I Broke My Hypertufa Bowl!
Today, I wanted to re-arrange a lot of my troughs and bowls.
I had planned on putting them into the front garden so that they could be seen there. I had most of it done and then went back for one of the larger bowls. I just couldn’t wait until my husband or son was available. Guess what I did? I broke my big hypertufa bowl! I could just cry.
I liked this one so much that I even made it my favicon. See it up there in the tab? It is larger than it looks in this pictures. Its form was a dish pan and it was about 18 inches in diameter. See it as the favicon up there in the page tab! ( I have changed it since I wrote this. I am always changing and re-arranging.)
Luckily, it did break into a few large pieces.
I guess it was a little too heavy for me to have tried carrying alone, but I was stubborn, so I foolishly did it anyway. I was almost at the spot I wanted it to go, and it just crashed down on the front walk. Of course, it hit on its side and I watched in slow motion as it just crumbled and dirt started spilling, along with that Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Nana Gracilis ( hopefully I located the right ID tag) and the rocks and the little semps and sedums. It could have been worse. I could have dropped it on my foot, and smashed a finger or something. And no! It won’t alter the fact that I will move and change everything all the time. That is what a gardener does! It’s a rule!
The lesson learned here is not to carry something too heavy for you to handle. Get a second person so there is one on each side. Or roll it in the wagon like I did my hostas when I transplanted them.
What I will gain from this breakage is the knowledge of how to glue it back together with some sort of masonry cement, or with a wet patch of another batch of fresh hypertufa mix. Here is a link to what I used to make my repairs. It was easy to work into the crack after drying it out for a few days inside. This is an affiliate link to Amazon and I may make a commission if you make a purchase through my link. See my Liquid Nails Landscape Adhesive. I have never tried a repair this large before, but there has to be a first time. Wish me luck.
I am so glad to say that the repairs were successful. The bowl is all put together again and seems to be holding well. I have let it set up for several days and have replanted everything back into the planter and it is just fine! In fact, all the work I have put into this bowl makes it feel even more dear to me.
I have another post written about the bowl I repaired. See it here.
Were you able to fix it? If so, how did you go about it?
I did repair it with a concrete adhesive. Emptied it and let it dry well. Still together and just fine years later.
Oh what a bummer! That was a nice looking bowl, I can see why you would be heartbroken.
Oh, I really loved it. But I will do my best to get it glued or tufa’d together one way or another. If not, I still have the dish pan mold and will make another one.