Content

• Steps
• Part 1 of 3: Collecting bottles
• Part 2 of 3: Making wood
• Part 3 of 3: Decorating a tree from bottles
• Tips
• What do you need

Bottled wood is a type of recyclable glass sculpture that is popular with gardeners. It originated in Egypt, where bottles were used to catch spirits. African slaves also kept bottle trees near dwellings to catch spirits with glittering stained glass. To make a wood from bottles yourself, you will need to collect bottles and make a “wood” from steel or wood.

Steps

Part 1 of 3: Collecting bottles

1. 1 Start collecting bottles for the bottle tree. Standard size wine and spirits bottles of about 750 ml work best. It can be very expensive to buy the number of bottles you need to decorate the tree, so try to reuse as many bottles as possible.
2. 2 Prefer blue bottles. In folklore associated with bottle trees, blue is considered the best color for containing spirits. Blue vodka bottles can be combined with almost any other color to make colorful wood from bottles.
3. 3 Remove labels. Unless you want to advertise your favorite drink, you can get rid of the labels by dampening them with a mixture of vinegar and water. Remove stubborn labels with a cleaning agent.

Part 2 of 3: Making wood

1. 1 Look for dead or dying trees in your area. Traditionally, bottles were placed on the branches of dead trees. However, the locality in which you live will affect whether you can do this or whether you need to craft wood from metal.
2. 2 Buy a bottle tree frame if you don't have time to make one. Garden bottle trees that hold 10 to 30 bottles can be purchased from Amazon and eBay for $ 20- $ 100.
3. 3 You can buy a bottle frame from a local blacksmith. If you want to have an exclusive tree, then it makes sense to invest in a complex structure. If you don't want to spend more than $ 500, it's best to make your own tree.
4. 4 Make a bottle tree with square or round fence posts. Dig a hole in the yard and fill in the concrete foundation. Insert the post into the ground and let the concrete harden.
   • Drill holes at regular intervals on each side of the tree. Drill at an angle downward, making sure to drill each hole at least 7.5 cm deep.
   • Insert metal gullies rods from 0.2 m to 0.5 m.
   • You can purchase metal fittings from your hardware store or hardware store.
   • Make sure each rod is secured before proceeding with the wood.
5. 5 Make a bottle tree from rebar. Recently, this material has become very popular due to its durability in all climatic conditions. Buy 10 to 20 pieces of rebar from a metal processing plant, metal warehouse, or a major hardware store. The armature should be 1 to 1.3 cm thick. It can be of different lengths to simulate branches.
   • Buy a metal rim to use to secure the branches from the rebar or plan to weld the rebar together.
   • Rent a rebar bender if you want to bend the rebar too much.
   • Insert the pegs into the holes for the reinforcement. Then, hammer the rebar into the ground with a hammer.
   • Weld the fittings together if you like. Make sure the frame is sturdy before decorating.

Part 3 of 3: Decorating a tree from bottles

1. 1 Place the bottles on the "branches" of the tree. The fittings must reach the bottom of the bottle so that it is not blown away by the wind.
2. 2 Decorate evenly. Add bottles on each side to compensate for their weight.
3. 3 Reinforce the base of the tree if it starts to wobble. You may need to cement the tree if the soil is not very dense.
4. 4 Add new bottles to your bottle tree over time. You can also plant a vine to curl around the center of the tree.
   • If you want to make wood from cobalt bottles but don't have enough blue bottles, start using green or brown bottles, which are easier to find. Then collect the blue bottles and replace them over the years.
5. 5 Make the bottle tree special. While rebar trees are common, there is a wide variety of bottle trees in appearance and size. Add other glass or decorations if desired.

Tips

• If you want to use a living tree like a bottle tree, make metal decorations that you can hang from its branches. Once you've made a strong hook, wrap the metal around the bottle up to the neck. Make sure the bottle is tilted downward, as if the liquid is pouring out. Then hang the bottle decorations on the tree. Secure them to avoid falling glass.

What do you need

• Recyclable wine or spirits bottles
• Vinegar
• Water
• Cleaning agent
• Fence posts
• Concrete mix
• Shovel
• Drill
• Metal dowels
• Armature
• A hammer
• Welder
• Metal rim