Chicken Coop Chatter©
Awhile back my DIL and I made "Hypertufa" containers. You will need, Rubber gloves, Portland Cement or Quik set Cement, Vermiculite and Peat Moss and some of your salvaged collected/reusable containers that are easy to release from the "Hypertufa".
A Slope to the sides of the containers is helpful from our experience. (You can make your own "mold" as well, using wood for the framework or dig a hole in the ground, the size and depth you want your container, then pour in your cement mixture) You will also need a wheelbarrow or other object for mixing your Hypertufa and ready source of water.
We made several containers in a variety of sizes. The hypertufa container can be any shape or size you may like. Troughs are great, and plastic tubs or dishpans work for making larger containers, or simply build a mold with a wood frame. It's a fairly quick project, but will take a bit of work to mix up and fill your containers. You will want two sizes of your disposable containers. One to make the hypertufa pot and one for the center for planting area. Cottage cheese or margarine tubs work for that center opening.
To grow moss on the containers, just brush on some buttermilk around the surface and set in a shaded area. Moss will grow on them and give them an antiquated look as you see on mine. Be sure to provide a drainage hole. We just used twigs to poke the hole in the bottom. Allow the hypertufa to set up before releasing from the containers. These are great for Hens and Chicks and other succulent plants but be sure they have dried thoroughly and leached any impurities before planting them. I have provided some photos here to share of our finished project and provided a website for instructions that are easy to follow.
Enjoy and be sure to share your finished projects with us on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Just-Fowling-Around/365743116845352?ref=hl.
http://www.finegardening.com/how-to/articles/make-hypertufa-trough.aspx
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