Here at Dovewood we needed a plant container of a very specific size that wasn’t going to cost us an arm and a leg. I remembered Geoff Hamilton using a Hypertufa mix to make a planter. I did a little research and found his recipe in his book (You can get yourself a copy through this Affiliate link – if you buy I will earn a small commission fee) Gardeners World: Practical Gardening Course and thought we should have a go. So here’s something you can try at home……….
The recipe for the Hypertufa mix
1 part Cement
1 part Sharp Sand
2 parts Coir – we bought a compressed brick. It’s not easy to find locally so we bought it online here’s my affiliate link to a supplier and soaked it to rehydrate the fibre
Actual quantities depend on the size of trough you want to make. You will also need some wire mesh or Chicken wire
Step One – Construction of the ‘Mold’
We decided using cardboard boxes was not (a) practical or (b) easy to find boxes of the correct dimensions. My husband made an outer and an inner ‘box’ out of plywood. He constructed them in such a way as to make them easy to dis-assemble, to remove the container when it was finished.
Note the fixed pegs in the base of the larger one which are screwed in place from the underside of the box. These were knocked out of the trough when it was completed. They are there to make the drainage holes but it would be possible to drill through the finished hypertufa if you prefer.
My job was to cut lengths of Chicken wire to size, to strengthen the base and sides
Step Two
The Hypertufa was mixed up on a board using a shovel.
We put about one inch/25mm of the mix at the bottom of the larger box. Then put the wire on top of that before adding another layer of the Hypertufa mix. When it was nicely levelled, we placed the inner box centrally and the vertical section of chicken wire in between the two boxes
PLEASE NOTE YOU REALLY SHOULD USE GLOVES WHEN HANDLING WET CEMENT! (Ahem! Not like someone we know!)
Holding the chicken wire in place we carefully ‘spooned’ the Hypertufa down between the two boxes. We found poking it down with a piece of wood made it easier to ensure that there were no air pockets or bubbles. And we made sure that the wire was well bedded into the hypertufa mix. This makes sure we wouldn’t have any showing on the outside of the finished article!
When we had filled the sides and levelled the top of, we weighted the inner box down with bricks. It was left overnight for the whole caboodle to set.
Step Three
The next day we deconstructed the inner box and took the outside wooden box apart to reveal our new planter
At this point the Hypertufa mix is set but not hard. You can brush the sides lightly over and shape the edges or even carve into it if you want. You must do this within the first 24 hours otherwise it becomes too hard to do by hand. The planter will be completely hardened off after 7 days.
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- The New Trough –
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- starting to shape the edges
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- carving the edge with an old file
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- and gently wire brushing
The New Planting Trough
This was our first attempt at using this method to make a plant container. We were thrilled at the way it turned out. It’s the perfect size for our purposes, and it should weather down nicely. The Trough is totally in keeping with the style of our garden. It is now in position above the Bug Hotel we have made – you can read How to make a Bug Hotel here
Our new Hypertufa Trough finished and ready for planting
Finishing the Trough
If you want to age your hypertufa container you can ‘paint’ it with natural yoghurt or horse manure diluted with water. We haven’t done ours yet but I think I prefer the thought of using Yoghurt!
I hope you are feeling inspired to have a go at making one for yourself. Perhaps something to note down on your Garden Task list?…..Have you got your FREE printable yet? Click on this link to find out more!
May I say that making the inner box deconstructable was brilliant. Lovely result!
Boni
Thank you Boni! It was my DH’s idea – clever chap!
I’m the “a little less clever” DH here, and wondering exactly how that inner box disassembles. Any additional pics of that after or while it is being removed. I think I see, but am particularly interested in the inner box bottom removal.
Thank you Joe for your comment. I asked my DH and he said that constructing the inner box with battens screwed from the inside meant the base could be just dropped into place. When we came to dis-assembling he unscrewed the inner battens, levered them away and then was able to pull the base up. We are about to make another and bigger Hypertufa Trough so I’ll be sure to get photo’s for you then. I’ll add them to this Post after Easter.
Could this trough ( would the ingredients used to make it be safe) be used as a water garden, adding plants and fish?
Hi Stephanie!
Great question. I am not a ‘fish’ expert but have some concern that the cement would change the pH of the water initially in such a confined space, which may affect them. I know it is possible to apply a sealant which would create a barrier. Which leads me to the other part of your question about the suitability of Hypertufa as a mini pond. Hypertufa is by its very nature not watertight, the Coir fibres create pockets within the cement which is why plants will grow in its crevices and the trough is somewhat lighter than its solid cement equivalent. However, I did some research for your idea and it seems that if you can line the trough with cement it will be water-tight. So once again it seems that applying a barrier to the inside of the Trough is the answer. I hope that helps! If you decide to give it a go, let me know how you get on.
Beautiful work! I would also love to have detailed instructions on how to build the inner trough or see more pictures when you can. Thanks!
Thank you, Cindy, for your kind comment. We are hoping to get Project Post updated in the next couple of weeks so be sure to check back here to find it x Helen
I have used firer glass fibers for reinforcement, any fibers that remain on the outside can be removed with a torch. Fiber reinforcement can be found on line. Works great but takes some effort to separate the fibers, a must for the glass to work properly, and of course dust mast and gloves.
Interesting idea Anthony. Are you using the glass fibre as an alternative to the coir or the Chicken wire? The coir creates tiny nutritious tunnels in the structure which enables plant seeds and moss to root into it creating a naturalised stone effect which was what I was aiming for.
Me encantó, ahora tengo un poco más de noción de cómo armar mis moldes, y si al igual que las personas anteriores quisiera saber como sacar el fondo del molde interior y si pudieran sacar fotos del desarmado del molde interior paso a paso se los agradezco. GENIOS!!!
The online translator interpreted this as
“I loved it, now I have a little more notion of how to assemble my moulds, and if like the previous people I would like to know how to take out the bottom of the interior mould and if they could take photos of the disassembly of the interior mould step by step I thank you. GENIUS !!!”
Thank you Maria Rosa for your lovely comments. We are working on producing better instructions – I hope to publish them soon
You didn’t create drainage holes in mold. How did you correct this later?
Thanks for your question
The hypertufa mix fills in the area around the six dowels that support the inner box during construction. When the box work is removed, you can easily knock the dowels through which creates the drainage holes. Hypertufa is soft enough for the first 24 hours after construction to drill the drainage holes if necessary.
Hope that helps!
Hello Hellen,
How much cement did you use for a trough this size?
Thank you!
Hello George
I’m sorry that I can’t tell you how much we used for this exact project as we made it quite a while ago. I think it was probably less than a bag of cement as we have just made another, larger trough and it took a whole bag. More info on that and some other Hypertufa projects coming soon!
Hi. I love your troughs and want to make some myself. The only cement I can find is Blue Circle and they have several different types. Can you tell me which I should use, if any? Thanks
Hello Eve
So pleased you like this project, are going to have a go yourself. The make of cement doesn’t matter. We used ordinary cement – the sort that is used for bricklaying.
Best wishes for your project