The-Artistic-Garden's Blog

How Important Is Peat Moss In A Hypertufa Recipe?
Is It OK to Substitute Another Kind Of Moss??

I received an email in late winter from Becky asking:

Claudia, Thank you so much for writing the Hypertufa How-To eBook as you did an outstanding job! So much info to pour over. It is a great resource guide for newbies like me.

I can’t wait to get started! But my problem is that I’m having trouble finding “PEAT” moss. I have found Reindeer moss, sheet moss, Spanish and Wood moss. Will any of these mosses work?

Is one type of moss better for a hypertufa recipe than another? Thanks for your time, Becky

My reply:
Hi Becky:
First, THANK YOU so much for the kind compliments. I tried my best to “over deliver” the information in my Hypertufa eBook.

About peat moss … I looked at your eBook purchase receipt and see you live in Ohio. Well…you should have NO problem finding PEAT moss (no … it is not the same as any of the mosses you listed). To be more specific, you want to look for “sphagnum peat moss”.

It is pretty darn easy to find, too. You’ll be able to find peat moss at any Lowe’s or Home Depot, or any gardening center that sells packaged soils. It is around $4 or $5 (cheap) to buy a very large package of it. (I suggest you go and look where all the packaged soils are kept in the outside garden depts. of the stores i mentioned. You’ll find peat moss, not to worry!)

The kind you want to buy is compressed into a rectangular “bale” and wrapped in plastic like this photo:

I don’t know the brand name off-hand that Lowe’s or H-Depot sells, but the point I’m making here with this photo is go and look for a very large squared/rectangular shaped compressed bale.

I know I can buy it right now at either store, but I am here in Tennessee and maybe because you are in Ohio and it is still super cold up there, they might not have it stocked yet. But they will … gardeners use it all the time to amend their garden soils with.

This should be the answer you were looking for.   

And welcome to making garden art with homemade hypertufa recipes! Have fun with all your ‘tufa projects!

Finding A Store That Sells Perlite Is Not Too Difficult

I received an email from Gabriella asking:

Hi Claudia, I was wondering if your Hypertufa How-To eBook includes sources for supplies? I am having a hard time finding perlite. Thanks, Gabriella

My reply:
Hi Gabriella:
Thanks for contacting me – I can help steer you in the right driection to find perlite.

Perlite is not hard to find if you know where to look. I will assume you live in the USA or Canada. You can find perlite in the indoor gardening area of Home Depot, Lowe’s or even Wal-Mart, as example.

It is usually sold in a smallish-sized bag for around $4.00 per bag (I bought a bag last year–can’t remember the exact price.)

You should also be able to find it in any gardening store that sells potting soils, etc. And you can also find a number of online sources, just search for “buy perlite online”.

But, for those folks who are looking for vermiculite … well that stuff is getting tougher or almost impossible to find. The reason? The contaminant ASBESTOS is sometimes found in vermiculite and we all know that back in the early 1990′s the health hazards of inhaling asbestos became a hot topic and very much talked about publically.

The vermiculite mine in Libby, Montana supplied about 80% of the world’s supply and in 1990 guess what? You got it … they got shut down because of all the health risks attributed to asbestos. As a matter of fact, sadly many of the Libby town residents suffered “vermiculite-related” illnesses due to living within the vicinity of the mining operations and inhaling the asbestos.

So … stick with perlite in your hypertufa recipes and you’ll be fine!

And yes, my Hypertufa eBook does discuss how to find some of the harder-to-find supplies and it has a lot more information on all aspects of working with ‘tufa.

I hope this helps you and if you have any more questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Hi, Thanks for the reply. Do you know where I can find larger bags of the perlite? I live in Wisconsin. Thanks

My reply:
Hi again Gabriella:
I suggest you Google “perlite” and you’ll get lots of search options. Plus, by performing the search yourself, you will get suppliers’ ads that are targeted to your area and/or to Wisconsin. There might be a local supplier where you can get larger quantities.

It looks like there are many online suppliers, of course what they charge is the big question!

Good luck!

Hypertufa Can Be Used To Repair Concrete
But There Are A Few Things To Keep In Mind

I received this email:

My 14-year old pond is showing signs of wear … the initial waterfall & trough were made of dyed concrete supplemented with mountain rocks. The concrete has some cracks and the mortar between the rocks is pulling away.

Can hypertufa be used to make repairs and rework my filter’s waterfall coming out of a larger filter so that it would appear similar to the original rock/mortar work? I’d like to purchase your Hypertufa How-To eBook, but I’d like to know if hypertufa is the correct medium to use or should I return to a portland/sand mix?

Also I’d like to supplement the large rocks with more faux rock. Thanks for your help.

My reply:
Hi:
These are some good questions and I’ll do my best to steer you in the right direction.

About hypertufa, the first thing I want to say is the whole purpose of using a hypertufa recipe is to replicate real Tufa rock. Peat moss is an all important ingredient in hypertufa recipes because over time, the peat moss decomposes and leaves pits and crevices like you find in real Tufa rock.

So … the use of hypertufa to make rocks will end up looking a bit different from the dyed concrete rocks and mountain rocks you currently have. I’m not saying this is a “bad thing” … just depends how similar you wish to match the job.

The other issue that comes to mind is the fact you said dyed concrete – can you replicate the color in whatever recipe you concoct to make new rocks and/or do the patch work?

But all this being said, sure you can certainly use hypertufa to spruce up everything. ‘Tufa can be colored with different colorants, and you can use white Portland cement if need be to better achieve a specific color. (However be aware it might be hard to find in your area.)

Here’s great info on concrete and hypertufa colorants sitting on my website: concrete and hypertufa colorant guides. Scroll down about half-way on the page to find the link to the PDF colorant guides.

I also have a hypertufa mortar recipe that goes beyond a plain portland & sand mix that you might find useful. Here’s the link: hypertufa mortar recipe.

Here’s a faux rock recipe that is great for projects like yours where constant contact with moisture is an issue: faux rock recipe.

And make sure to use a bonding agent on the “old” surfaces before you apply the new mixture, whether it be hypertufa or a concrete mixture.

That’s about it in a nutshell. This project more than likely will be a bit more complicated than just a simple “slap & patch” job.  

Oh … I do have more information in my Hypertufa How-To Manual about making forms for larger rocks and boulders.

Good luck with your project!

When Should I Deflate The Ball When Making
A Hypertufa Or Concrete Hollow Garden Sphere?

I received an email from Charlotte who asked:

Did I miss something in understanding the concrete and hypertufa garden spheres instructions? Doesn’t the ball have to be deflated? If so – at what point? I’m so new at this that I would probably make a really stupid mistake about deflating the balloon too soon. Thanks for your help.

My reply:
Hi Charlotte:
Thanks for writing me. No, you didn’t miss anything … I guess I assumed that folks would know that you would have to deflate the ball after your ‘tufa or concrete garden sphere is cured hard enough – better to err on the side of a few extra days rather than deflating it while you still can detect moisture–meaning the mixture hasn’t cured enough yet.

Use your best judgment to gauge the right time to deflate it. Just make sure your sphere will be able to hold together.

Please read more about concrete garden sphere tips and garden sphere how-tos which will hold true for either hypertufa or concrete.

Sorry if this threw you for a loop. And please … no question is stupid  And I am glad you asked because now you are more knowledgeable about the issue of using the deflatable ball for your hollow garden sphere projects.

Good luck!

Though Peat Moss Is An Important Ingredient
In A Hypertufa Recipe
Will Wood Shavings Prove To Be
An Acceptable Replacement?

I received this email from Sandy who asked:

Hi: I was so excited to find your site. Years ago I read a small article in a magazine about making hypertufa planters. I am so glad I didn’t get around to trying it until now. I wouldn’t have had a clue about half the stuff your website has explained!!

I do have a question for you. In one of your articles you explain about using coir in hypertufa recipes. Is it possible to substitute wood shavings (like the kind for small animal bedding) for the peat moss ? I know it wouldn’t be “true” hypertufa but do you think the results would be satisfactory ? Thanks, Sandy

My reply:
I’m glad you found my site. I hope you will find my projects and recipes to be of great help.

About the wood shavings, I’ve never personally used them myself, but am aware of others doing so. Their success came from what I will share here with you. There are some things to keep in mind when using them, so make note of the following:

—yes you can substitute the shavings for the peat moss–just do not use both in a recipe

—I’ve seen more mention of folks using sawdust as opposed to shavings

—it is suggested to NOT use perlite or vermiculite in a recipe using shavings or sawdust as these also absorb water (which can cause recipe failure)

—do NOT used treated lumber!

—your “shavings” cannot be too large … think of the consistency of peat moss. Many people even go a step further to sift down the peat to use only the finest siftings. Other folks use a blender to pulverize the peat into very very fine pieces if they don’t want one single little lump. So, what I am getting at is you can’t use big shavings. Then again (don’t remember right now the size of pet bed shavings), I highly suggest you first experiment with a recipe using shavings.

—remember that the whole idea of using peat moss is that it decomposes over time, leaving the pits and crevices that real Tufa rock has. The shavings will also decompose over time … so again I come back to the fact that large shavings MAY (notice I say “may”) ultimately leave holes that are too big and ultimately your object will fall apart.

—be very mindful of the ratio of water due to the fact the shavings will absorb a lot of water and in the long run this can goof up the cure and your object will more than likely fall apart . Refer to my page about mixing and such: Mixing Guidelines

—write down your hypertufa recipe’s ratios, etc so that you can see what was correct or what wasn’t correct (successful project versus failure). Keeping notes is really a good idea.

And please review my curing instructions – the correct curing procedure is as vitally important as a properly concocted recipe: Successful Hypertufa Curing Instructions

As I mention all over my website … practice first on smaller objects! And “patience is a virtue”!! You might be successful with your first attempt and then again, you might have to experiment a number of times.

That is about all I can think of right now to share with you for your hypertufa recipe’s success. Good luck!

How Do I Sculpt And Carve Into Wet Hypertufa?

A reader asked:

On your The-Artistic-Garden website under ‘Painting Techniques’ there is a close-up photo showing verdigris colouration. There is a design on the planter. How did you accomplish this?

And, is there any other way to decorate a hypertufa pot except by painting it? Can you draw on it before it cures or somehow sculpture a design on it?

I answered:

Oh yes you can decorate the outside of a ‘tufa pot. The easiest way is to carve or sculpt into it. Just make sure you make the sides of your item thick enough to carve into if you want to produce a really deep textured or carved design.

Or, after it is partially cured, you can add other raised details or embellishments made from a freshly mixed up batch of ‘tufa onto the item. Just make sure to wet down the main item; “paint” on a liberal coat of bonding agent onto the area(s) where you’ll be applying the new ‘tufa pieces; and make sure you’ve added bonding agent into the new batch of hypertufa.

Here’s a page I wrote about sculpting in hypertufa that will give you some more ideas, and a recipe (though you can sculpt in any ‘tufa recipe – just depends on what you’re making, it’s size and such that will determine what recipe might be best for your purposes): Hypertufa Sculptures.

In reference to the raised design on the planter (here’s the photo referred to) – it was already part of the pot.

That planter is one of those polyresin pots – very light-weight but water tight. I love these type of pots as not only can you paint them if you wish, but they are very lightweight because the polyresin is a very lightweight material. This sure makes these pots a little easier to move around once they’re filled with dirt and plants … especially if you are into LARGE pots like I am.

Polyresin pots are great for those of us living in climates that have freezing temperatures, as they can be left outdoors in all seasons without the worry of cracking like almost all real terra cotta pots do (except the very pricey Italian terra cotta).

A Reader Asks About Curing Her Hypertufa Project
During Cold Winter Months

“Beaverlake” asked me:

Your DIY garden art projects website is great!! Thanks for taking the time to share your experiences with us newbies. I made my first hypertufa trough a few weeks ago at a workshop my garden club held. Now my head is spinning with ideas, but now it is so cold outside in the state where I live.

Can I make a hypertufa project in the basement and let it cure there during the winter?

My reply:

Hi Beaverlake:
Thanks for the kind words. I do try to offer easy to follow and thorough info on my website.

To answer your questions:

1) Yes, you can make ‘tufa or concrete items in your basement but first, a little warning – please make sure when you are measuring out the Portland cement that you don’t get the dust all over the place. Cement dust is NOT a nice thing to get tracked all over the place. (Wear your dust mask and gloves too!!)

Next, you MUST have the basement/room temperature above 50 degrees minimum at all times in order that your item cures properly. Below 50 – don’t bother trying a project – it won’t cure. It will take longer to cure, too. So you’ve gotta be patient! 

With a room temperature that’s between 50 – 70 degrees .. the item still will take a little longer to cure. But lots of crafters do ‘tufa projects in their basements, so I’d say go ahead if you don’t want to wait until Springtime.

Good luck!

Beaverlake wrote back:

Thanks for the information. I will start with small hollow spheres next weekend. It’s going to be a long winter. We are having our first snow storm as I type.

Thanks for the information.

Aging A Hypertufa Trough With Moss

Note: the information about growing moss also pertains to almost any porous material – such as clay or terra cotta pots.

I received this email from Stephen who asked:

Dear Artistic Gardner: This is from Sheffield England. Please could you advise me on the “wooden former”, concrete mix, possible wall thickness and dimensions and possible type of chicken wire as strengthener to make a concrete “aged type trough” or what was had in England where old stone sinks werer used for outdoor water and plant features. Yours sincerely, Stephen

My reply:

Hello Stephen:
Thank you for contacting me. The information to help you can be found on the 4 Basic Hypertufa Recipes page and the instructions for How To Make A Hypertufa Trough.

I have many more pages of information on hypertufa (and concrete, too if that might interest you) that will be helpful to you about the ins-and-outs of working with hypertufa. Please go to my main hypertufa page: www.the-artistic-garden.com/hypertufa.html. Then go all the way to the bottom of the page – you’ll see links to all the other pages of ‘tufa information.

About how to age a hypertufa garden art item – I will assume you want moss to begin growing. You can find my suggested recipes and how-to tips on this age hypertufa troughs with moss web page.

Growing the moss isn’t hard … it’s the patience and time it takes that is!

I hope this helps. Good luck with your project.