Creating Hypertufa and Faux Stone Planters

Creating Hypertufa and Faux Stone Planters

Creating Hypertufa and Faux Stone Planters should be added to your garden craft to do list!

Grow Your Own Food is an information series on Gardening in Canada that covers every aspect of growing your own food at home. I help you every step of the way so that you can have the garden you dream of.

make a hypertufa and faux stone planter

Hypertufa and Faux Stone Planters

This month we have 2 very neat projects for creating some spectacular outdoor containers. For the first one we will be working with concrete to design a Hypertufa pot. The second is a bit different, we will be making Faux Stone Planters. Both projects are inexpensive, are gorgeous additions to your garden and will inspire you to create all sorts of cool pots!

Making a Hypertufa Pot

For our first project we will be making a Hypertufa pot. The list of ingredients and supplies are as follows.

We will need:

  • Portland cement,
  • peat moss, perlite,
  • water
  • thick rubber gloves to mix the cement mixture.
  • something to make drainage holes (something to create a plug that will be removed once the planter is dry)
  •  drill (optional but a great alternative to create drainage holes)
  • a dusk mask – The mixing part of our project will be a bit dusty, if you are so inclined.
  • a large container to mix the concrete.
  • a mold to form our pots in
  • oil, Vaseline or heavy plastic to line out moulds with
  • a large garbage bag used to dry and cure our pots in

Making Drainage Holes

You can use anything to make the holes. I used a wine cork placed in the bottom of my container to create the drainage hole. It’s easy to cut out of the concrete once the pot is dry. Alternately, you could use a drill to make the holes in the dried container.

Choosing and Preparing the Mould

I am using a medium size plastic bowl but I plan on making some nice rectangular and square forms for future Hypertufa containers. (I have a feeling I will be making them on a regular basis.) You can use any type of container, select one with a shape you love. For your first Hypertufa pot go a bit smaller, it will be easier to make and you can really learn the process with minimal stress

One thing to note is you do not want to use a container with a lip on the inside, you will never be able to remove the concrete container from the mold and will have to trash the entire project.

If you are using a plastic mold oil down the inside with oil or Vaseline to aid in the removal of the Hypertufa container. If you are using a metal or wood mold line, the inside with a sheet of thick plastic first. This helps in the removal of the finished container.

Workspace and Supplies

portland cement for a hypertufa pot

 

I mixed my concrete in a large container and had everything set up on a table outside.

I found Portland cement at The Home Depot, the bag is heavy so take someone with you to load it if possible. One bag will be enough to make many projects so don’t be too concerned about the size of bag that it comes in.

Perlite and peat moss can be found at any hardware store or garden center.

The ratio is 1:1:1

  • 1 part Portland cement
  • 1 part peat moss
  • 1 part perlite

Using a large container measure out equal parts of the ingredients, estimate how much mixture you will need for your size of container. Add the water slowly as we are looking for a certain consistency in the mixture. The goal is to be able to squeeze the mixture so that it holds together easily and just a touch of water will drip out.

Test the consistency as you go to avoid adding too much water. If you have too much water in your mix, add some Portland cement to tighten it up, add a handful at a time and mix it in, then test. Once you have good consistency allow the mixture to sit for a few minutes while you assemble your mold.

Forming The Pot

Starting at the bottom of your prepared container, begin to pack the mix into the mold, being sure to make your drainage holes. Next, pat the mixture up the walls of the container. You can leave the center hollow, shaping it with your hands or you can use a smaller container and place it inside the container to create the middle. If you do use a second container, be sure to oil the surface well before placing. I used a container to form the center of my pot. It was sitting a touch unlevel, so I weighted it down with a few heavy stones.

molding a hypertufa pot

Drying and Curing

When you are happy with the thickness of the walls, we want to place the Hypertufa someplace to dry and cure. The goal is a slow cure, so we are going to place our containers into a large garbage bag, this holds in the moisture for a nice slow dry. Let it set for 24 – 36 hours. You can test it for dryness after 24 hours. Try and scratch it with your nail, if you can make a mark, it is not fully dry. Give it another 12 – 24 hours. If you do not make a mark, it is ready to unmold.

Unmolding the Hypertufa Planter

If it is being stubborn, you can use a rubber mallet to tap the outer container to release it. If you want to give the surface a bit of texture you can use a wire brush to scratch the surface. Have fun with it!

Once you have some experience you can start making larger containers!

Making Faux Stone Planters

grow your own food making a hypertufa and faux stone planter

 

Next up is our cheater container, the finished product is similar to rough stone and we can play with colour a bit in this project.

Supplies for the Faux Stone Planter 

For the faux stone planter, we will need,

  • a Styrofoam coolers
  • exterior paint in stone colours
  • a paint brush.
  • rubber gloves

cooler for a faux stone planter

 

Once I started shopping for Styrofoam containers, I was able to find them everywhere, from grocery stores to my local hardware. I went with a smaller cooler for my first project but have since picked up a larger one for my next faux stone planter.

I bought a small can of exterior latex paint in a medium grey. Our goal is to make it look like stone so keep that colour palette in mind when shopping for paint. I used a one-inch paint brush, don’t spend too much money on the brush as it will get quite gritty, and you will only be wanting to use it for outdoor projects. The sand can also be found at the hardware store or in some garden centers.

Preparing the Workspace

creating a faux stone and hypertufa planters

 

You need to do this project outside as it is messy! Set everything up on a table, on the lawn is best as we will have sand everywhere. Cover your table with a sheet of plastic to protect from paint drips.

Creating A Faux Stone Planter

Using a sharp knife cut drain holes into the bottom of your cooler.

We will start on the inside of the cooler then work in sections. Taking your brush paint a thick layer of paint over the entire inside of the cooler. Now take a handful of sand and wipe it over the painted surface so it sticks well, repeat until the walls and bottom of the cooler are fully coated. To contain the sand, I did this over a very large steel bowl to catch the excess sand.

first coat on a faux stone planter

Now we move to the exterior of the cooler. I found it easiest to work on one side at a time. Once all 4 walls were done, I placed the cooler over the bowl to cover the bottom.

Set aside to dry. Depending on where you live and your temperature, that will dictate your length of dry time. It has been very humid here, so I left the paint to dry for 24 hours.

We do this entire paint and sand process 3 times to create a nice rough surface on the cooler. The layers of sand do not need to be even or completely cover the surface. Think about creating uneven layers to add to the visual texture of the planter. Another way to be creative is to use 2 colours of paint to add extra depth and variation.

Once the final coat is dry your faux stone planter is ready to be planted and placed on the patio or in the garden.

Published by Redawna

Garden & Food Writer/Educator/Photographer. NFT artist. Management Professional. Community Builder. Entrepreneurial spirit.

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