As a plastic-based manufacturing technology, 3D printing isn’t generally considered to mix well with the Earth, literally or figuratively. But the most popular 3D printing material is in fact recyclable and biodegradable (in ideal conditions), and there are multiple ways that 3D printing is making production processes more eco-friendly.
3D printed planters are a great example of using the innovative technology we know and love as a way to bring more nature into your home. There’s a wide variety of planters and pots that you can print, and below, we’ve listed our favorites.
If you see the perfect addition to your plant collection but don’t have the time (or a large enough build space) to print it yourself, try Craftcloud by All3DP. With professional suppliers around the world ready to print your perfect pot and deliver it to your door, you’ll be rehoming your plants in no time.
So now, let’s dig into the list. Happy planting!
Fandoms
First up, we have some planters celebrating the best in movies and games. From low-poly Pokémon to an incredibly realistic Groot, planters are a fun way to show your pop culture allegiance!
Super Mario Question Block
Super Mario Bros. is one of the most beloved video games series out there, and the games’ mystery blocks can bring fun surprises. The planter is pretty simple in its design, comprising a hollowed-out box with the signature pixelated question marks around its sides. The model was designed for dual-extrusion printing, as seen in the image above, but a single-extrusion version for the model is also available.
Standard print settings should be fine for this one: One maker mentioned that they used a 0.2-mm layer height along with a 15% infill density, with no supports nor raft needed for the print.
- Who designed it? flowalistik
- How printable/popular is it? This Mario-themed planter box has 28 recorded makes as well as a couple of remixes! So many people have successfully printed this model, and you can too!
- Where to find it? Thingiverse
TIE Fighter
This Star Wars-inspired TIE fighter planter was designed in Tinkercad. The design was based on another TIE Fighter model, but the maker adjusted it to fit small plants.
The creator of this design recommends printing with supports because of the overhangs on the central piece, and they used a 20% infill. Post-processing – especially painting – this print will make it look even better!
- Who designed it? dauntlessliger
- How printable/popular is it? This TIE Fighter planter has a shared make, a remix, and over 2,500 downloads.
- Where to find it? Thingiverse
Baby Groot
It turns out Baby Groot makes for an especially popular planter. We can see why! The designer has added a lot of detail to this Groot model, making this planter look just like the character, especially after post-processing.
The designer printed this planter with supports activated and a 0.29-mm layer height. Another maker posted their impressive print using a 0.12-mm layer height and 25% infill. Depending on how small you print it, there might not be much room for soil, but air plants will always be an option!
- Who designed it? JuliaTruchsess
- How printable/popular is it? Everybody loves Baby Groot, as seen by the 423 makes and 13 remixes.
- Where to find it? Thingiverse
Low-Poly Bulbasaur
Like Pokémon? This Bulbasaur planter uses a low-poly design, which is a type of model whose “detail” is expressed by geometric polygons. Low-poly models look most impressive when printed cleanly, as seen in the image above.
The designer recommends printing this model with a scale of 2.5-2.8 to work with small plants, using 3 walls and a 10% infill. If you want to expand your Pokémon planter collection, why not print an Oddish, too!
- Who designed it? Hitsman
- How printable/popular is it? This Bulbasaur planter has 403 makes and 17 remixes. People love a Pokémon!
- Where to find it? Thingiverse
Minion
This planter design is in the shape of a Minion character, as seen in the Despicable Me and Minions movies. Specifically, this is Clark from the short film “Cro Minion”, dressed in animal skin to match the film’s Stone Age setting. The top of the design is hollowed-out to allow you to put a plant in Clark’s head.
One community maker posted a stunningly painted print of this Minion planter and listed that they used a 0.2-mm layer height with a 15% infill density.
Decayed Guardian
If you are a fan of The Legend of Zelda, you simply must have this large planter. Inspired by the decayed ancient guardians seen around Hyrule in Breath of the Wild, it’s truly a unique plant display.
This one is big! Using more than 250 grams of filament and clocking in with a print time of nearly 20 hours, it’s printed in three separate pieces to form the complete inner pot and outer planter. Once assembled and painted, it will be a planter legends are made of.
The creator has provided an extensive set of instructions to aid in the printing of this one. Screenshots, optimal scaling percentages, and assembly guides are all available to help make your print come together well.
- Who designed it? CraftySven
- How printable/popular is it? Painting this large planter makes it really pop as the 11 makes show.
- Where to find it? Printables
Animals
Keeping your plants in animal-themed pots will hopefully give them the appearance of being alive, even if you forget to water them for a while.
Air Jellyfish
Tired of always hiding your plant pots underneath your plants? This planter is upside down to hold an air plant to look like a jellyfish’s tentacles! To get that effect, the creator of this design recommends using a Tillandsia plant.
There are three sizes to choose from, or the original can be scaled. The designer printed the model on a Solidoodle 3 and states that supports aren’t needed for this print. Another maker suggests printing with a 0.1-mm layer height and 2 walls.
- Who designed it? Bee3dgifts
- How printable/popular is it? This inverted planter has 12 recorded makes, a remix, and nearly 5,000 downloads. It should be a straightforward print, so you’ll be suspending your air jellyfish in no time.
- Where to find it? Thingiverse
Whale
This planter is in the shape of a cute little whale that has an oval-shaped hole for placing small plants. The entire model only measures 100 x 120 x 105 mm, but the creator notes that you can scale it up to suit your needs. Just note that there are no drainage holes, so you’ll want to be careful about what kinds of plants you use this for.
The designer of this planter listed that they printed the whale design with a 0.4-mm diameter nozzle, using a 0.3-mm layer height. Without scaling, the print should take around 4 hours to finish and consume about 120 grams of filament, but this could be reduced with a lower infill density.
- Who designed it? TangoFiveCreat
- How printable/popular is it? This whale planter model is beginning to make a splash with 577 downloads and 3 shared makes.
- Where to find it? Printables
Leggy
This stretches the definition of “animal”, but Leggy is a fun planter with some human-looking legs sticking out. As the designer states, this planter could get up and walk away at any time, but it needs some light and water first!
The designer classifies the print as easy for its complexity, so you should have no trouble. A community maker posted a great print and stated that they used PLA.
- Who designed it? Cubico
- How printable/popular is it? The Leggy planter has 9 community makes in different colors, over 1,800 likes, and has been downloaded more than 8,000 times.
- Where to find it? MyMiniFactory
Hanging Sloth
If you love sloths, you cannot miss this hanging planter. Cleverly designed with drain holes in the back, this little guy is designed to hang your small plants. Simply slip your rope through the hands and feet after you’ve filled the sloth’s belly with a cute plant.
Users report great success with printing this design in PLA, with some reporting the need for supports to get their best results. After you have a few of these hanging out in your garden you’ll wonder why you hadn’t printed them sooner.
- Who designed it? 3D Central
- How printable/popular is it? We all know someone who loves sloths as evidenced by the 6 makes, more than 6,200 downloads, and almost 1,300 likes!
- Where to find it? MyMiniFactory
Turtle
This turtle planter is just that: a cute turtle meant to house small indoor plants. The maker also offers a version of this design with drainage features, which you can locate based on the file names.
If you do choose the draining option, just remember to put your turtle on a tray, or somewhere you don’t mind getting wet! And if you’re looking for more ideas, this designer has 20 or so other planter designs that are worth checking out.
- Who designed it? TangoFiveCreat
- How printable/popular is it? This turtle planter has 16 posted makes.
- Where to find it? Printables
Objects
There’s something intriguing about a plant growing where it doesn’t belong. In this section, we’ve got planters that represent inanimate objects, from buildings, to paint cans, to even a Ferris wheel!
Humidifier
This is another castle-inspired design that adds the option to add a humidifier to keep plants (and the surrounding air) hydrated. This project uses a lot of hardware in addition to the printed parts, including a humidifier PCB, a fan, and more. Check out the project page for instructions on how to make this planter.
If you choose not to add the humidifier, you could use the central tower to add a sixth plant instead!
- Who designed it? GhostSpitshadow
- How printable/popular is it? More than 45 people have liked this humidifier planter, and it’s been viewed over 3,700 times.
- Where to find it? MyMiniFactory
Truck
This truck planter is another fun little plant house, where the plant grows through the roof and out the windows. This planter is split up into two pieces: the base of the truck and the top. If you’re growing a taller plant, you may not want to print the top, as it might restrict your plant’s growth.
The designer notes that this model’s print time was a little over three and a half hours. Print a few in different sizes and colors for your own organic convoy!
- Who designed it? LetsCreate3D
- How printable/popular is it? This truck planter has over 4,700 views and has been downloaded by more than 300 users.
- Where to find it? Cults
Cityscape
This planter surrounds your plant with a whole city circle to keep it company even when you forget to water it. Not much information was provided for this model, but the maker points out that this planter is great for growing moss, as seen in the image above.
The designer listed the model as support-free, and it should be fairly straightforward to print. Keep in mind that plants that require a large amount of contained soil to grow roots might not be the best choice for this design.
- Who designed it? Pepe3D
- How printable/popular is it? This city-shaped planter has 100 likes and almost 400 downloads.
- Where to find it? MyMiniFactory
Castle
This castle planter can hold five mini plants, one on each guard tower and one in the center. The planter was designed in Tinkercad and is pretty tall, so you can grow plants with long roots.
The designer suggests printing this model with a 15-35% infill with 5 walls for thickness. No brim or raft is needed because the model has a nice wide base of its own.
- Who designed it? AlexTStudios
- How printable/popular is it? This castle planter design has nearly 700 likes as well as over 2,150 downloads.
- Where to find it? MyMiniFactory, Instructables, Tinkercad
Skull
Whether you are practicing your Shakespeare or getting ready for a little Halloween fun, this is the pot for you. This anatomically correct skull has been turned into a pot that will hold many different kinds of small plants.
Users have indicated the print does very well in PLA, and most report needing supports to get the best results. The more daring have printed this skull without supports and been impressed with the results, although a few overhangs may have to be cleaned up as you might expect.
- Who designed it? MW3D
- How printable/popular is it? With 9 makes and more than 8,500 downloads, you won’t be the only one to feel this print in your bones.
- Where to find it? MyMiniFactory
Ferris Wheel
This Ferris wheel planter is a little more complex than some of the other options on the list, as it involves multiple components and it moves. As this wheel has six carts, you can store up to six plants on this design, and they can even spin just like a real Ferris wheel. The planter’s ten pieces can be assembled using the designer’s instructions, provided on the project page.
The creator of this design recommends that you print the pieces for the Ferris wheel in a “medium quality”, so a 0.2-mm layer height should probably suffice. They also mentioned that they printed the pieces with a 30% infill density and with no raft. As shown in the photos above, it works standing up or hanging down!
- Who designed it? AlexTStudios
- How printable/popular is it? This Ferris wheel planter design has 320 downloads with over 5,000 views on MyMiniFactory.
- Where to find it? MyMiniFactory, Instructables, Tinkercad
Paint Can
This paint can planter design is split into a few pieces, including the bucket, paint spill, and handle, all designed in Tinkercad. This enables you to achieve a multicolor print with a single-extrusion printer.
The maker states that it’s an easy print but recommends printing slowly for the tall paint spill part, which is printed upside-down. Try printing the paint ring in different colors to swap it out with the seasons!
- Who designed it? Clockspring
- How printable/popular is it?This paint can planter has over 16,000 views as well as over 1,600 downloads.
- Where to find it? MyMiniFactory
Decorative
Finally, we have some planters that will add a stylish touch to your home while (hopefully) keeping your plants alive!
Self-Watering
Don’t have time to water your plant, or do you forget and then overcompensate when you remember? This planter waters the plant it contains and only uses two 3D printable parts to work. The only thing you need to do after printing is to post-process and assemble the planter, and there are instructions on the project page for how to do so. (Though you’ll still need to remember to refill the water!)
The creator of this design used a 0.3-mm layer height and a 10% infill to print the pieces. The designer also recommends printing the pieces in PLA, as the model was optimized for this material. Printing the two parts in contrasting colors looks great!
- Who designed it? parallelgoods
- How printable/popular is it? More than 678 Thingiverse users have uploaded their makes of this self-watering planter, making it the most-printed item on this list!
- Where to find it? Thingiverse
Bonsai
This planter is designed to resemble the unique shape of the base of a Bonsai tree, without the years of work to achieve it! This plant-shaped planter was designed in 3ds Max, and the designer provided both the basic hollow design as well as a vase mode-compatible option.
According to the designer, you may have to scale the model up in your slicer due to exporting issues from 3ds Max. As for print settings, one recorded Maker shared a Bonsai planter they printed using a 0.16-mm layer height and a 20% infill density with no raft or supports.
- Who designed it? gCreate
- How printable/popular is it? This Bonsai tree planter has 114 recorded makes and 7 remixes.
- Where to find it? Thingiverse
Glitch Planter
This is one of those designs that looks deceptively simple until you realize how sophisticated and beautiful it really is. This Glitch Planter has over a half dozen file options including vase mode, with and without drainage holes, and flat or pointed tops. There is even a bottom plate for catching water.
While just about any filament choice will work just fine, select a dual-color, metallic, or rainbow filament to showcase all of the detailed angles and facets of the design.
In addition to looking great, this planter comes with some detailed print instructions. The maker has also provided guidance for troubleshooting scaled-up vase mode prints that may give some slicers a challenge. Don’t overlook the remix community on this one, as there are some really interesting derivatives of this design as well.
- Who designed it? vexanix
- How printable/popular is it? This hugely popular planter has 359 recorded makes as well as 6 remixes.
- Where to find it? Printables
Geometric
These elegantly designed planters with geometric patterns are available with or without drain holes. Removable inner containers that contour perfectly to each pot design are also provided. There’s even a base plate sized to fit all three together. This wonderful set of succulent pots will bring a fun element to any decor.
While the set is sized for small plants, several users have reported great success in scaling these geometric pot designs up and down in size. The inner pot inserts do require supports and can be a bit tricky to remove.
- Who designed it? SchulteGeileTechnik
- How printable/popular is it? Altogether, this planter set has 170 shared makes and 10 remixes!
- Where to find it? Printables, Thingiverse
Plantygon
The Plantygon is a modular, geometric, and stackable planter set that you can print to hold small plants and succulents without them being overshadowed by the planter’s frame. This model was designed in Fusion 360 and has been updated to improve drainage functionality.
There are a few versions to choose from, depending on how you’d like your Plantygons to look and how you plan to combine them. The designer printed theirs with a 0.15-mm layer height on an Ultimaker 2+. They recommend printing with an 18% infill, and supports are optional.
- Who designed it? Printfutura
- How printable/popular is it? The Plantygon model has 96 recorded makes and 13 remixes. So many others have successfully printed this planter; you can too!
- Where to find it? Thingiverse
Voronoi
This planter was designed as a Voronoi structure, which is a mathematical construction of a partition of a plane. The model has been updated to optimize slicing and printing. The maker states that the planter is ideal for small plants and works well as a desk organizer, too.
One maker posted a successful model and listed that they used a 0.3-mm layer height to print in PLA. They also used a 10% infill with supports activated and kept the model at its original scale.
- Who designed it? O3D
- How printable/popular is it? 12 users have posted successful makes of this planter, and a couple others have remixed it. So, you should be able to print it too!
- Where to find it? Thingiverse
Modular Wall Mount
Need a planter for your wall? This modular planter can be mounted right onto your wall with the corresponding 3D printed cleat. The pots are easy to remove, so you can print a few and rearrange them according to your mood!
The printing settings aren’t anything out of the ordinary: One maker suggested printing with a 0.2-mm layer height, 20% infill, and no supports or raft.
- Who made it? 3DBrooklyn
- How printable/popular is it? This planter design has 46 makes, 8 remixes, and over 31,000 downloads.
- Where to get it? Thingiverse
License: The text of "3D Printed Planter: 25 Great Models for Green Thumbs" by All3DP is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.