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A Cookbook Approach to Hypertufa:Make Your Own Rock, Troughs and Basins
by Pam Ingle
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If you've ever attempted building a waterfall, or stream, you will probably know just how difficult it can beto find just the perfect rock. If you're lucky enough to find one, you also may know how difficult it is totranport. You may resort to buying them at a quarry or hardscape business, but they can be pricey, to say theleast. One solution to the problem might be to make your own rocks. You may not fool Mother Nature, justmaybe a few neighbors. Not only can you make rocks, but you'll find this technique can be used to maketroughs, basins, mini ponds, fountains and even birdbaths. Although the process is a little like making piecrust, it is more effort. Consider recruiting a helper before you begin.
English Garden troughs became popularized in the 1930's. Made from from tufa, a porus rock, they wereoriginally made for watering livestock, later adopted as planters. The demand exceeded the supply, so a manmade substitue, hyper tufa was developed, to simulate tufa. Tufa, or Calcium carbonate (in the form ofCalcite or Aragonite, depending on crystallization) that forms in caverns from precipitating water whiletrapping in organic matter, such as leaves, twigs, and moss.
http://www.minerals.net/mineral/carbonat/calcite/calcite.htm
The birdbath pictured below, is a great example of how hypertufa can be used today.
Hypertufa is a concrete like material that you can make yourself, using portland cement, sand, andpeatmoss. There are a number of variations in the individual recipes, as with making pie crust, but theresults are similar. Most often you will see it used to form basins, for small water elements in a japanese likegarden, or to simulate antique horse troughs carved from stone.It has become popular to use it to form largeplant containers, or even mini container ponds. Why can't we use it to make or own rocks, or for other pondrelated applications?
Although you may save your back by making your own rock, their is some heavy work involved, besideslugging the bag of portland cement home. Most of the equipment you will need, you will likely find athome. You will also need a flat wide container for mixing it in. I used a kiddie pool, purchased in the fall atWal-Mart when they were cheap. You can use a wheel barrow, a cement mixer, or a trough made for thispurpose. You will also need hoe, shovel and a water supply. A trowel, and a bucket will be helpful, as wellas some texturing tools, like an old scrub brush, wire hardware brush, or a few real rocks, to stamp with.
Before we go too much further, we should discuss a safety concerns. First, cement materials have quite a lotof lime in them. This is not only hard on your hands, but could cause serious injury to your eyes, or lungs, ifyou breath it in. Consider wearing safety glasses, a mask over your mouth and nose, and rubber gloves.Another consideration is of course your pond, plants and the fish. Use caution around the pond, so that bitsor chucks of mortar don't fall in. You will need to rinse the material when finished, so plan to cover thepond, or at least find a way to prevent the contaminated water from falling in the pond. One suggestionmight be to use large scrap of liner, staked to the sides, to catch the rinse water, and channel it away.Another thought, might be to use a shop vac, to suck up the rinse water as you go.
If you plan to use this in a new waterfall, or stream, you should definately consider adding a bottom drain atthe base pool, before it empties into the pond. With a little planning and about less than $30, you can addthis. Your stream will need frequent cleaning, as will your water fall, and this will allow you to flush it out,but not into the pond. You can use a wet dry vac, or a sump pump, while your are cleaning and rinsing, tocarry it out and away before it hits the pond.
You'll find all sorts of recipes for hyper tufa, and everyone tends to stick with what works best for them. Ilike using black poor quality potting soil and a little heavy clay soil in mine. I've also found that theaddition of some ground up leaf mulch, extra sand, and little twigs gives it a nice appearance.
Here are three recipes for hyper tufa that you may like to try. The first one is the standard one used formaking rocks, "stone" basins, and plant containers. The second is one we use for mortar around the copededge of the pond, and to form basins in the stream. We like the appearance and sticks well to liner and rockwork. It can be used as an edge treatment, with or without rocks, or both, to avoid that string of pearls look.Since it has some organic matter, it tends to wick water, so be sure that there is liner to prevent water loss.The moisture allows moss and other plant material a better chance of making it. The third is one thatElizabeth Law used to cover a bathroom sink.
Hypertufa Recipe for Troughs, or Rocks:
1 part portland cement (don't use concrete redi-mix)
1 part builders sand2 parts peat mossWater or acrylic fortifying additive.Optional additives: concrete dye, black or brown, liquid or powder
Using acrylic fortifying additive will help to better adhere this to liner, make it stronger, and help preventleaching of lime into the pond water. I urge you to use this if it will be come in contact with pond water. Itis also a good idea to use this if you will be using it where it will be in contact with ground water, that willfreeze and thaw, or along the edge of the pond, where it may be walked on.
This is next one we've adapted for use in our stream and along the pond edge. I like the natural look and usethe "black" peatmoss (the kind that dries like a rock). We've also added small bits of peasize gravel, or leafmulch, to give it a woodsy look.
Hypertufa Mortar "Mud Mortar" Recipe:
1 part portland cement2 parts builder's sand1/2 part peat moss or "cheap" black potting soil1/2 part clay soil, with clods broken upWater or acrylic fortifying sealer
Elizabeth Law's Recipe: (of Dublin, Ireland)
1 part portland cement2 parts sand1/2 part peat moss
Elizabeth used this recipe when she covered an old bathroom sinks for use as basin planters.
For best success, no matter which recipe you use, it's a good idea to to start with a small batch. Don't forgetthe protective gear! Use a shovel as your measure. Mix the dry ingredients together, using a hoe, so that it'swell integrated, with no large particles. (Remember, this is like making a pie!) Add the liquid, a little at atime. If you've ever made pie crust dough, you know that it is much easier to add a little more water than toadd more dry ingredients. Work it into a homogenous mass, just like pie dough. Which ever recipe you use,the goal is the same.
Basin or plant container:
To make a basin or through, you will need a form. A sturdy box, with lined with plastic, will do, or for abowl look, use an old plastic salad bowl, an oil pan or whatever. Pack it in, making sure that it's at least afew inches thick. You'll need to cover this with some plastic and allow it to cure slowly. Remove it from thebox, and chisel away on the exterior the get a more natural effect. You may want to replace some the peatwith vermiculite, to make it a little lighter.
Another approach, for a free form look, might be to dig a hole in the ground, line it with a some plastic, andsprinkle in some sand. You may want to insert a piece of tubing, if you plan to circulate water through itlike a fountain.
Mini-Pond or Water feature:
If you plan to make a small pond or basin with this, you want coat the inside with Thoroseal, or UGLI, togive it a watertight finish. Thoroseal comes in black, white or gray, but you can just get the white, and paintit with laytex paint when finished. A good resource for information on this is the book on container watergardening by Helen Nash and Greg Speichert.
Choose a container to use as a form, the size of the finished exterior. Line it with plastic sheeting, and justpack in the hypertufa, to get an even thickness of about 3 inches. Cover it with more plastic and allow tocure for a couple of days. Carefully remove it, and texture the exterior with a wire brush, or by scratching orchipping some away.
Rocks:
Make your own rocks by hand packing it in the desired location. Cover with some plastic, and allow it tofirm up. Texture it with some rocks, and old scrub brush, before it gets too hard. Don't forget that if yourpond water will come in contact, you will need to cure it, and seal it.
Use Hyper Tufa as an overcoat:
At "A Small Irish Garden", http://www.esatclear.ie/~emal, Elizabeth Law of Dublin, Ireland has somewonderful information:
"In the background of the above picture is an old bathroom basin that I covered with hyper tufa to make atrough. It has got more seasoned looking now as the photograph was taken in June. To make these troughs Iwas lucky to get hold of two slightly cracked bathroom basins (sinks). I removed the taps and gave the sinka good wash down. Then I coated the surface with Polybond and allowed it to dry. This provided a bettersurface for applying hypertufa. I mixed Portland cement, sand and sieved peat in proportions of 1--2--1/2until it was quite moist but not *runny*. Then, wearing gloves all the time, I pressed handfuls of the mixtureon to the basin until the top part was covered; there is no need to do the bowl as this will be filled withcompost. This dried enough in a few days to allow me gently turn the basin over and repeat the process onthe underside. I left it about a week and brushed it hard with a wire brush. If big pieces of the hypertufa felloff I re-applied a fresh mixture to those places. When it was covered and well dried I made a small quantityof 1 to 1, sand and cement mixture and fixed small plastic plant pots to the region under the holes left byremoving the taps. This was most useful for additional planting using the tap holes. I painted the whole
surface with live yogurt to encourage the growth of lichen and moss. As the plug hole provided a goodmeans of drainage I just put some small stones over it prior to adding compost. There is much discussionabout the best proportions of sand, cement and peat to use so I am sticking to what worked for me!Remember that this is not a job to do if there is frost around as it affects the hardening process; I wouldsuggest doing it in the summer."
Mud Mortar:
We've used this as mortar to adhere real rocks at the edge of your pond, along your stream, or to formbasins in the stream. We have found it necessary to build up the sides of the stream to prevent run off waterfrom entering the pond. It is helpful for hiding the liner in the stream, and forming the lip of basin pools. Ilove the natural appearance, and the fact that it also holds some moisture. Moss can stay moist, rather thanfry on a sunny afternoon.
Getting it exactly as you want it will doubtless take some experimentation. However you end up usinghypertufa, remember that it is porous. The peat moss, which gives it its texture, also leaves small holes forwater to travel through. Like any concrete material, it will be the source of considerable alkalinity untilcompletely cured.
Curing:
Curing will take care of itself, over time, but if you'd like to speed up the process, and keep from raising thepH of your pond, here are some tips. Use white vinegar and water 1:4, to help make it fish safe. Mix someup in a bucket and sponge it on, or spray it on with a CLEAN garden sprayer (do not use one that has hadpesticides or other noxious materials in use). Allow this to sit over night, than rinse with plain water.
Sealing:
It's a good idea to seal it with a clear acrylic or laquer especially if it will come into contact with pond water.Quikrete Acrylic Fortifyer and Sealer, can be used in place of water in the mix, and sealed. Put on severalcoats or this, allowing to dry in between. When dry, rinse well. You may have a little foam initially, but itdisipates soon. I can't say this is completely safe, but I have used it with no problems. Another product, witha proven track record, is White Mountain Laquer. The folks at Aqua Art recommend and have this availableby the gallon, and recommend 4 coats or more. You can apply the coats about 1 hour apart.
Note that portland cement is not concrete redi-mix; redi-mix is a mixture of portland cement, sand, andgravel. Use of redi-mix instead of portland cement will result in an undesirable gravelly, concrete-liketexture. You may use a mortar especially for rock work, adding one part of mortar to each 1/2 part ofportland. Note also that concrete dyes may work better with white portland cement rather than the standardgray. White portland cement is available at masonry supply stores. There are dyes available that can also beadded after it dries.
Moss:
You can wait for moss to start growing on it's own or you can help it along. One way is to simple get somein the woods, rinse off the dirt and put it on. Or, you can tear us some moss into little bits, mix it withbuttermilk, and paint it on. Spritzing with beer is another way to get moss started. Keep it moist and it willstart to grow before you know it.
Container Gardening:
Containers dry out more quickly than a traditional garden bed, so be prepared to water often, even dailyduring hot summers. Mulch the soil surfaces of your containers to help conserve water and make them looktidy.
Drainage is not as much of an issue, although it is a consideration. If used as planters, you may want to adda drainage holes, covered by pot shards so you don't wash away all the soil when you water. Layer graveland coarse sand at the bottom to keep plant roots from rotting.
If you will need to move a large pot or basin at some point, put it on a rolling platform before you add soilor water. The weight of the tufa container, and of the soil is something to consider, so carefully considerwher you will be placing containers on other surfaces. Use plenty of vermiculite or other material suggestedby your supplier to keep the soil light and airy. Also, consider replacing some of the sand or peatmoss withvermiculite in making the container.
Use bricks or stones as feet, to elevate pots that sit on flat non-porous surfaces to assure air circulation anddependable drainage. It may seem obvious - but does that charming trough hold water or leak like a sieve?Test it before planting, by filling with water. You may need to sealit.
Use types of plants that will adapt (even thrive) in containers. Containers are a great place to try some ofthose fearfully rampant plants like mint, that are so intriguing. Just be certain you understand exactly howthey propagate and watch where you place the pot. A carelessly positioned wild strawberry (even in acontainer) can take over the garden while you're on vacation. Begonias and impatiens add color to a coveredporch or beside a mature tree, or placed by a pond. Dwarf varieties of many aquatic plants are available thatcan be used in container ponds. Containers are a great place for tender bulbs that you would have to liftfrom a garden. Store them - plant and pot - until next season.
Most terra cotta containers must be brought inside for the winter, or they will crack when it freezes.Simulated stone container should be fine left out of doors without this problem. If you're a purist, you canstill use sturdy, lightweight, moisture-retaining plastic containers, which can be inserted into the troughs.Instead of waiting 20 years for your concrete container to age, give it a head start on patina by staining itwith wet leaves. (Just think what happens to your sidewalk in the fall when it rains.) Found objects canmake wonderful planters when you match the plants to the container. Mosses and tiny wildflowers arewonderful in a hollow log.
Yes this is a little messy, so you may want to visit Stonesmith Garden Vessels, athttp://www.stonesmith.com and find out about how to buy your own! They have a wonderful variety ofstone-like garden vessels, available at many garden centers throughout the USA. Many of the picturesdisplay here are from their website, including the lovely bench below.
Just don't get too carried away!
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