My friend Linda invited me and a group of friends to come by her house for a hypertufa workshop. I knew what hypertufa was but didn't know a thing about making it. Now I do!
We had two workdays. On the first visit, I made these two pots -
The largest was made from this mold, which was a pot measuring about 2 feet tall. First, you line your mold completely with a plastic bag or something that will keep the hypertufa from sticking to the sides. Alternately, you could use Crisco if you want the pattern of the original pot - of course, that works best for a smaller pot.
We used three parts Portland cement, perlite and coir on our first visit. You can use peat moss instead of coir and we did that the second time.
I was too busy to get photos of the molding process but you basically press the mixture along the bottom and sides of your container. The mixture goes on thickly, so the side walks are several inches wide. Although the mixture is heavy, it actually adheres fairly smoothly.
After molding, your pot has to be covered and allowed to cure. This took 4-5 days and then we headed back to unmold our pots.
Using a file, we buffed the edges -
The next step is to rub some of the dry Portland cement over the pot. This makes it look much nicer -
You can experiment with different materials to line your pot with and get various results. I liked using thick plastic bags because they give nice patterns.
You can use a skewer or stick to enhance the lines. Then, a final brushing -
On my second trip, I made three pots, very similar in size -
And that is it - it is best to allow them to cure for several months before planting. They can be stored in the garage or even outside if covered. Linda says that it is possible to use them immediately but she recommends waiting for best results.
Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
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