Protection for the Tiniest, Most Precious Succulents

When I posted about making a planter for my tiny succulents, I mentioned that I was having trouble keeping the cats from eating them. Placing orange peel around them worked for about a day, but it became pretty clear I was going to have to make some kind of cover for the planter, since a lot of the plants were starting to look rather sad.

I knew it would be pretty much impossible to find something pre-made in the size I needed, so I decided early on that I would make something. I picked up a 28"x30" sheet of plexiglass at Lowe's and started winging it.

I've never really worked with plexiglass before, and it wasn't too terrible. After measuring the planter to determine what size lid I needed, I got to cutting. I used a straight edge and utility knife to score the plexi, then placed it on the edge of a step outside and gave it a sharp hit. Sometimes it broke cleanly and sometimes my score wasn't deep enough and I had to go back with pliers to break off the rest.

Once I got all my pieces cut, it was time for assembly. I attached the two long sides to the top first.

I put together this lovely little set up. I placed the whole thing on that wood circle (for another project to come!) so that I wouldn't get any adhesive on the table. I used the Intel box and the basket to keep each side piece propped up.

I tried using super glue first, which really didn't work at all, so I switched over to clear silicone. I just ran a bead along the entire seam and then smoothed it with my finger.

I let those three pieces dry, then attached the two short sides. I used making tape to hold those pieces in place, then applied the silicone. I flipped it over at this point to finish drying because some silicone had squished out and was trying to stick to the wood.

I let it dry until the next afternoon and then removed the masking tape and placed it on top my planter.

It's definitely not perfect. My silicone application could have been muuuuch cleaner, but it is working very well at keeping the cats out of the plants, which makes me and my tiny, precious succulents very happy!