Still Blooming !

First Update on Planter
After making my first Hypertufa Planter 4 weeks ago I threw in some almost dead plants like...Sedum Dragons Blood,Sedum 'Angelica'and Creeping Jenny 'Goldilocks' or Lysimachia nummularia.

Now this is what it looks like 4 weeks later without curing the planter.
The Creeping Jenny is mostly what you see.
No cracking of the planter...of course I didn't hit it with a hammer to find out how strong it is.
Was thinking about putting it on blocks to make it higher...but nah, leaving it as is. Also, now I'm curious as to whether the Dead Nettle already in ground will somehow attach itself on outside of the Tufa !


Still blooming are Impatiens wallerian in full sun.







New blooms on Butterfly bush.







Gaura lindheimeri 'Karalee Petite Pink'.







Unknown white climbing roses.







Unknown Canna







Scaevola aemula or New Wonder Fan Flower. Great annual.







Unknown Verbena







Knock Out roses.







Volunteer Morning Glories







Spider Flower







New addition...
Phlox paniculata 'cosmopolitan'







Hibiscus







Too good to be true...Geranium







Perky Sedum







And still producing are DH's tomatoes.
German Murphy heirloom tomato made for a great sandwich.
Nice acidity and sweet balance.
Never been a fan of salt but...funny thing about tomatoes...
salt brings out the different flavors.







If you don't hear from me for a week or so....
Shortly... It's Vacation Time !!

Hypertufa Planter FINISHED

Hyper to fa
Hyper tuf a
How do you say it ?
Ok, on with the finished project.

Cutting away the mold.
You can see where there may be some cracking.







Put it on a dolly and moved to side of house. Way too heavy !!
Then using my hands and a utility knife...broke away any lose cement.
Not so pretty and may not stay in one piece BUT I've learn some things....
like mix better and add more water. Rubber gloves are a must !
Do feel it may be missing something.







I understand that you should wait a month to cure in the elements before planting in it.
Temporarily added some plants that were originally planted in a bad location and dying.
For now I'm finished with this project !!



Believe the mix was proper but then again I'm hearing different opinions.
My suggestion is don't do it in 90 degree temps and be more selective with your molds.
Seen many different mixes on the Internet even one using elmers glue for the outer shell.

All tips and tricks are welcome.
See it from the beginning...click on "Hypertufa Planter" label.

Update-Hypertufa Planter

Hmmmmmm

Shouldn't this look gray and dry ?
Doesn't look anything like a few cement molds that I made.
Had to take cover off to dry....way too damp!
Don't understand the covering...how can it dry?

Yes, I'm afraid this is going to crumble. Getting nervous :(
Will take out of mold in 3 days.

Got some ideas for a much smaller planter next time.
Know I need better molds(mostly for the center),mix finer and maybe add more water.
And make it thinner !!

Hypertufa Planter-48 hour Update

UPDATE

Know I didn't use fiber mesh but don't think that should make too much of a difference since not everyone says to use it.

There is a test for after 24 to 48 hours.
"When you can't really scratch any off (without some difficulty), you're ready to unmold your object."
MINE is still gritty,all of top surface can be scratched off.
NOT like when you pour cement for a mold(nice and smooth).

Wish someone had pictures while making it(not the finished product),anyway...
Will mist with water and cover again since I believe it's too dry on surface.
Believe mix may have been too dry or not mixed well.
We'll see !!!
I keep reading the longer it cures the harder it will be.
By the way...It's 9 inches tall/deep minus 2 inch bottom.




Project is located in 6 hours full sun while curing.

Hypertufa Planter

Ok...I promised myself that one of my projects this summer would be to make a Hypertufa planter.
What's inspired me to do it...is having seen a post by FRANCES showing the Hypertufa troughs that she made.
Here's my first try at it.

First the materials...use equal parts
~Portland cement
~Peat moss
~Perlite





Then the forms...
I used a storage container(taller than I needed) and made the inside container with old seed-starting trays.





It's been suggested to make the walls and bottom about 2 inches thick.. but it depends a lot on what type/size of planter you're making.





Cover with plastic so you can get it off easier.





Make drainage holes.





Now mix all 3 ingredients adding a little water at a time.
How much water ?....that's the tricky part.
Should be able to make a ball in your hands with it.


Then fill in the sides of the forms with the mixture.
Cover the whole thing with plastic and cure for at least one week.

Will show results next week...if it works out !
Either way...thanks Frances.

Wish me luck. :)