That's why we ask questions, you started with concrete and now we know your working with a topping mix,"repair cement". What Marcia said, mortar is portland cement, lime and sand. The Perlite will make the mix lumpier (is that a word?). I just don't care for the little white bits. Portland, sand and peat moss is the original recipe for hypertufa. They use to leave the peat moss chunky so you would have largish holes in the surface as the peat deteriorated. Made little nooks and crannies for moss to grow. Well, since it's just the two of us and Marcia do you have a name? LOL You can add a new top to the cured uneven planter but as Marcia said it will be noticeable. One way around that is to buy some dye and add it to the mix for the top edge. This is where an arcylic fortifier would help to bond the two mixes together. You could also make a decorative top edge so it's not noticeable, decorate with small stones or glass marbles or carve a design. If your uneven planter top isn't cured you can use a brick or piece of concrete as a sander and sand it flat. Works pretty fast. You can turn it up side down on a piece of old concrete or flat stone and slide it around in a circle to sand it even. This is for uncured not cured. Hope this helps. Things are slow around here in the Winter but more people will start to post once it starts to warm up. Night, mystery girl and Marcia. Billie

1. Cardboard is OK. Cover it in plastic. Support large areas of cardboard or they will bend under the weight. Small boxes can support themselves but all cardboard loses strength when it gets wet. 2. Castors should be set into a reinforced structure or they will be prone to breaking off the corner of your planter. You could just put the planter on a small wheeled tray, or even build the whole tray into the base of the planter. Think about the weight. A 3'x2' planter will be too heavy to lift even when empty. 3. Curing time depends on temperature. At least a week if it is very warm. For maximum strength, cure it for a month in cool conditions. The surface should not be allowed to dry out during the cure. For most plants, you should also leach away lime created at the surface by the cement.

I made one: 1. buy Halloween mask. 2 tape nose eyes and mouth closed. use expanding silicone and fill mask. 3. allow to dry 24- 48 hours 4. fill wheelbarrow 3/4 way with dry sand,5. press mask into dry sand ( the dry foam does not let the face collapse) 6. water gently with a mist all around the mask, (this takes a while) stop water some more, stop water some more..use a stick like a bamboo support and press it into the sand. when it shows that iit is wet to the bottom or almost, remove the mask SLOWLY.. here is the cast..I spooned the hypertufa into the chin, nose etc until the whole bottom was covered, then filled the rest..worked really well!! while it is curing use a pot or cardboard mold to form the back of the head, pretty easy to meld together with "hypertufa slip" The second one, I just carved a face into the sand when it was wet , looked more like the easter island faces.. Of course owning a garden center we now do spring classes on making these and use older ones as the molds for the sand.

These instructions were kindly submitted by members, Thanks to all who contributed. INSTRUCTIONS FOR MAKING A HYPERTUFA TROUGH OR POTS This quantity will make 1 -12" x 14" x 6" rectangular container OR 2 - 12" x 12" pots Cover the bottom of a plastic bin or bowl with a large trash bag. Secure with a large rubber band. Place upside down on a 36" x 36" piece of plywood. OR - place a large plastic flower pot in the bottom of a plastic bag - roll the top of the bag down below the top edge of the pot. Have a smaller pot ready to place inside the larger one, leaving about an inch or more of clearance between them. Be sure to wear protective gloves and a mask. MIXING: Using a 2 quart measuring container: 2 containers PERLITE 1½ containers PEAT MOSS 2 containers (dry) PORTLAND CEMENT ½ container Coarse SAND 1 large handful FIBREMESH 1½ 2 containers WATER Mix Perlite and Peat Moss together well in a large container or wheelbarrow, breaking up any large lumps. Add the other dry ingredients and mix together thoroughly before adding any water. Gradually add up to 2 containers of water, mixing thoroughly from the bottom of the mixing container. The mixture should adhere to itself, but should not "ooze" water. Add the last half container very gradually until the mix is just workable. Do not use more than 2 containers of water. BUILDING THE TROUGH: Build the mix around the base of the container and gradually build up the sides and over the top. Keep the depth even all over (about 1½ inches) Use a thin "test" dowel to check the thickness (experience has shown that particular attention needs to be paid to the corners - use the measuring stick!!). Keep the base as flat and smooth as you can. Smooth the surface with wet fingers but do not overdo with the water. Once covered with the mix, place dowels upright in base to form drainage holes. Cover the entire construction with another trash bag to keep moist as it cures. After three to four days, remove the container from the mold and the dowels from the drainage holes. Make sure the drainage holes are clear. Use a wire brush to smooth the surface and the rim, and tools (sharp knife/chisel/saw) to carve away obvious blemishes. Treat with respect at this stage! Re-cover with plastic - allowing the hypertufa to "cure" slowly creates the strongest troughs. Keep wrapped in plastic for a month at room temperature. Allow to dry completely while exposed to the elements (hose it down if it doesn't rain for a few days) then use a blow torch gently to remove any fibremesh "whiskers." BUILDING A POT: After placing the large pot in a large plastic bag, press a 1 1/2" layer of the mix firmly into the bottom of the pot. Place the smaller pot inside and gradually add mix between the pots, pressing it firmly into place as you fill and working it into the space equally as you go. Fill to the brim and smooth with wet fingers. Place a large dowel in the base for drainage. Draw the plastic bag up over the pot(s) and tuck it down inside to enclose the pot(s) completely while the mix cures. Allow to cure for three days, then carefully remove the hypertufa pot from the molds. Brush with a wire brush to smooth the surface and the rim. Use tools (sharp knife/chisel/saw) to carve away obvious blemishes. Remember, treat it with respect - it can easily break at this stage! Continue to cure slowly under plastic for a month. Allow to air dry completely then use a blowtorch gently to remove any fibremesh "whiskers." WAYS TO "AGE" THE TROUGH PREMATURELY: 1. use boiled rice water brushed and poured over the trough 2. brush yogurt or buttermilk on it 3. use a mixture of manure and water poured over the trough 4. apply liquid fertilizer with a watering can. Moss and lichen will adhere to the surface more easily 5. blend moss or lichen from the garden with some buttermilk in your blender and brush over the surface 6. spray the outside with milk AFTER YOUR TROUGH HAS CURED: The slower and longer your trough is allowed to dry, the stronger it will be. Allow the trough to "weather" outdoors (hose it off if it doesn't rain fairly frequently) for several months, if possible, to leach out free lime; or temporarily block up the drainage holes and fill the trough with a wine-colored solution of Potassium Permanganate for 24 hrs to neutralize the lime (½ oz. of crystals to 3 gallons water). Afterwards lightly scrub the inside with a wire brush. Use the waiting time to assemble suitable plants. Variations on a theme: The formula for making troughs is inexact. If the ingredients are used in a ratio of 1 part cement to 6 parts non-cement, the troughs will be durable. A small amount of coarse sand and a handful of fibremesh are essential ingredients to bond and reinforce the cement. Vermiculite or Diatomaceous Earth may also be included or substituted. Concrete dye may be added to color the mixture. The exterior of the trough can be covered with Peat moss, Sand or Diatomaceous Earth before curing to modify the surface texture. "Feet" for the troughs can be made from any left over mix in small 2"-4" flower pots. Rocks can also be used to raise the troughs for display and to ensure good drainage.