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.
