Tufa Rock.

kindredspirit · Posted: Sat Feb 19, 2011 6:55 pm Post subject: Tufa Rock.

Is there anywhere you can get Tufa Rock here?

kindredspirit · Posted: Thu Oct 31, 2013 9:20 pm Post subject:

Got some Tufa, eventually. Very Happy

tagwex · Posted: Fri Nov 01, 2013 8:00 pm Post subject:

That took a while! Just out of interest what the hell is Tufa Rock?

kindredspirit · Posted: Sat Nov 02, 2013 6:27 pm Post subject:

Well, couldn't get any here. Sad

While I was in an alpine nursery in Derbyshire at the weekend, I saw some for sale there and picked up 4 pieces. I'll post pics of my troughs when I eventually install the stone.

Tufa is a very soft limestone rock that forms quickly when limey water flows over peatland. Unbelievably, plants will GROW in this rock, even, I've been told, acid loving plants! I'll be planting saxifrages in it.

Have a look at at
https://www.google.ie/search?q=growing+plants+in+tufa&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=LEN1UqX-I4Oihgf42YCgBA&ved=0CFgQsAQ&biw=1251&bih=667
to see what can be done.

And look at this.
http://alpines.dk/tufa-2/

tagwex · Posted: Sun Nov 03, 2013 9:52 am Post subject:

Well we learn something new every day. Now that i see it I have a vague recollection from an old Gardeners World programme. Plenty of water in that rock to sustain the plants.

Good guy · Posted: Thu Nov 07, 2013 12:20 am Post subject:

I think I remember a very old Gardener's World (Geoff Smith?) where they made "tufa" troughs with a mixture of vermiculite, peat and a little cement, using a cardboard box as a mould.

Sive · Posted: Thu Nov 07, 2013 8:50 am Post subject:

It was Geoff Hamilton I think....he was wonderful and so inventive, showing gardeners how to make whatever they needed out of inexpensive materials. The BBC have never found his equal since.... none of the presenters have quite filled those gardening boots, however pleasant they have been.

tagwex · Posted: Thu Nov 07, 2013 9:05 pm Post subject:

Sive, we have been here before, no-one has or ever will fill Geoff Hamiltons boots.

kindredspirit · Posted: Sun Nov 17, 2013 6:26 pm Post subject:

Here's a Vimeo video explaining Tufa.

http://vimeo.com/19340505

Good guy · Posted: Mon Nov 18, 2013 12:22 am Post subject:

An interesting video. Thanks for posting the link. The tufa seems to form in a similar way to the "Flowstone" you see in limestone caves, though that is hard and dense. I don't suppose you could grow anything much on it.

tippben · Posted: Tue Nov 19, 2013 2:39 pm Post subject:

I'm dubious. Is tufa mined responsibly, with regard to habitat conservation? I remember limestone pavements being destroyed for the rockery craze. Is it linked to the destruction of rare peat based habitats? Does anyone know?

baabamaal · Posted: Wed Nov 20, 2013 11:23 am Post subject:

From a quick scan of d'interweb there doesn't appear to be issues about largescale habitat loss- the issue might be the removal of 'recent' tufa deposits in sensitive areas such as springs. The fossilised stuff seems to be fairly abundant and would be no more of an issue than gypsum removal. But that is only my uneducated opinion. Geoff's idea has been supersized however....http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypertufa

inishindie · Posted: Tue Jan 21, 2014 1:23 pm Post subject: Making my own

I'm having a go at the peat/vermiculite/cement/perlite/sand mixtures for hypertufa and having a bit of success I think. So much so I have set up a like and share page on facebook for someone to win one of the first made.

Enter here: https://www.facebook.com/hypertufapotsandcontainers

The pots seem light and strong but will need testing for a season, hopefully they will have things growing on them as well as in them!

It's easy to work with and can have as many air pockets as desired and manipulate the hypertufa to look like limestone outcrops.

I'm going to be trying wood shreds instead of peat too

Cedrina · Posted: Wed Jan 22, 2014 2:48 pm Post subject:

Really liking those Inishindie, very attractive.

Good guy · Posted: Mon Jan 27, 2014 9:40 pm Post subject:

Beautifully done, Inishindie. I look forward to seeing some more planted up later in the season.