I have been trying to work on my planters every evening. Whether it rains or not. I was a bit worried last evening because the sky was full of storm clouds from nearly every direction. The thunder and lightning started early and went on and on with just a couple drops of rain. So, I kept working because the drops didn't do much and I spent too much time the previous night covering my plants and never got more than a few drops.
I discovered a thin crack in one of my small planters. So, I decided to repair it by stressing the planter to cause more cracks, but not break. The planter was still a bit damp from being under plastic, so the cracks in the planter didn't have a chance to cause unfixable damage. I sealed the cracks slowly, keeping the cement all around damp. Then I gave the entire planter several more layers of cement.
I checked all my other planters and haven't seen other cracks. I think the crack occurred in that one just because of where I had the planter moved to while I was working on the others. None of the planters fit in my pot ghetto shelves, so I am still trying to come up with a plan to keep them in a safe place as I rotate them about to work on them. For now, my solution is just to build up the cement thicker when I paint the additional coats of cement, inside and out for all planters. I wasn't done coating the one that cracked, when I had to stop and cover up all the planters because of the rain. Somehow, all the planters will get at least two thick coats of cement before being covered for the night. Last night, I had to work in the dark, with only the porch light and one solar spotlight, because the sky couldn't decide whether it was really going to rain and I had stopped several times. When I was satisfied all had enough coats of cement, I had barely finished cleaning up when it began to really rain. Just in time.
Here are more photos.
The smallest planter.
The smallest planter (finished) with the cracked one, before I repaired it.
This big one is the first experiment that came out. Otherwise, didn't get broken. I call it an experiment because I had to use more than one object to create the shape of the planter. Some objects did not get added until the draped planter began to harden a bit. This is how I got the ends to flare out. I am showing all the "junk" I was using to add more shape, laying all around the planter. All of the things I used are just lightweight plastics from various containers. I also used some scrap pieces of wood. (The junk you can see behind the planter, along the wall, that all belongs to the roommate, for his projects.) You can see the brick I dropped on my foot. It is the one at the bottom, on the ground.
This is a tall pot. I am not sure what I will put in it. Something that has deep roots probably, but I don't know how I will get the plant out when it is time to transplant, because the planter is a bit narrow. But I won't worry about it now.
The tall planter next to the big planter. I can put several different plants in the big one. I am thinking that a vining plant or air plants will work well for the parts of the planter that flare out. I've never grown any air plants, but it is just one idea. If I had David's garden, I could just go through and quickly pick out a few plants that will probably look nice. Maybe I should pay David a surprise visit - one cement planter in exchange for a plant for one of my planters. Hehehehehe. Just kidding, of course. Too far to drive.
I have two more experiments that should be ready to take pictures of this weekend. I decided to wait until after I recuperate from Monday's surgery to begin painting the planters. I want to make sure all are thick enough, especially at the tips. That should give them plenty of time to cure without me feeling rushed as I can't work for too long without my back hurting too much. It is taking me a long time to get out of bed in the mornings with all the aches. But my yard will be fantastic when I am done!
I showed some photos using my old laptop at my bible study yesterday, and one of the ladies wanted to buy my big and tall planters for $50 each. She wants me to hurry and make more so she can buy some for the company she owns. I swear my back grew legs and kicked me really hard when she said that.
