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Above left, Betty Mackey adds feet to a papercrete trough. Above right, at the Philadelphia Flower Show, she demonstrates easy ways to make troughs with basic concrete mix out of a bag.
Make a Small Concrete
Trough for your Plants
with Papercrete, Hypertufa, or Mortar Mix * Free Directions by Betty Mackey
Plants love garden troughs.
Making stonelike small troughs is easy using different kinds of concrete. Concrete is composed of Portland cement plus aggregates or filler. Different kinds of filler such as sand, pebbles, peat moss, perlite, and paper give you different effects. Concrete sets or cures best at temperatures between 50 and 80 degrees F. Complete curing takes 28 days.
You mix all the dry ingredients together, add the water, form the trough, and let it cure. Unlike clay, no firing or cooking is required, and your finished trough won't crack during winter freezes and thaws. Do it with any of three simple proportional recipes. Be sure to have extra ingredients on hand because it takes more concrete to make a trough than you might expect. This is a dusty job and should be done outdoors if possible.
Hypertufa is a variant of concrete containing Portland cement, perlite, and peat moss. It is similar to mortar mix and to regular concrete, but lighter in weight. Proportions are 2 parts Portland Cement to 2 parts peat to 3 parts perlite. It will take 20 or more cups of Portland Cement to make a moderate sized trough.
Papercrete is similar to hypertufa but uses shredded paper instead of the peat moss. The proportions are 3 parts Portland Cement, 2 parts (dry volume) finely shredded paper, and 2 to 3 parts sand OR perlite. Papercrete has a fairly smooth consistency and the paper fibers make it easy to shape. It takes a little more water than hypertufa.? When ready to use, it should be very thick and hold its shape when squeezed into a ball.
Mortar Mix (or sand mix or post-setting mix) is a type of premixed concrete. You just add water and if you wish some reinforcing fibers. The mix usually contains only Portland cement, lime, and sand in the correct proportions and can be gotten from the hardware store in 20- to 40-pound bags. Mortar mix makes a dense, heavy trough, but if you are making only a small project it is not a problem and can be done with little fuss. There are many kinds of concrete mixes available, of varying composition and usefulness. Those including a bonding agent can be gooey and hard to handle.
Supplies
You will need
sturdy rubber gloves, a large trowel or small shovel, a dust mask, a
wheelbarrow or mixing container, plastic sheeting to protect your work
space, a mold or form for the trough, plastic bags to line the mold or
form, a source of water, a measuring cup, and a board upon which to make
and transport your project.
Supply Checklist
__a package of mortar or sand mix , OR all the ingredients
for hypertufa or papercrete (see above)
__mold or form for the trough
__rubber
gloves
__trowel or small shovel for mixing
__dust
mask
__board for carrying the project
on
__plastic
bags for lining molds
__waterproof mixing container or
wheelbarrow
__cover to protect work area
__water and measuring cup __plastic
sheeting and duct tape
Step 1. Pick a Project. Decide what kind of cement you will make (plain, papercrete, or hypertufa) and how you will mold it. Get your mold or form ready (see the three simple projects below) and place it on a plastic-covered board. Put on the gloves and dust mask and then pour all the dry ingredients into the wheel-barrow or mixing container. Break up lumps. Do not add water until the mold or form is
ready. When the concrete mix is wet you can remove your mask.
Step 2. Basic Mixing Technique. Once
your mold is ready and placed on a board, moisten the ingredients with as
LITTLE water as possible (eg.12 cups mix and two cups of water) and knead
it in thoroughly. Make a stiff dough that holds its shape without dripping
or crumbling. Add water if necessary. Follow package instructions if you
are using a mix. Smack and pat the concrete mixture into the inside of, or
onto the outside of, your mold or form. Work it very firmly to get out the
air bubbles.
PROJECT A: Paving Stones. Find or make the molds. For identical pieces, make several molds or a reusable one. Four narrow rectangles of foam board can be nailed, then taped together. A rectangle 12 by 15 inches is easy to manage; larger sizes are trickier. Or use strong wooden or cardboard boxes reinforced with plastic and duct tape. Set the mold you are working with on top of a carrying board. Mix the concrete (step 2) and pack it tightly into the mold, starting in the middle and working toward the outside. Keep the depth even, measuring it with a nail or toothpick. Two inches is a good thickness. Cover the finished ?stone? with
plastic and let it start to cure in the shade.
PROJECT B: Birdbathing Bowl. To make a birdbathing bowl, find a large, deep flowerpot saucer (made of clay or firm plastic) about one foot wide and 2.5 inches deep for your form. Wrap it tightly in a plastic trash bag and tape the plastic securely so it will not squish around while you are packing on the concrete mix. Place it on the transport board or tray, upside down. Starting at the bottom or ground, apply the mix, by handfuls, all around and up the sides, and then across the top. Of course, all will be turned over when you finish and the concrete has set. Smack the mix firmly to make an even coating, at least an inch thick. Use a big nail or wire to check thickness (but then close up the hole). If you like, add three feet to what will become the base, by making three two-inch wide balls of concrete mix and smacking them on near the center, in an evenly-spaced triangular arrangement. Then wrap it loosely with plastic sheeting and set in the shade to start to cure.
PROJECT C: Small Trough in a Bucket. To make a small trough inside a
plastic dishpan, a round or square plastic pail, or a disposable paper
paint mixing bucket, line it with an opened-up plastic trash or shopping
bag. You can also use a low, wide flowerpot or wooden box. Avoid
straight-sided metal containers for you will have trouble removing the
project after it dries, because the concrete expands. Press in the dampened
concrete mix, firmly, making an even bottom and building up the walls. An
inch or more of thickness, evenly applied, is good. Cut out or shape a
drainage hole in the center. Without removing it from the bucket, close the
bag over the wet trough with a twist tie and set in the shade to cure. Do
not bump or disturb it. This is the easiest way I know of to make a small
trough.
Step 3. Cleanup. Immediately rinse out
your mixing tools and mixing container with water, before the concrete mix
hardens. This will be a very alkaline mixture so be careful where you dump
it out (not on the acid-soil-loving azaleas!). Don't put it down the drain
or it could cause clogging.
Step 4. Smoothing and Aging. Let the project cure for over 24 hours but not over 48 hours. Remove it from the wrappings and then take time to sand, scratch, smooth out, distress, or age the surface until the shape and texture appeal to you, using an old chisel, can opener, ice scraper, or other sturdy tool. Antique troughs of real stone were chiseled. Scrape off all stiff-looking edges, bubbles from molding, and the like. Then rewrap it in the plastic and continue curing the trough in a cool, shady place. 28 days of curing is said to be ideal but 7 to 10 days has worked for me, possibly at cost of a few years of longevity of the trough. A trough continues to age and cure even after being used.
Step 5. Planting. When the
trough has cured, it can be used like any flowerpot. The cement is somewhat
alkaline, especially when it is new. There are some plants that favor this
pH, while others prefer acidic soil and will not thrive in it. The
alkalinity of the trough will affect the soil pH, eventually. Choose small
plants in proportion to the container, then set them into place using soil
suited to the type of plant. Top the soil with a mulch of small stones or
grit, or for shady gardens, a sheet of moss.
*** Note. This small-trough technique
is good for ornamental projects that weigh ten to twenty pounds. For a
complete guide to making and planting troughs of all types and sizes, you
may want to refer to the book Creating and Planting Garden Troughs, by Joyce Fingerut and Rex Murfitt, which delivers a thorough treatment and gives instructions for larger projects with far more scope. There are also several excellent magazine articles on the subject. For sharing, this information? is posted here at? http://www.mackeybooks.com
. Questions? Contact Betty at bbmackey@prodigy.net.
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Betty is the creator of the lively story CD, Papercrete Troughs ($10 postpaid). It shows the step-by-step process of making troughs out of papercrete. After all, if papercrete is strong enough for home building, it is more than adequate for flower pots! Papercrete is a variant of hypertufa that replace s the peat moss with recycled paper. After watching this colorful show you can easily make troughs, birdbaths, stepping stones, fake rocks, sculptures, and more. It is available by mail for $10 postpaid, including PA sales tax, to USA and Canadian residents. It will play on Windows XP computers. Also in the USA and Canada, buy the disk online using PayPal by clicking the disk at left ($10 usd postpaid).
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