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| I don't think this "clever idea" would work. I think clement has lime in it. I once got into hypertuffa from that forum. I made some projects. It was so mushy, all I could make were planters. I could not make interesting garden knomes. So, I made some planter using plastic tupperware bowls as molds. The plants I put in them did really terrible or died. I discarded them. I think it was the lime in the concrete. If you click on the link, I am posting an example of using something like cylinder blocks as planters. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Lime in planters
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by toxcrusadr (My Page) on Tue, Mar 27, 12 at 18:37
| Fresh concrete is even worse than regular ag lime (Ca carbonate). It's basically Ca hydroxide, with a pH north of 12 or so. It will eventually become bound up in the concrete matrix or leached away, but fresh concrete is not compatible with life. :-] |
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- Posted by tropical_thought San Francisco (My Page) on Tue, Mar 27, 12 at 19:01
| I have to wonder if all 14 comments about what a great idea, came from people who won't ever bother to actually try it. I feel I should leave a comment to warn them, but I would only be raining on their parade. Maybe if you put plastic pots inside the concrete to blocks, but then what would the point be? I think wood planters look nicer but wood is so expensive and it won't last. |
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- Posted by toxcrusadr (My Page) on Wed, Mar 28, 12 at 10:12
| After looking at the link, maybe those concrete blocks are OK since they have been dried and aged a bit. If they mortared them together the fresh mortar would leach some hydroxide for sure. I don't think it looks very attractive anyway. But a lot of people like the sterile industrial look. I like industrial, but the kind of industrial with some character and warmth. |
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- Posted by darth_weeder z7 NY (My Page) on Wed, Mar 28, 12 at 10:37
| There are non-toxic waterproofing products that will seal the inside of the block and prevent the leaching of lime or anything else. Hope this helps. |
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- Posted by tropical_thought San Francisco (My Page) on Wed, Mar 28, 12 at 12:29
| I should have painted the inside hypertufa pots a sealer. I thought they looked nice, because I used the white cement powder which is more attractive then the boring grey sidewalk color cement. The article was for apartment dwellers who have only cement patio. I used to live in a house with a patio that was facing north. It was awful. I could not grow anything well. There was not enough sun. Hypertufa is more work than it looks. I spend a long time just perfecting the recipe. But, I failed to save it. This was before computers. Maybe the failure of the plant in the pots I made was a result of the soil mix I used? I am too lazy to collect the ingredients to make a potting mix that might be worthy. However, the strawberries in the miracle grow mix are doing well, but other things like perennials, do very badly. I put calla lilies in the hypertufa pots because those are invasive, but they just died. Maybe I should have tired mint instead. Nothing can kill mint, so they say. I have found the recipe here on the forum for Al's container soil mix, so maybe one day I will be motivated to try it. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Hypertufa forum on garden web
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