For my new and small business I am also thinking about creating succulent arrangements in hypertufa pots.
My concern is will these pots pass the test of time and...weather?
Over here, we get freezing and wet winters and I'd like my pots to withstand it for at least a few years.
I've been told that using perlite and peat or ingredients besides cement and sand would make the pots fall apart after a few cold winters.
Now that doesn't sound promising.
From your experience, have you made "hardy" hypertufa pots?
If I just use cement and sand (and water) I would be creating.... concrete pots.
It's not exactly what I have in mind.

Calin, check out the Cloth and Cement thread on this forum!!! not so much for hardy, because I don't know but for the creativity of the cement. Also, you can ask others that have tried and hear what they have to say like @DavidofDeLand

The thread "Cloth and Cement" in Containers forum

David has withdrawn from ATP
http://garden.org/thread/view_...

But you could probably get a response from him via his website.
http://www.greenspacegardens.n...

Where do you stand with your hypertufa. I have a cold weather recipe if you still need one.

@fixpix, Colin, hope all is well. We haven't heard from you in quite awhile.

Susan I would love to see your cold weather recipe. If it survives your zone 5 area it should work for any of us.

I have 3 hypertufa pots that I made with a Portland cement, perlite and peatmoss mixture. We live in Zone 6 with below freezing winters and they have all held up just fine for several years. This one is the biggest and oldest probably a good 10 years old and has been outside year round for at least 7. This large size was framed over a cardboard box (beer box) and also has chicken wire in it as it was so large. We covered the box with a plastic trash bag, then covered it with a layer of the mixture and wrapped with chicken wire and then a second layer of mixture. The other two smaller pots don't need the extra support of wire. They are about 3 years old and have held up just as well with a couple of freezing winters under their belt as well. I will post pic of the smaller container later.
I will say that this large container is pretty heavy, not near as heavy as it would be if it was just poured concrete but still has some weight to it.

That is good to know Holly. Thank you.
What proportions did you use.

search Post #358585. I went to a demonstration & posted the recipe on February 11, 2013.

Thank you Susan.

I love this kind of thread ,
Every so often ,I get real thin real solid mixes , One is hardly 1/4 of a inch thick I could not break it with a hammer ,, Something about old paper and silica that makes a form of epoxe cement with a little concrete , If I could figure out what I am doing when I get that Tough Mix ,, I would be dancing on air

That sounds really interesting Jim. Let us know if you figure out how you are getting the 'Tough Mix'.
I would love to see a photo of your tough container.

My containers are only round concrete usual, I will get a photo .. Only it looks the same , as all ,, It is much lighter than most , I am testing doing a few smaller (possible stepping stones)
I believe this has to do with filamentous algae . (using green water ) I always wondered where those waste algae tanks were going) It turns the starch paste in old paper waste , as it bonds with the Silica in gray cements (Portland) Anyway , the algae filaments become some kind of lime or carbon fiber in the process ,
Here are a couple upside down in the molds

This one weighs 5 to 8 pds , considerably light for cement ,, others weigh two to three times as much , all are made the size of an ice cream bucket , This one is extremely strong also , I wish I could tip and show the edge I was talking about , but the Pink Poodle Echinacea would probably not like that ,,


This and next when Containers are broken , I leave them in


Yes I know not an Ice cream


the paper paste the more it is as cream , the better .
Next step , I guess I take a jug of beginning algae water and aerate , for long fiber algae

Great containers there Jim, what is your exact recipe ?
I made this one yesterday from cement, sand ,sieved peat 2: 5: 1 ratio .

Okay Jim and Paddy, between the two of you I will now have to seriously give this a try.
Both of you are creating such wonderful troughs.

It's a case of necessity Lynn as my semp collection threatens to overwhelm me . Now excuse me while I go make another container

Storming and cats are fighting with raccoons outside my room , so I am awake a few minutes at early hours ,,

Paddy I don't have an exact recipe so far , I am working on it ,, I think the lighter was 3 parts paper , two parts concrete It is the green algae water making the difference ,, if the algae fiber is there and works correctly , The containers I make would not even need to be 1/2 thick .
The Fiber in the algae , set that as the hardness of a utensil .

I was looking through greenkrete , and Algae fiber experiments that the Chinese have done ,.. I remember as a youngster though playing near the creeks where algae was really long ,,I remember twisting it to half the thickness of my finger , and it was as strong as some rope , not all , but string anyway ,,
When experiments process nowadays , they use these fibers for medical and bio suit and fireproof suits .
I have known that off and on since the 1960's ,, playing with ideas again I am ,As to sounding frugal than other , microfibers are nice , great actually ,, but , why when you can make your own
As to earlier conversations there ,,,

I am just chatting a few minutes here , about the algae crete and so forth , I am looking for my misplaced air pumps , Found a couple water pumps in the process ,,
Old aquariums are not hard to find or water containers , light in and mosquitoes kept out is rather difficult at times here , Cellophane seems to for now ,
Takes the longer fibered algae a few weeks to grow and larger containers than the milk jugs ,

So for now , the cardboard and the concrete is all I am using , I do not use the sand presently because the starch paste used to make cardboard and paper is like a mortar sand as it dries ,after it has Broken down for soaking ,,
As my self catches up to this though , I am looking forward to more algae crete attempts .. it keeps me interested as do several of threads here ..

Paddy you just keep making those wonderful concrete containers and filling them with semps.

Jim your experiments are intriguing. Maybe when your algae is ready you could do a step by step photo tutorial for us?