Stone Pot Making Process
The editor answers the questions about the stone pot making process for netizens and shares the tutorial on making artificial stone mountains and small gardening knowledge. Let's follow the editor to see the specific content!
Nowadays, more and more people enjoy gardening, and the pots used for growing flowers come in various shapes and materials, such as bottles, tree stumps, stones, etc. Although the materials are simple, they are quite charming when used to grow succulents or green plants like money plant. In my free time, I also picked up a pile of small stones by the river, planning to make a few simple pots. Friends who are interested can also try it. Let's see how to make them!
I. Prepare Small Stones
You can collect some small stones from riverbanks or mountains when you go out for a walk. For those with nice shapes, you can place them directly in the pot, which is also very beautiful and has a natural charm.
There are not many requirements for the stones when making small stone pots. As long as the stones are beautiful, they can be used, such as cobblestones from rivers or small stones from mountains. I picked these stones from the riverbank; they may not be very beautiful, but let's use them for now! One thing to note when picking stones is to try to choose some longer ones without too many angles or round ones. Round stones are not easy to stack and may collapse easily. Long stones are more sturdy and prominent, and have a better ornamental effect.
II. Prepare Fine Sand and Cement
1. After obtaining the small stones, you need to prepare a small amount of cement and fine sand. Try to use finer river sand because coarse sand may easily leak water after stacking, requiring frequent watering later. It's best to sieve the sand with a fine sieve for better use. After stacking the pot, you also need to smooth the inner wall to prevent water leakage, which also requires fine sand.
2. When mixing cement, I need to tell you the ratio of cement to sand. The ratio of cement should be higher; if there is too little cement, it will be less sturdy and may collapse after drying. I used a ratio of 7:3 for cement and sand, which is quite solid after drying. Also, don't mix the cement too thin; otherwise, it will be difficult to stack the stones because of their different shapes. So, try to mix it slightly thicker for better operation and sturdiness.
III. Specific Operation Method
1. Bottom Treatment
After preparing all the materials, let's start making the pot. First, cut out the desired pot shape from cardboard, which can be based on the shape you want. After cutting, place it flat on the ground. To increase the pot's sturdiness, you can also add a layer of wire mesh on the cardboard. Then spread the mixed cement evenly on top according to the shape of the cardboard, ensuring it is flat, with a thickness of 1 to 2 centimeters. This is the bottom part of the pot. Wait for it to slightly dry and solidify before adding the stones.
2. Stack the Pot Wall
After the bottom has solidified, continue stacking the pot wall. First, place a circle of cement on the bottom according to the width of the stones, then place a circle of small stones horizontally. Try to use longer stones at the bottom for added stability. After stacking the bottom, add cement and continue stacking stones until the desired height is reached. Once the overall pot is made, wait for it to solidify, then smooth the inner wall with cement.
Stone Pot Making Process
3. Treat the Inner Wall of the Pot
The inner wall of the pot must be very smooth to prevent water from quickly leaking through the small gaps. The cement ratio for the inner wall must be higher and use fine sand, with only a small amount of sand. For small pots without suitable tools, you can use a small stainless steel spoon to smooth the inside evenly to prevent water leakage when gardening. After finishing, place it in a shady place to dry, and water it once a day to make it more solid and sturdy.
4. Clean the Stone Pot
After the stone pot has completely dried and solidified, clean it by placing it in a large basin of water. The main goal is to wash off the remaining cement on the stones. You can use a wire ball to remove the cement sticking to the stones. After thorough cleaning, a very beautiful small stone pot is completed. You can then use it to grow succulents or plants like money plant, hanging orchid, etc.