Hypertufa is art!
Technically speaking though, hypertufa is an artificial substitute for the naturaly formed Tufa rock. Tufa rocks are know for their microbiological component and porous identity. Plants love to grow in tufa planters because water gets stored in all of the little cracks so it is easily accesible in times of dryness. It also takes care of getting fresh air to the roots of the plants. Hypertufa is made by combining Portland cement with Sphagnum (peat moss), perlite or vermiculite and water. Hypertufa is fairly lightweight and resembles the structure of natural tufa so it is ideal for making pots, planters, troughs and other objects to brighten up your garden and give it a very natural look. It is also frost-resistant as opposed to cement which can sometimes crack during cold winters and you will find yourself cleaning up and buying a whole new trough, planter or pot.
Get inspired!
To get an idea of the possibilities with hypertufa, take a look at the gallery here below.
Recipes to make hypertufa
Now, you might be looking for some basic recipes. Well, there’s an app blogpost for that! Check out our blogpost about hypertufa recipes. Take a look at the tutorial and get started with your hupertufa project. The video tutorial will show you: It’s very easy and a lot of fun to do.
Hey, this will be something for me after my retirement.
Hey don’t wait for retirement. That may never happen!! Do it on a day off. What neat gift ideas! This is inspiring. If we are not learning and having fun..then we are dying. Kris
Porosity will cause fracturing anywhere there are continuous freeze-thaw cycles, or deposition of salts from evaporation … UNLESS the texture is such that localized crushing can compensate for the forces generated. It will probably eventually fall apart anyway, but maybe not in your lifetime!
How do you make the hypertufa with faces sculpted on them. Do you carve it or is the face from a mold?
Hi Sandy, it looks to me like these faces are made from a mold. Unfortunately I did not make these planters myself so I can not be exactly sure about it. But seeing the detail on every one, I would think there have to be molds for this.
I’ve just made my first planter, it is a fun project. I’d like the faces too, I’m thinking a stryofoam mold might be the way to go with that.