With spring gardening swiftly approaching, stretch your green thumb beyond the garden bed and get your hands dirty making your very own custom planter. Follow these simple steps and soon enough you'll have your own handmade planter to add a personal touch to your garden, or to give as a gift to your favorite gardener.
What You'll Need
Hypertufa Planter Mix
Water
Rubber gloves
Plastic tub
Spray cooking oil
Plastic mold
Pencil
Wire brush (optional)
Molding the Planter
Wearing rubber gloves, mix the Hypertufa Planter Mix with water in a plastic tub, a bit at a time until the mixture has the consistency of moist cookie dough. Your mix is moist enough when a ball of hypertufa holds its shape in your open hand.
Using the inside of your plastic mold to start building your project, first spray the inside of your mold with cooking oil. Push a handful of hypertufa mix firmly against the bottom. Repeat until you have made a bottom base that is 1-inch thick.
Push handfuls of hypertufa mix firmly against the sides of your mold 3/4-inch thick. Pack the walls tight to remove air pockets.
Continue until the rim of your mold is reached. make sure the rim is as equally thick as the sides all the way around.
Create drainage holes in the bottom by pushing a pencil through.
Letting it Set
Cover your creation with a plastic bag and let dry for 48 hours.
Take off the plastic and gently remove your project from the mold by turning it over. Tap lightly, if needed. Turn your project right-side up. Use a wire brush to gently rough up the surface of the hypertufa for a rustic appearance.
Let it cure in the open air for 2 to 3 weeks. Sprinkling with water once a day helps it cure correctly.
Now your container is ready for planting!
Comment
0 Comments