Hypertufa

As my terracotta pot collection is dwindling I thought I’d look around for replacements. It seems that vintage pots are quite hard to come by, especially the ones from Carley’s Bridge potteries in County Wexford. So I thought I could take the matter into my own hands and produce some type of container myself.

 I initially thought the best thing to do was set myself up making clay pots as a bit of a sideline in the quieter moments of the day. After looking into the complexities of the pottery industry I realise that this is also not the easiest thing to do. I’d need to get a heater in the garage, buy clay, a wheel and then to top it off I’d need a kiln, which don’t come cheap.

It all seems like a bit too much trouble to go to for a few plant pots so I thought of a simpler and hopefully less expensive way of producing containers. Making them out of something called hypertufa which is a homemade version of a naturally occurring pourus rock called Tufa.

HYPERTUFA

Hypertufa was developed in the 1930s to replicate the stone troughs that were popular among gardeners in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and are still popular to this day. The lightweight stand-ins are a lot easier to transport. Thanks to their porous nature, the pots are ideal for plants needing good drainage such as alpines and cacti.  

If you’ve ever tried to pick up a concrete container you’ll know that they are perfect for keeping the plants upright in a strong wind but not that good for moving around or putting in the post to deliver to customers. 

 

MIXES

I’m using a few different materials and methods to see which one works the best. Initially the pots are formed by using peat, cement and perlite. I am going to use a peat mix and also a peat free mix to see which holds up better seeing as using peat is a bit of a no-no for the environment.  The peat is mixed with either perlite or vermiculite.  Again both of these materials are non renewable volcanic and chemical products so I’ll be looking for more eco friendly alternatives eventually if all goes well. 

METHOD

The peat and perlite are mixed with cement and water is added until it’s like a mud pie. It’s that simple. The difficult bit is getting it to stick into place. I am using a few bowl shaped pots that get a lot wider at the top, a homemade mould of a square and an old milk carton cut in half just for good measure. The other method I’m using is to get a large (ish) terracotta pot, put a bit of the mix in the base and then put in a smaller pot. The sides are then filled by the mix and I’ll leave these to dry for a few days then tip out. I’m using bits of sticks in the bottom to keep a drainage hole and some trusty WD40 sprayed on the inside to hopefully act as a non stick layer so the hypertufa pots slide out.

That’s it. I think the peat will neutralise the lime from the cement and keep the pot ph neutral which will suit most plants. When I get the mix right I’ll try and put a pattern on the sides for the pots. There are different things I could use, dried leaves, stones, shells, wood chip or anything else with a bit of texture. For now though I’ll wait until they are nearly dry then give them a rub with a wire brush.

AMMONIA

One thing I have noticed id when I have made the mixture, it seems to give off ammonia gas. I’m not sure why this is and for once I can’t find the answers online

I’m hoping that the porous nature of these pots will allow moss to grow on them. It’ll give them that aged look. I will try putting some natural yogurt on one of them to see if that really does speed up the “aging process” The other thing I’ll do is make a mix of old beer and some moss then rub it onto the surface.

I’m not sure how strong they are going to be yet because it takes a while for them to set properly, I have speedily dried out a few bits on the radiator and they appear to be very crumbly. I think     I might need to add some sand, it’s very much trial and error.

It looks like there are loads of ways to make these pots and lots of ideas about planting and decorating. I’m going to have so much fun!

 I’ll keep you posted.