Make Your Own Hypertufa Planter Today
Del Germyn
Try this Hypertufa mix when you do this project.
* 1 part cement
* 1 part sand
* 1 part colored aquarium gravel
* 2 parts peat moss or potting mix. (be
sure the potting mix has no fertilizer)
* enough water to make a heavy stucco type compound.
You will also need a couple of containers. I have used everything from milk cartons to
Styrofoam coolers. These will be your molds.
Never start this with only one, you will have some left over and it is nice to have
someplace to put it. Besides that, when you are finished you
will have 2 pots. That is always good. If you mess one up you can do better on the second one.
Look around and see what you can find.
Maybe a 5 gallon pail cut lengthways and laying on its side. You
can get them free at a lot of wine-making stores and micro breweries. Use your imagination here, the more unusual, the better it will
look.
Once you have decided on a good container, like an old cooler you can slop on a coat
of 1 part cement – 2 parts water with an old paintbrush. Let it
get semi hard (maybe 6 or 7 hours) and then mix your hypertufa as above, but make it a little
thick. So you can pick it up in your hand and form a ball that
will stay together.
Plaster this on over the cement/water mix. Start at the bottom and work to the top.
Make it at least 1 inch thick. Do the inside the same way but put 2 inches or more in the bottom.
Now cover it and let is setup for 12 or more hours depending on the
temperature. When you uncover it you may decide to try to wash
it gently using a spray bottle, not the garden hose! This should
uncover some of the colored aquarium gravel you used in the mix. Done carefully this is a great
look.
If you have a favorite mix you can use it instead. I add some white glue mixed with 2 parts water to mine when I do
it. I am not sure, but I think it gives the concrete / hypertufa
a little more strength.
I suggest you take a look here for more hypertufa tips.
Sometimes you can find a little gem here, but there is a lot to go
through!
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