes a spooky silhouette!

I will keep you posted as to how it ages through the Fall... 

-J