Smilodonichthys
Carnivorous Plant Addict
I have been growing Pinguicula in terra-cotta pots and have liked the porous nature and aesthetics of them. The main issue I have is that I can't find them in a square shape and ideal size to fit efficiently in my trays. Making my own hypertufa pots seems like a good way to get all the benefits of the terra-cotta while having an ideal size and in my opinion looking more natural. Another thing they have going for them is they are less expensive than terra-cotta and likely even plastic.
I'll share how I make them here in the hopes that others might be interested in experimenting with hypertufa or at least seeing how it works out for me. I really don't know how these will work long term. If anyone can forsee any problems or offer advice, please do!
Note that due to the alkalinity of hypertufa this may only be suitable for a limited number of carnivorous plant species. I have found that all of the cold temperate and Mexican Pinguicula I have grown don't seem to suffer from higher pH/mineral-rich conditions and often seem to prefer it. Even those that grow in low pH/mineral conditions in nature.
Here is one of my Ping shelves as it is now with terra-cotta. Not a great use of space. I will update in a few months once the plants are in hypertufa pots. It will take months before the pots cure and leach:
The hypertufa mix I have been using is:
-1 part peat (all the chunky bits and sticks etc. removed)
-1 part perlite
-1.5 parts Portland cement
-Around 1.5 parts water. The water is added sparingly until the consistency is wet enough that it can be molded into shape without crumbling or being too liquid. The amount needed seems to vary per batch. The final cured pot is stronger when the mix is on the drier side.
For the forms I use a square plastic 3.5" pot for the inner and a 4" plastic pot for the outer. I do around 15 at a time. The drain hole form is a cut off piece of PVC pipe. After spraying cooking spray (butter flavour is best but was not in stock
) I mold the hypertufa mix onto the bottom and sides of the larger pot and then press the smaller pot into the center until it hits the PVC pipe.
After 24 hours wrapped in a plastic bag to cure slightly I remove the forms and use a wire brush to add some texture to the pots. They are still brittle when not fully cured so care is needed so as not to break them.
After that they are placed in a large bucket of water to fully cure for at least a month. I will keep them in the bucket for at least another month and change the water frequently to leach some of the alkalinity.
Here is one of the first batch I made a few months ago. I made them thicker because I wanted to be sure they would be strong enough.
Turns out they are strong enough to stand on.
I'm much happier with this latest thinner batch. I'm confident they will be a good mix of strong and light with lots of room for plants.
I'll share how I make them here in the hopes that others might be interested in experimenting with hypertufa or at least seeing how it works out for me. I really don't know how these will work long term. If anyone can forsee any problems or offer advice, please do!
Note that due to the alkalinity of hypertufa this may only be suitable for a limited number of carnivorous plant species. I have found that all of the cold temperate and Mexican Pinguicula I have grown don't seem to suffer from higher pH/mineral-rich conditions and often seem to prefer it. Even those that grow in low pH/mineral conditions in nature.
Here is one of my Ping shelves as it is now with terra-cotta. Not a great use of space. I will update in a few months once the plants are in hypertufa pots. It will take months before the pots cure and leach:
The hypertufa mix I have been using is:
-1 part peat (all the chunky bits and sticks etc. removed)
-1 part perlite
-1.5 parts Portland cement
-Around 1.5 parts water. The water is added sparingly until the consistency is wet enough that it can be molded into shape without crumbling or being too liquid. The amount needed seems to vary per batch. The final cured pot is stronger when the mix is on the drier side.
For the forms I use a square plastic 3.5" pot for the inner and a 4" plastic pot for the outer. I do around 15 at a time. The drain hole form is a cut off piece of PVC pipe. After spraying cooking spray (butter flavour is best but was not in stock
) I mold the hypertufa mix onto the bottom and sides of the larger pot and then press the smaller pot into the center until it hits the PVC pipe.After 24 hours wrapped in a plastic bag to cure slightly I remove the forms and use a wire brush to add some texture to the pots. They are still brittle when not fully cured so care is needed so as not to break them.
After that they are placed in a large bucket of water to fully cure for at least a month. I will keep them in the bucket for at least another month and change the water frequently to leach some of the alkalinity.
Here is one of the first batch I made a few months ago. I made them thicker because I wanted to be sure they would be strong enough.
Turns out they are strong enough to stand on.
I'm much happier with this latest thinner batch. I'm confident they will be a good mix of strong and light with lots of room for plants.
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