Mankind has been utilizing sinks of 'Old Stone'
and animal troughs, for many years. Now there has arisen a
scarcity of these materials. Moreover, they are expensive
as well. Hence, artificial methods are being resorted to.
One of them is 'Hypertufa' - 'hypertufa' has the absorbent
properties same as the tufa rock. It is much lighter as
compared to regular concrete. It never gets frozen. The
materials required for making hypertufa pots or hypertufa containers are inclusive
of peat moss, sand, perlite or vermiculite, Portland
cement, and Chicken wire (for huge pots).
The tools required include heavy
rubber gloves, respirator (to provide protection against
peat moss and cement dust), plastic sheet (thickness of
around 4 mils) or bags, tub or pot for form, pots (for
'feet forms'), mixing wheelbarrow or tub, Screwdriver, Wire
brush, and wooden dowel.
Certain steps need to be followed
while making hypertufa pots. The first and the foremost
thing is to mix two parts of peat moss, one part of
Portland cement, and one part of sand, perlite, or
vermiculite dry with the help of hands, till a homogeneous
mixture is formed. Water can be added to moisten the
mixture a bit. The quantity of water should be such that,
when squeezed by hand, it should be slightly
visible.
Secondly, a proper mold needs to be
chosen ('two gallon black plastic pot' is
recommended).
Thirdly, enough mixture of concrete
needs to be placed in mold's bottom. The depth of the small
pots is recommended to be 1 to 1 ½ inches. After that, the
mixture should be kept on building till the acquisition of
the desired thickness. Efforts should be made to smooth the
sides as well as the bottom. It's advisable to round the
edges. This ensures a longer life of the pot. After
acquiring the 'desired height' (of the pot), folding the
inside of the pot with plastic from inside is recommended.
Now, slow curing should be started off. It begins with
keeping the pot in 'warm weather' for the first week, and
keeping at 50F for the next two weeks. It should be kept
away from the freezing point. Water presence cures
concrete.
If possible, bowl should be sprayed
with water frequently. This is mandatory in places having
dry climates. After these cures, the pot should be removed
from mold and plastic should be taken off. At this stage,
the pot is very delicate, so care should be taken while
handling. Later you can start using the new hypertufa planters and pots.
