The Life and Death of a Hypertufa Pot
July 29th, 2006 
by Susan Harris
Everybody loves these homemade hypertufa pots, even after they’ve seen the sudden pot death that can result if they’re made too thin (or maybe if the winter’s too severe - who knows?) Here the bowl-shaped pot second from the left, my favorite of the bunch, suddenly split open last month. Whatever. For something that costs about 2 bucks and looks great, I’ll deal with an uncertain lifespan. As for the other, thicker ones, they’re holding on after 4 years.
And before somebody writes to ask what the hell hypertufa is, it’s a mix of Portland cement, perlite and peatmoss, a formula that produces a reasonable facsimile of the stone troughs traditionally used in rural England for feeding animals - hence they’re often called hypertufa troughs. The real things are scarce, heavy and expensive, thus the appeal of homemade substitutes. The mixture is pounded inside the walls of a container, like the bucket, cooler and kitty littler container used for most of these, or on the outside of an overturned container, such as the wok top that formed the broken one here. (Click to enlarge.) I’ve given workshops in making hypertufa and I gotta say it’s one unholy mess. Somehow, like making mudpies, it’s also a helluva lot of fun.
For plants, I’ve used only succulents like sedums and hens and chicks. These drainage-demanding plants love the natural porousness of hypertufa and I love the very low watering needs of the succulents, so everybody’s happy as can be.
If there are any hypertufa-makers out there, tell us what plants have worked, how long the pots have survived, and hey, just anything on your mind that’s remotely on point.
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July 29th, 2006 at 12:13 pm
One of our most popular workshops is making hypertufa pots. http://thegoldengecko.blogspot.com/2006/06/hypertufa-workshop.html#links
We have had the workshop twice this year, and we’ll be doing it again before the year ends. People just demand it! It’s hands on, and you really can’t make a mistake.
I find dwarf and miniature alpine plants also work great in these pots, since the excellent drainage of the pots simulates the rocky habitat of most alpines.
July 29th, 2006 at 3:44 pm
GoldenGecko your hypertufa are just goregous!
July 29th, 2006 at 7:18 pm
Susan - those who really want to get into the world of alpine gardening and hypertufa growing should consider a good first step of joining the alpine-l listserv - the university of alpine gardening. It’s here at https://listserv.surfnet.nl/archives/alpine-l.html
The archives are full of hypertufa discussions - both construction and plants (common and rare).
From there - join NARGS (www.nargs.org) the North American Rock Garden Society and go to the regional meetings to meet real plant experts.
July 30th, 2006 at 2:56 pm
Hello Susan,
My husband, daughter & I started making hypertufa in the mid-nineties. Go to my blog for some photos of a rather old trough.
Annie
July 30th, 2006 at 4:49 pm
I have several of these troughs purchased at local garden shop.Very expensive but I like the
overall appearance in the garden. I plant succulants,minatures
mosses, alpines, you name it what ever I can create. I have lost a few to freezing however the
ones I have overwintered in the garage have lasted 4 years so far!! These containers are conversation pieces added to my pond area!! I should do a post one day!
February 19th, 2007 at 3:49 pm
Hi Susan –
A couple of things for you and your readers and a question.
1)The following recipe (see link below) shown on the WETA show Cultivating Life (the best home/gardening show on TV in my opinion) will solve your problem with hypertoufa pots cracking in the winter. The liquid acrylic and polypropylene fiber make all the difference. Also, do what they do and put a drain in the bottom.
http://www.cultivatinglife.com/project.php?id=61
2) Also, you asked if readers knew of other Washington gardening publications. I am a real fan of the new magazine Washington Gardener (washingtongardener.com). You might already be familiar with this publication. If not, it’s a real gem.
3) A question for you. Have you tried and success growing sweet peas in DC? I’m looking for advice.
Thanks for your great blog!!
John Ryan
April 20th, 2007 at 4:44 am
I have lost a few to freezing however the
ones I have overwintered in the garage have lasted 4 years so far!!
April 20th, 2007 at 4:48 am
I have lost a few to freezing however the
ones I have overwintered in the garage have lasted 4 years so far!!