You don't need the fibers for small projects. Someone was experimenting a longggggggg time ago with fibers and all of a sudden people thought they needed them. Billie

Agree with Billie,
Keep it simple - peat, portland cement, perlite ---- and water. That is all you need. Mix it, and allow it to cure for several days.....

Mike ----

Here is a link that might be useful: My Link -

Thanks for the info Billie and Plantman. I will stick to the basic mix and experiment. Plantman your website is very inspirational. Any chance you have classes around Pittsburgh?

I also have few pieces of real Tufa. Can they be carved a bit and joined together with some hypertufa mix? I wanted to create a small waterfall for my pond. Or is it a better idea to go all hypertufa?

Thanks - Just have classes in Harrisburg, but I bet there is someone that teaching in Pittsburgh.

Honestly do not know - never have used real tufa . I think it would be fun to incorporate with hypertufa.
Actually never used tufa in a pond. My only suggestion for use in a pond is to make sure you have hosed off all the excess from the portland. Maybe allow the cured piece to sit in a pool of water for a few weeks, dumping the water and adding fresh.

My plan was to add the tufa/hypertufa surrounding the pond hoping moss, sedum will colonize it (with a little help from me). Also I wanted to make a waterfall with the same material at one end. I am still going to try wash of the alkaline material for a month or so and then position them around the pond. Since I am going to use the water for gardening purposes too it will be regularly consumed and refilled with rainwater. I am hoping that in a few months there will not be any more residual alkalinity. No fish in the pond for me. Too much work. A frog or two may be Ok if they can find their own food.

this is for plantman56 : have you created large bricks/blocks. don't want gray, i heard another mix you get a fawn coloration. Do you know of this???

The biggest complain I have with fibers is burning the trailing ends. Sometimes I redo the finish on my pieces to get the look I want and the fibers just get in the way; however for that aged, pock-marked, "natural" look many people want it shouldn't be a big deal. Very limited amounts of silica fume seems to make my small projects stronger but that could be an illusion.