Hypertufa!?

[vicki]

Hi All,
Wondering if you all have heard about hypertufa? This is what I will be making my bowls, pots, troughs, and stepping stones out of. Check it out!

Happy Growing,
Vicki in West Michigan

[Kathypat]

O.K. I give up. What is it? I'm a crafty person and am always looking for something new.

[Log Cabin Pat]

Hi
You must be reading my mind!! This was the next thing I was going to bring up. I tried to make some a couple of years ago and they fell apart plus I had a hard time getting them to release from the mold. I did two 3 weeks ago and again they broke getting them out of the mold. I did two more last week, I wraped a brick in plastic then sprayed it with pam. then wraped it in plastic to keep it wet longer. I changed the mix to; 1 part p. cement, 1part sand and 2 parts sifted peat. I am goint to keep trying until I get it right. I really need these for the Semps.

I need some help too

Pat

[vicki]

Hi,
First off hypertufa is a mix of portland cement, sand, and peat.
Tamped into a form and allowed to set. I first seen it in home
handyman. A friend lent me a garden projects book (black n decker) with it in there. Then looked it up on the net. I think it came up with 1200 or so sites. Pat, wish I could give advice but, haven't even made one yet!! Trying to get my stuff together. Maybe if you add some shredded fiberglass it would be stronger. Read that on one of the sites. What did you use for forms? blueboard, cardboard or ? I thought it was a cool idea, to fit in with the gardening.

Happy Growing,
Vicki in West Michigan

[Ann B.]

Vicki is right on target. I have seen this demonstrated on TV several times, and the key is to use Portland cement as opposed to ready mix or quick set.

You also need to keep misting the mixture as you stir it, and keep mixing and adding water until it is a cottage cheese like texture.

Sounds like a lot of fun to me, and one day, I want to try it. If any of you get the method down successfully, maybe you can help us to get it right.

Thanks,

[Kathy in GA]

Hi,

You will need to use Equal Parts.
Use pots, or large bowls without holes, for the mixing.

1 pot portland cement
1 pot peat moss shredded (not the unprocessed kind)
1 pot sand
1 pot water (this is why you will need pots without holes!);-)

Mix all together. You do not want to have a runny mixture, you want very thick, but thin enough to mix up well.

I haven't actually sat down to start making them yet, but did make one does that make sense?

Hubbie had left over concrete (froms the post for the cold frame) and I needed to do something with the left over concrete quickly so I got a bowl, and started measuring equal parts of everthing.

Mixed it all up, and was then in a hurry to find a mold. Grabbed the first mold available. An empty hanging basket, turned it upside down, and began packing the mold onto the basket. Now picture this, the hanging baset has drain holes. When i put the mixture on te basket for the mold it would not fill in the drainage holes. Kept falling through. But that is okay cause now i have a Bowl shape Hypertufa pot with drainage holes.
I let the mixture dry for a few days. Then i would sprinkle it a little with the garden hose everyday. I don't know why I did that maybe to just sort of compact it a little more.

Then I watered and let sit for a minute before I took it off of mold the other day. Now I have a pretty little pot, and no cracks, breaks, or crumble.

The funny thing is I saw this on a garden show just a few days before, what great timing! Otherwise the concrete would have been wasted.

The show used a concret cinder block, turned on it's side so that the holes are facing up. this will be where the plants go. They packed the mold on the cinder block, and trimmed the lips (edge) of the block to make it the same. This will be a bottomless planter, just put where you want it in the garden and fill with potting soil and plant your plants in it. OR you can use the ground, lay mixture on the ground (flat area) no grass. Set the concrete block on top of the mixture and press firmly, stick hands in the holes and pack some mixture around the inside to help it lock in place, wait for it to dry for a few days, moisten periodically every day or so, and now you have a concrete cinder block turned Hypertufa! You won't need to have drainage holes. They are not necessary since concrete does release the water.
Will be sitting down to make so very soon!
HYPERTUFA!
Kathy in Ga

[Kathy in GA]

Gonna take it one step farther!

I'm gonna start making them with designs.
I'm gonna cut some interesting branches off of tress and place them into the mold. So the outside of the hypertufa mold is decorative.
I'm gonna have fall decor ones with Cycamore, and oak nuts leaves.
Gonna have some with fall colored leaves, pine cones.

Gonna make some with flowers, pressed into mold. Wow what fun!

Then I'm gonna use a lot of cinder blocks, and make a layered garden wall! I'm going to stack them on top of each other, and plant in every hole, and make a curved wall around one of my little rolling hills, and then have a trained tree behind it, and ivy cascading down the sides of the little hypertufa garden!
Wow that will be a Beautiful site!
Hope I gave some ideas!
Kathy in Ga.

[Log Cabin Pat]

Kathy
I wish I had you're energy. I think the last pots I made are going to work if I would leave them alone and let them dry. Broke the first one, but the mold came out easier with the pam sprayed on it. Only one end broke off so I will work it into the rock garden. I am going to leave the other one alone for a few days. The hard part was keeping the kittens of the sprayed bricks, I will have to find something else to use. I hope it works, it's really a lot of fun

Pat

[Kathy in GA]

Pat, glad they are now working for you!

What a cool idea. You said kittens, can't keep them off?

make a slab or stone or something, while it is still wet let the kitten walk across it, and then buy a little decorative ceramic kitten.

Place the decorative kitten at the end of the slab where there are no foot prints. Would that be cool?

Real life art, sort of mingled with the visual!
(Real footprints) (Fake kitten)

I'll bet that would be pretty!
Glad they are working for you!
Hey Pat keep your hands off of them, til they dry!
just kidding only said that cause you did.
Kathy in Ga.