Hey guys, I'm liking that Elmers glue, and latex paint suggestion, cheap, and possibly just sitting in a can downstairs, IF, it's not a solid mass of dried up crap by now, paint, that is. I have had some projects that haven't cracked, BUT, some that have. I'd always heard that HYDRATION was key in having a finished project NOT crack, you know, to hydrate it long enough before taking it off and using it. I'm hoping that IF I can't use my old latex paint that is downstairs, IF it's all hard and non usable, AND, I hit up the local WM paint section, and buy some god ugly color that is REDUCED majorly, I'm HOPING that my Hypertufa project WON'T be showing streaks of the god ugly color through it. I want to make a hypertufa planter for succulents. I'm guessing the liming effect of the cement may make the paint color less likely to be bright or showy? I remember buying a small amount of "silica fume" years ago, and never using it, I wonder IF I can use that on this project OR would it be big waste of it, that I should use on a much more delicate project? Really, anyone who knows just what one would use "silica Fume" for, please tell me, I forget what I bought it for, and, if it goes bad quickly, I am sure it has been way too long to use it now. BTW, I have an OPENED BAG OF PORTLAND Cement, it's been open for a few years at least, can I still use it? I've seen cement sitting outside in a heap outside of a place that makes and sells concrete statues, surely sitting in my basement in a bag it's fine, right?

This one is the same as the original mix. It's just a simple little guy. No special molds just bowls you can find around the house, anyone could make it. I just carved a peice of styrofoam for the window and stuck it in the bowl for the center peice. The legs are just hand molded in a bowl, just add a little less water for that mix so you can shape it. This one was made for my mother in law but now I kind of like it lol.

ann, I'm going to assume that the "5/6" near your name in your first post is your zone. Hypertufa can remain outdoors in your zone....if it's potted up with a tree or shrub (I've got sedums in some that stay out all Winter) or you tie a piece of plastic over the top so moisture can't get in and if it's on soil, place a board underneath to break contact with the ground or if it's empty, roll it over so the bottoms facing up and place under a deck or cover with plastic. That's the same way that you would treat a concrete planter. Did you do a search on this forum or look at the FAQ page? 1) whatever you did to the concrete to make it crumble could happen to your hypertufa. I would guess too much dye and too much liquid. 2) strong hypertufa recipe===equal parts portland cement, sand and peat moss. Bash the peat moss around to smooth out the lumps and remove any sticks. I sift mine. 3) if the sides of the mold are smooth and you pack the hypertufa mix tight, the sides should be smooth. 4) I don't add colorant to the mix. I paint or stain or leave natural. 5) The size planter you are making should cure in 24 hours. 6) You'd have to check with your mould manufacturer but the hypertufa can stay outdoors in your zone. 7) You don't want to see perlite granules, then don't use perlite. The only way you won't see perlite or peat moss or vermiculite is not to use them because all of them will show through. You'd have to make the planters out of mortar or get a vibrator to vibrate the molds to bring out the cream and that doesn't always work. 8) It's a planter, why would you want it waterproof? 9) Too much colorant! You did right, coat with vegetable oil. I use the spray cans of oil to coat my molds. Elkski, Concrete will cure 90% in 7 days but it never completely cures. You can plant in week. Most plants aren't that sensitive to the lime and from watering the plant the lime will leach out. I do use a water bath (just water) to leach out the lime because until it's leached out, someone that's sensitive to the lime can get a nasty burn. "the dry powders I got said 1 # to aa bag of cement maximum" Most common bag of cement weights 94 lbs. You do NOT need fibers for these little planters! Billie

Hi folks... I had a blast today at the swap. It was great fun to see so many long time friends and make some new gardening friends too. We had over 100 people and over 2000 plants for sharing. Awesome! At our first swap in 2001 there were 28 people... it's was so fun to see some of those same people at the swap today. Thanks to everyone for coming with such a kind and sharing heart - that's what it is all about. Everyone seemed to go home with lots of new plants. :-) Murray and I came home with some tomatoes, sedums, lillies, coneflowers and many more. Thanks so much. Of course, thanks to folks for bringing a wonderful array of tastey potluck food! I say this every year... gardeners sure can cook and bake. Thanks to folks that donated door prizes. We always get such a neat array of goodies to choose from One last thanks to everyone who came with a kind generosity of spirit. Good gardening to you all! Beverly