Build up the walls of the hypertufa trough gradually, making sure to compact the mixture as you go with the end of the timber.In this article I will explain in a step by step process how you can build a beautiful and practical hypertufa trough for your garden or patio. Hypertufa troughs also have a very natural appearance in the garden as they attract mosses and lichen. Place concrete blocks or other similar heavy items around the edge of the carton. Place the large cardboard carton on a piece of plastic sheet on flat ground. Don't worry about the bottom at this stage and don't try to move it as you'll lose your hypertufa trough. You should be able to grab a handful of the mixture into a ball and it should hold together. Measure out 3 gallons of sifted peat moss, 3 gallons of Perlite, 2 gallons of Portland cement and a handful of loosely packed reinforcing fibres into the wheelbarrow and mix throughly with the shovel. This is due to there think porous walls which act as a reservoir between watering and Iron Wall Hanging Candle Holders Manufacturers allow air to flow around the roots. There are various hypertufa recipes depending on what it is your planning to make. This is done most easily with a wheelbarrow and a shovel. When you come back to your hypertufa trough the next day, you should carefully remove the sand from the inner carton and the wet cardboard from the sides, inside and out. For larger hypertufa troughs obviously you will need to increase the wall thickness. Take the hypertufa mixture and fill the large carton to a depth of 5-6 cm. Portland cement is an ingredient of concrete. Make sure the mixture is compacted by using the end of a piece of timber to tap it down, especially in the corners and around the drainage holes. Place a small amount of sand in the smaller carton to stop it from floating up and to support the sides. Hypertufa troughs are very plant friendly containers to use. This will stop the edges bowing out when the hypertufa mixture is added and the carton becomes damp. To make a mould for our hypertufa trough we are going to use two cardboard cartons, one smaller than the other to fit inside it. The reinforcing fibres might be a little more tricky to find but should be available in your local masonry supply store. When the walls are at the desired height leave the trough for 24 hours. There needs to be a 5-6 cm gap around all the edges so that the walls of the trough will be thick enough. Push small pieces of dowel or bamboo through the mixture to create drainage holes, these will be removed later. The amount of water needed will depend on the dryness of the peat mossChina mini Buddha zen garden Company. Be sure to pick up the correct sack, they are heavy! You should be able to get most of the ingredients at your local hardware store. Now leave for a further week to cure and there you have it, a hypertufa trough for you garden or patio.. Now place the smaller carton inside the larger one, making sure the gap is even around all the edges. You will need to gradually fill up the inner carton with sand as you build up the walls of the hypertufa trough. For our hypertufa trough we will be using the following ingredients: 2 Parts Portland Cement 3 Parts Sifted Peat Moss 3 Parts Perlite Synthetic Concrete Reinforcing Fibres Water Just a just a quick note to remind you that Portland cement is NOT concrete. Take a wire brush a rough up the sides and edges to give your hypertufa trough a more natural look. You now want to add the water very gradually, so as not to make the mixture sloppy. You can also score designs into the sides at this stage but be careful not to damage the trough as it will be quite fragile. You now need to mix the ingredients. If you want to mix the ingredients by hand that's fine, but wear some tough rubber gloves. Hypertufa is an artificial stone used as a substitute for the natural Tufa rock