I have been making Hypertufa pots to show off the succulent arrangements I enjoy creating. I thought you’d like to see what the process looks like. So… here goes:
The material called Hypertufa is a mixture of Portland cement, sand, perlite (or vermiculite- I use perlite), peat moss, a small amount of chopped fiberglass (for added strength) and a bonding agent that is mixed in the water.
The free-form pots are created on a sand table.
I make mounds of sand- like sand castles! Then apply the mud- or cement mixture- over the mounds. I poke holes in them with a pencil so the pots drain well. This is a must for succulents! Don’t they look like turtle shell?
The picture, left, shows the pots turned over and released from the sand after about 48 hours. They need to be brushed out a bit and then…
They go in the pool, below, to cure further. Now they look like oyster shells to me.
They are still gray in color due to the color of the cement in the mixture.
Here are all the pots out of the pool. They’re not fully cured yet, but they are ready to stain with concrete stain to add color and interest.
Here are 2 pots stained with the permanent concrete stain. The picture on the left is the inside. The picture on the right is the outside showing the bottom.
This picture shows all the pots from the batch stained and waiting for plants. The concrete mixture will continue to harden, or cure, and water will continue to evaporate making the pots harder and lighter over time. They’re still pretty fragile at this point, even though they can be potted up, they need to be carefully handled so the edges don’t break.
Here are some examples of finished pieces. I’m so pleased with the way the plants look in these containers.
