Hahaha, that's hilarious Al! I took a closer look but I couldn't identify any pinwheels or butterflies or alphabet letters in your pics. I have someone on the hypertufa forum telling me she doesn't bother drilling drain holes because the hypertufa wicks water away just fine without them and her plants do great long-term in her pots. I wonder if different recipes have different effects as far as whether they "breath" or "wick"? I am trying to find out what recipe she is using to figure out why hers wick and mine don't seem to.

Hi ruegge. Here is my opinion and cosequently here is where I evoke the wrath of the tufa gods and blaspheme against the holy peat. My thoughts on hypertufa are well known and documented on this garden web forum. Dare I suggest you try (try, says I) to construct your project without peat moss of course I do. If your projects negative space can be filled with more than one gallon of water try something else. For weed pots, herb planter or sedum pots hypertufa seems to work really well, beyond that I have my doubts and suspicions. I believe people who post about having cracked pots are truthful; I mean who would post a message admitting to a failing if there was none. On the other hand people who say, "IÂve never had a hypertufa pot crack" well whatever. For those that do they blame everything under the sun  except the holy peat. I have been in some heated exchanges about tufa and the holy peat. My conclusion is: a bunch of folk who make hypertufa continue to promote their mantra; if it doesnÂt have peat moss, well, then, it just ainÂt hypertufa. (See Wikipedia definition at the end of this harangue.) Accordingly it is a sacred ternate that, no matter what the ingredient list at the very least the mix must contain peat moss to be hypertufa. Naturally I disagree but rather than continue a close-minded discussion I simply DONÂT make "hypertufa" I make concrete (look that up for laughs). My pieces are made using just about everything; vermiculite, perlite, sand (both fine and course), latex paint instead of water, metal filings, polystyrene beads (bean-bag beads), anything, BUT I DON"T USE PEAT MOSS! I still have failures but not near as many as I did with the holy peat. Mostly I just get too impatient and move ahead before I should. Oh, keep in mind if you want to "work" or "tool" the finish, sand will wear away files and metal tools. IMO use whatever you want to make your project a success and then call it hypertufa, hyperthreefer, or stretch it to be rueggetufa. Most importantly have fun and experiment. Hypertufa From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia HYPERTUFA IS AN ANTHROPIC ROCK MADE FROM VARIOUS AGGREGATES BONDED TOGETHER USING PORTLAND CEMENT. Hypertufa is intended as a manufactured substitute for natural tufa, which is a slowly precipitated limestone rock; being very porous, it is favorable for plant growth. Hypertufa is popular for making garden ornaments, pots and land forms. Hypertufa is relatively light compared with terra cotta or concrete and can withstand harsh winters, at least down to -30 °C (-20 °F). Basic recipe Using the classic proportions for mortar (1 part cement: 3 parts aggregate) hypertufa is composed of 3 parts Portland cement - Type I 4 parts peat 5 parts perlite (3 parts cement: 9 parts aggregate)  1:3 ratio Other recipes may call for sand or gravel as aggregates, but they add unwanted weight without necessarily adding strength. To increase structural strength and longevity, synthetic reinforcing fibers (plastics, not fiberglass) and liquid acrylic may be incorporated into the mixture. Powdered mineral colors (in small amounts) tint the hypertufa to resemble natural rock. Speaking of rocks - this rock (52"l X 32"w X 20"h and hollow) has been through two seasons without a crack. Ducking sniper fire and running for cover! Robert p.s. I'm really a nice guy.

I can only talk about concrete and hypertufa. How big are you making your pots? I have 3 foot arborvitae in pots where the bowl area is only about 1 1/2 foot square. These are outside year round. I've had no problem leaving hypertufa and concrete outside in my zone as long as it was planted with a tree or shrub. I also break contact with the ground during the Winter if the planter is sitting on soil. I shove a piece of wood shingle under one corner. Do people leave concrete planters outside in the Winter in your area/zone? That's a good sign you can leave yours outside. There are lots of recipes on this site under the FAQ section of the hypertufa forum. You can use hypertufa for many projects. The peat moss recipe gives a browns/gray color and the peat moss on the surface of the planter will wash out over time giving you a pockmarked looked. Vermiculite will give you a sparkly look. Perlite gives you white flecks in gray background. Using white Portland cement gives you a more modern, white, white, white look. Before I forget, we are talking hypertufa and we use PORTLAND CEMENT not concrete mix. Concrete mix is fine for some applications but if you want to carve or put imprints the gravel is a problem. Hope that answers your question.

Styrofoam shipping containers make great 'fodder' for trough molds. They are usually free at various merchants, especially those that require shipments to remain cool. The styrofoam is easily cut with a small handsaw or even a utility knife. The pieces may be re-assembled with Elmers Glue, water solubile contact contact or silicone adhesivive. The joints may be reinforced with plain old nails or duct tape. Even sheets of styrofoam may be purchased at home centers and cut into custom shapes - just remember you have to get the 'tufa off of the mold (destroy the 'foam if needed.) Once you have a mold, cover it with a plastic bag like you get from the grocery or a trash bag if larger. Then apply the 'tufa mix. This is the fun part, like playing with PlayDough. NOTE: Any or all of the published recipies are suitible. I like Portland cement, finely ground peat, various grades of sand, all reinforced with the fiberglas fibers. (After curing, remove the whiskers by playing a propane tourch over the trough.) Let the "casting" set until firm but not hard, then use a wirebrush, puttyknife, pointed objects (carefullly, etc.) to add 'character' to your creation. You should have placed several short pieces of 0.5 - 0.75" diameter dowel in 2 or 3 places on the bottom of the casting to allow for drainage. Throw the completed trough under plantings (out of sight for the fall and winter), then cover the drain holes, fill with any good 'alpine mix', plant and enjoy.