If you love gardening, you will most likely love to try making your own hypertufa. Hypertufa is an artificially made rock which resembles the porous volcanic rock called 'Tufa,' which has now gone rare and expensive. Aside from being plant-friendly, you can also make hypertufa garden art by making different objects aside from pots and planters.
Among the many things you can do with hypertufa aside from planters and pots are stepping stones, troughs, rocks, hypertufa lanterns and water fountains, leaves, mushrooms, and many other objects you want to decorate in your garden.
What is good about hypertufa is that it is lightweight and durable, as it can withstand extreme weather especially during the winter and does not crack like ceramics. You will not also worry about maintaining your plants as this porous hypertufa also retains moisture well.
Hypertufa garden art could also be a great component of your mini landscaping, giving that ancient look into your garden. Some people may even have created waterfalls with the use of hypertufa - which can be a great element in your garden.Another good thing about hypertufa is that, you can actually make it at home, so you can also make your own design, style and ornament you want for your gardening. All you need are the basic recipe of Portland cement, peat moss and perlite. The recipes in making hypertufa can vary differently depending largely on what you desire your finish product to be. If you want a lightweight product for some hanging ornaments or if you want a stronger, more durable one, it will all depend on your recipe.
If you want to make your own hypertufa garden art, it is advisable that you start with small objects just to see how you can manage the recipe and master the skill.
Although this requires the correct recipe and skill, it is not very difficult to master. Once you had the correct recipe, molding and drying will be a lot easier. You can get molds from just any container you have - from any sizes and shape. You can also find some inspiring ideas from other gardeners who are also into hypertufa garden art.The basic steps involved in making your own hypertufa include mixing the dry materials together with water. Determining the right consistency is important as this will be a factor in easy molding of your hypertufa. Of course, this will also keep your hypertufa remain intact during drying or curing. After achieving the right consistency, you can then mold different shapes and sizes to make your hypertufa planters, pots or any other design. Curing and drying will then follow. When you finally get the mold out of your hypertufa, you can also enhance the look of your creations by brushing the smooth edges to give it a rough rock-like appearance. Then you have to let it dry again until it hardens more.
If you wish to add color to your hypertufa, you can also mix color in your recipe. Indeed, making your own hypertufa is simple and inexpensive. Aside from that, designing and making your own hypertufa garden art can be enjoying as well. If you are artistic, you can also express your artistry with hypertufa not only for your garden but for your indoor art as well.