Hypertufa Wall Pocket

How to Make a Unique Rustic Craft to Display Hardy Succulent Plants

Another great smaller project is a hypertufa wall pocket. You can make this with a drain hole and plant it with hardy succulents such as Sempervivum, some smaller species of Sedum and hang it beside your door for an interesting and rustic focal point.

The technique is relatively easy, once you have some experience with other hypertufa projects.

**Hypertufa Wall Pocket**

I make a hypertufa mix with less sand in it, as your finished hypertufa wall pocket will hang on the wall suspended by two nails or wire, so it’s got to be light enough.

Curing this project is of great importance.

Start with a flat slab, approximately 3-5cm thick. Take some crumpled newspaper and set it in the center, then start to build outer layer.

Make sure that the newspaper doesn’t get in between the layers or the top one won’t stick to the bottom one. Squish all around the sides and the bottom to make a seal.

Make two holes with a nail or other thin object on the back piece to hang it from, and make a drain hole. These can be cleaned out more once the hypertufa dries.

Cover with thin plastic film, and leave it for at least 24 hours. Test it after this time, and sprinkle with water to aid the curing process.

**Hypertufa Wall Pocket planted with Succulents**

Don’t try and move it, as it will be brittle and delicate and will possibly crumble.

After 48 hours, it will be strong enough to move, and you can take the newspaper out of the pocket.

Cure completely by keeping it moist for a week or so, then immerse it in a water bath to take off the excess lime. Use gloves for this, as the mix and the water will be caustic.

Once your hypertufa wall pocket is cured, plant some special varieties of Sempervivum – my favorites are some of the darker kinds like Sempervivum ‘Delta’ or the tiny cobwebs like Sempervivum arachnoideum ‘Encader’, or even tender succulents.

Plant some Sedum pluricaule or other smaller growing varieties of Sedum to spill over the front and soften the planting.

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Hypertufa Projects

Hypertufa How To

Hypertufa Pinch Pot Tutorial

Building hypertufa pots is a bit challenging - start small with some hypertufa pinch pots to make a charming display filled with tiny Sedum, Sempervivum and Jovibarba, or some of the many beautiful diminutive alpine plants.

Use equal parts by volume of the following ingredients:

Sifted peat moss to remove any larger debris - this can be a higher proportion - up to 1.5 parts.

Perlite - this can be a higher proportion - up to 1.5 parts.

Portland cement powder

You can also add builders sand, or sandblasting slag for stronger mix, for larger items especially. There are many different recipes - some call for sifting the peat moss to a very fine powder, or add fiberglass reinforcing fibers. Experiment until you find your perfect recipe.

Using your gloved hands mix until all ingredients are well combined.

Add water carefully, mixing between each addition. The final result is like a mud pie - it will hold together without crumbling, and hold its shape when formed into a ball.

handfuls of hypertufa mix in plastic bags

Each bag will hold a little pot - use a couple of handfuls, and aim for an equal depth all around. Make sure you put a drain hole in the bottom.

Don't miss the all important curing step in a water bath. See the whole sequence on the Hypertufa Pinch Pots page.

Plant your precious little pots with your favorite succulent plants or alpines, or even moss.

See these pages for more:
How to Make Hypertufa
Hypertufa Pots
Hypertufa Container
How to Make Hypertufa Look Old