The-Artistic-Garden's Blog

A Concerned Crafter Asks What Paint Product Sealants
Are Recommended For Garden Pots

I received an email from Beth asking:

First of all I have to tell you I absolutely love your website. I just found it yesterday and am really enjoying all of your information.

Question … does sealing the inside of clay or terra cotta pots affect the plants at all? I have painted several of them for this summer and had left the inside untouched. Was a little hesitant and just wasn’t quite sure. Thanks! Beth

My reply:

Hi Beth:
Thank you so much for your kind compliments. I appreciate you taking the time to tell me.

Sealing the inside of pots causes no problems that I am aware of … I seal all my pots on the inside and my plants are thriving. I use Krylon acrylic clear spray paint, BTW. Always am happy with the long-term results.

However, I know a garden-art artist who swears by Thompson’s Water Sealant to seal the inside of her pots. She says it doesn’t harm her plants in the least.

But, to err on the safe side, I wouldn’t use Thompson’s Water Sealant if you’re going to grow something edible in it – not sure if the sealant would leach into the soil, and ultimately the plant.

On a side note: before she begins a decorative painted technique project, she told me she applies a good coat of SprayN’Seal. It’s a pottery sealer and she says the only place she can find the stuff is at Ace Hardware Stores. (It’s a product from Canada – made by Cartanna International Sales Inc.; phone number is 604-943-2727)

The only other thing I’d like to add here about using Thompson’s Water Sealant … maybe it’s great for terra cotta, but it sure STUNK when I used it years ago on my deck! What a waste of my money; it only lasted one year and did a p##-poor job of sealing my wood deck.

So … even when using on a terra cotta / clay pot … you be the judge as I’ve not personally tried it.

To see all the painted techniques and how-tos on my website that will teach you how to liven up any old plain plastic, resin or terra cotta or clay garden pot, please go to: Decorative Paint Techniques For Garden Planters & Pots.

What Is A Good Substitution For Peat Moss?
It Is An Environmental “No-No” In The UK

I received an email from Mike who asked:

I am very interested in your excellent web site and in particular hypertufa recipes and projects.

I am based in the UK and peat is a big “no-no” environmentally. Can you recommend a peat substitute for hypertufa recipes? What is the function of peat in hypertufa? Sorry to bombard you with queries.

Best wishes. Mike

My reply:
Hi Mike:
Thank you for contacting me.

Interesting, I did not know peat moss is a complete “no-no” in the UK! (How come, if I may ask? There is so much of it in the world it certainly is a “renewable” plant/product, and I have read that Canada, for instance, does practice controlled harvesting.)

Anyway, you can use coir. I am not personally acquainted with using it, but I am aware some folks do use it as an acceptable substitute for the peat moss. I do have detailed information about a coir based hyperturfa recipe on my website (thanks to your inquiry.)

But, here is the basic recipe. As is most often the case with hypertufa recipes, you may need to adjust a ratio of one of the ingredients (normally it’s the amount of water used or not used). Try a smaller project before you tackle a huge project!

Basic Hypertufa Recipe Using Coir In Place Of Peat Moss
3 parts coir (coconut fiber)
2 parts Portland Cement type I-II
3 parts perlite
(water as needed for proper consistency)

To read all the information, please go to: Hypertufa Recipe using Coir.

About the purpose of the peat in hypertufa: over time, if left out in the elements (your garden), the peat will decompose, leaving pits and crevices. This replicates real Tufa rock, which is the whole idea of folks working with hypertufa. I will assume the coir will decompose, but maybe will take a little longer to do so??

I do hope this info helps.

~~~

Mike emailed me back and said:

Thank you Claudia for all the information.

There’s still plenty of peat around in all purpose compost here and you can still get peat but it’s known as being an unsustainable resource and all the big retailers have policies to reduce and eradicate it over the next few years.

Are Plastic Pots OK To Use Instead of Clay Pots
For A Pot Person Project?

Stan emailed me and asked:

You have a great website! Just a question about making a pot man. Do you recommend using the plastic pots at all, or just strictly the clay? Thanks for the help. Stan

My reply:
Hello Stan:
Think about this … plastic pots do not weigh very much, even collectively, and if a strong enough gust of wind comes along, your plastic pot person may just go flying across your yard! That is unless you secure it down somehow.

Personally, I would only use clay (also referred to as terra cotta). I think clay pots are just a nicer look for a pot person project. And over time, clay / terra cotta will age nicely, and maybe, if you’ve placed your pot person in a shady spot, it will start getting a little moss growing on it, again adding to the overall charm of it.

For instructions and recipes about how to get moss to grow on garden items, please take a look at my article: how to grow moss on garden planters.

Also, I personally think that plants growing from terra cotta just look a bit more “natural”, versus plants growing in a green or black plastic pot, don’t you think?

But, maybe you are planning to paint all the surfaces, or dress up your “person” with a hat or clothes, which in that case yes plastic would be OK … but again you have to deal with the lightweight-ness of plastic.

So … the bottom line is this project is doable, but I strongly advise securing it to whatever or wherever you are placing it. Good luck!

For a set of instructions to make a clay pot person, please refer to my pot person instructions how-to project article.

A Garden Art Crafter Asks
“What Release Oil Do You Recommend?”

Harold emailed me and asked:

What is the barrier or release oil that you recommend for hypertufa or concrete garden art projects? Thanks!

My reply:
Hello Harold:

If you refer to the following page on my website, approximately half way down the page you will see where I have listed a number of different release agents (or release oils) that can be used with success: hypertufa and concrete mold preparation tips.

There is also other good information on that page that just might be of use to you, too.

Hope this helps you. Good luck with all your garden art projects.