Product Tips and Uses - Article 2 continued


1. Cover the mould tightly with plastic bags (you can omit this step if the mould itself is made of plastic) tucking in all the corners and taping the plastic into place. Put the mould upside down on your base. (Alternatively, you can build the trough inside the base as shown in the photos. This is even easier, but note that the exterior of the hyper-tufa pot will be smoother and less rustic-looking.)		2. In a wheelbarrow, combine 17 litres each of vermiculite and peat moss, and 11 litres of portland cement. Add a large handful (about one cup/250 mL) of fibremesh if you are concerned about winter strength. Blend dry ingredients, add 13 litres of water and mix well with your hands (wear rubber gloves). The blend should be thoroughly wet and the consistency of cottage cheese. You may halve this recipe for smaller projects.

3. Take handfuls of the mix and start at the bottom of the mould (which will be the top of your hypertufa pot). Pat the mix into place, gently slapping as you work to remove air bubbles. You want the mixture to be four to five centimetres thick. Occasionally check the depth with your finger or a stick and then smooth it back into place.		4. Working slowly and deliberately, build the pot from the bottom up, slapping to remove air bubbles and smoothing the surface as you build. If you're making your pot on the inside of a container, push and pat the mix firmly against the bottom and sides of the mould.

5. Once you reach the top of the mould (which will be the bottom of your pot), check the depth one last time before smoothing the surface with your hand. Then take a flat board and draw it firmly across the top so you have a flat bottom. You don't want the trough rocking when you plant it. (This step is not necessary if you're building your pot inside the mould.)		6. Poke the dowels (or use sticks) through the cement mixture to create drainage holes. You can leave the dowels in place and move them every day or so (to make them easy to remove at the end), or insert them once and then remove them.

7. Loosely cover the pot with plastic to help keep moisture from evaporating. Mist the pot occasionally in the first few days to encourage even curing.

8. After a week, remove the plastic and let the planter sit, uncovered, for four to five more days.

9. Remove the pot from the mould by gently pulling on the plastic wrapped around the mould. The pots look heavy, but they are surprisingly light.

10. Once the plastic has been removed from the mould, smooth the edges of the trough with a carpenter's file. If it rocks, run the file over the bottom. Conversely, if you want a more rustic look for a pot made inside a mould, use a wire brush to rough up the finish. Check drainage holes to make sure they are clear. If not, you might have to drill them out, or use a hammer and nail to clear the holes.

11. Spray the trough with a hose to remove any lime that has come to the surface, and let it cure for a few more weeks before planting.

12. Hypertufa pots age well, taking on a slightly more weathered look through the years. If they crack (unlikely, if you add a fibremesh product), simply patch them with more hypertufa the next time you make a pot.