OMG!!! I love them!!! Awesome, my friend!!!

Laura

Oh yeah, I like these a lot! How are they made?

Rick, you craftsman, you. They look quite elegant. Are they made like hypertufa?

Pagan

Thank you all. I have made Hypertufa's before and still have ones outside that where made in 1995, so resilient.
I started out looking for a pot for one plant and could not find one the size or shape.
They are made very much the same way as Hypertufa's other than they use paper mulch instead of Peatmoss.
This is the receipt I used after looking at many.

Papercrete:
1 Part Sand or Perlite (I used 1/3 sand & 2/3 Perlite)
1 Part Portland Cement (have Federal White Portland
Cement, also)
4 - 6 Parts Paper Pulp
**Mix 4 - 6 Parts dry shredded paper in tub and pour hot water over it. Let it soak for 24hrs. Take mixer (I used a drywall/mortar mixer that attaches to my drill. (got at HD)
Pour out onto a screen to drain (I used 1/2" square hardware cloth mesh (HD). Let drain a couple hrs.
Should be consistensy or look like hamburger.
* 4 Parts Paper Pulp makes a more smooth look good
refined appearance.
Mix Cement and sand/perlite together first, then add paper mulch. No water needed, there is enough in the paper mulch product. Can add water if needed, but best to just wet hands while working with it if it seems a bit dry.

SPRAY container with cooking spray (Pam) to release before molding.
Mold your project. Make drain holes in bottom and let sit in warm site. No need to keep wet with water or plastic bag. There is alot of water in the paper mulch.
Let set for 3-4 days and unmold.
Place in sun or warm site to cure.
Needs to cure for 6wks minimum before planting up.

***This curing process is the one thing that I am still dubious and unsure about. Many have written that lime/cement leaches out for quite some time.
Talk of soaking after the 6wks.
Years ago when I made Hypertufa's with a Rhodo group I belong to we used a product I believe called Sodium
Permanganate (Purple product), thinking this was to help counteract the lime?

Actually was something I was going to ask Al about as he has alot of knowledge about Container gardening and also about the possible leaching of lime from concrete and health of root system.
Have not done this so far.

Looking forward to doing some more and also some
carved pots using a sand/cement mix.

First pot I made inside a plastic pot that I had to get the design of it on Paparcrete pot.
Second I made inside a large metal bowl lined with plastic and used an inverted plant tray in bottom to allow for air space under bottom of pot.
Rick

This post was edited by rcharles on Fri, Mar 21, 14 at 10:11

I need to try this. Would probably save a ton on pots. Thanks for sharing and the info, Rick!

Kirk

These are beautiful! Thank you for sharing how you make them.

Laurie

How awesome to make a pot the size and shape you want! Those are so neat!

-Heather

Excellent Rick like the style never heard of papercrete pots b 4, I have a lot of spare time so I will definitely give it ago.
john

Rick,

Thank you for sharing the process. I'm using saw dust and wood shavings right now instead of moss (in the original hypertufa recipe) which I really do not like using. Paper is the next best thing, especially the kind used for packaging material with no ink on them.

And I know exactly what you mean---NO ONE ever sells pots in exactly the size and shape we want lol This is the perfect solution.

Pagan

Great information Rick. Thank you for posting your recipe.

beautiful rick that is awesome

I think we should have a separate forum on pot making I do request for that who else is supporting me on this???
anyways

Rick kindly explain
SPRAY container with cooking spray (Pam) to
release before molding.

and will it be strong enough to last as a terracotta or a mud pot
I will give it a try on Sunday

anurag

Anurag,
The Spray I speak of is a cooking spray that you would use on pans and baking sheet prior to going into the oven to keep things from sticking.
I lined a big metal bowl with a plastic bag for the large circular pot.

I think that these will be just as strong as the the hypertufa pots that I have made many years ago.
The only difference is these use paper mulch instead of peat moss. Other ingredients are the same.
You can add polymers (fibreglass threads) to make strong or use a bit of light wire mesh. I have not.

The hypertufa pots, one which is about 15yrs old is outside in all the weather, freezing, snow, etc. and it is still totally intact. Very resislient.

These pots are for my adeniums so they will be inside for any bad weather.

Nice to use an existing plastic pot that has a design which is the same inside of the pot, as outside.
This way you make the papercrete pot inside of plastic one to have the design on outside. Negative mold.
Lots of things to try.
Rick

Spacecoast,

here are a few pots that I made some time ago. A lot of fun.

Rick

Rick, That's pretty awesome.. Finding pots you want can be time consuming and frustrating. And expensive!!! Are these heavy? Sandy

I like these in general and you have done a nice job. They are a little rustic for me.

The Papercrete pots are definitely lighter than the Hypertufa Pots that I have, but then they where made w Peat Moss, Sand & Concrete.

They make them using Perlite or Vermiculite, Sand & contrete. I thinking that these would be the lightest of them all.

The big thing w these posts is that they need to soak in water or be left outside in the elements so that they cure and cement sets. Also the lime in the cement can burn roots if not aged.

Rick

Hi Rick,

Bumping this thread because spring is fast approaching.

Would you happen to have an update showing how these Papercrete pots hold up to the elements over a year in the garden? I have your recipe bookmarked for future implementation.

Thanks for posting!

Maria Elena

I do have them, Maria Elena. Will take a photo and post it.

The only thing with either the Papercrete or Hypertufa pots, the concrete and/or lime it contains can be problematic for roots if not soaked and left out in the elements for some time to allow concrete to completely cute.

I know now and was concerned at the time, why my Large Arabicum lost all of it's feeder roots (that was many) from the pot not being aged long enough and roots became dedicated.

I wish that I could remember what it was that's Scientist/biologist brought to a Hypertufa workshop many years ago that you could soak the pots in to counteract the curing process or seal it for this burning problem. I remember it being a deep Purple color when in the water, almost like Gentian Violet?

Rick

Sodium permanganate to leach out the lime?

Here's a great thread to add to this one - You have posted regarding the workshop you attended:

https://garden.org/thread/view/23655/Treating-Hypertufas-or-Papercrete-pots/

Maria Elena

Rick

Could the purple stuff you referred to be Potassium Permanganate?

i made a couple of pots using cement/charcoal mix. Ratio 1:2. Charcoal no bigger than 3mm pieces. Strange enough the 'black' of the charcoal does not show in the finished product. Just the greyness of the cement. Lots lighter than the sand/cement mix. I would love to take photoes of my humble cement/charcoal pots. I have an IPad not being a techno geek is unable to carry it out. Unless someone who has an IPad too could guide me? I would love to share photo of one of my adeniums in flower now with caudex shaped like a dinosaur. With a very long neck. A red flower at the tip.( The wife thinks it looks like a dinosaur too).