Mad cement skills Tony!! I really enjoyed the video, very inspiring!!

I'm writing from a place where the monthly basic salary is less than 300 dollars. A retired citizen is paid much less than that; 188 dollars, exactly. Hence, what you are doing in this video is much appreciated by those who accidentally grow bonsai around here.

You come across as very humble; yet your degree of skill is very clear and obvious! Thanks for sharing. So inspiring and beautiful.

A few of tips I've found useful: - Use a pinch of polypropylene fibres to frost proof the cement mix - I sometimes add perlite to the mix in bigger pots to make them lightweight - You can use polystyrene carved to shape to fill the hole in the middle of the pot for a better finish. Wrap it in sellotape if you want to reuse - use a vegetable oil spray or WD40 on the moulds as a release agent to get them out easily - It's important to leave cement pots out in the weather for 6 months before use so the rain washes out harmful alkaloids which can harm root systems.

I love how you just improvised when the edge broke off! Such a great and positive approach :)

When I saw Tony open the bag of sand I thought this guy is a professional, looks like I was right

Your trowel skills are no joke! Great Job!

Great video Tony! I watched to the very end as couldn’t wait to see the finished product. Years ago I made concrete pots for succulents using Portland cement. As a new-be to bonsai I now have another hobby to brush up on. Thank you!

Hi Tony. Interesting to see your cement pots. I have made quite a few Hypertufa pots for Alpines etc. the mix is Portland cement, Peat Moss and Perlite (or Vermiculite) in equal parts. The pots are a lot lighter than using a cement mix as there is no sand. They hold up well to frost and look a lot less like concrete, they are a much more natural look. I have many planted up with alpines and a couple planted with ‘bonsai’ Once the pots are dry after 24/48 hrs I soak them for a few days in a vinegar and water mix to leach the lime. The best moulds I found were extra large washing up bowls, but there are lots of shapes you can use. Lining the mould with polythene helps with removal of the pot when its dry. Making the drainage hole while the mix is still wet is so much easier than when its dry. You did Great job. You will find facebook pages for Hypertufa makers. Ps. Better to sift the peat moss to remove big bits of wood etc.

You've inspired me to make cement pots. Great results man.

Great video Toney looked like a lot of fun

Hi Tony. You done a great job. Tip on getting pots out of your containers. Sponge a little cooking oil around, when the pots have dried, they should come out abit easier. The pots look pretty good. Bonsais should look good.

Loved the video, always fun to make your own pots even though they weigh a ton. I typically spray the inside and outside of the bucket or bowl I am using. Does help the cement pot to slip out easily after it sets.

Hi. Nice. I've been doing this for more than a year now. I changed over to using the wet sand as mold,same as your last pot. When i mix sand with the cement,i sift the sand beforehand. The one you use in the kitchen to sift flour. It comes out very smooth. For bigger pots i strengthen it with strands of galvanized wire.

I've, thankfully, stumbled onto your video Tony, absolutely brilliant mate. No frills or fuss. No offence intended, but you remind me of Fred Dibnah🤣. Get you on TV and we could have a new national hero. Keep up the good work mate. 👍👍

At School I used to do Pewter and Aluminium casting! Many thanks for the great tutorial Tony!

Good job buddy!!! You are putting out some bonsai zingers!!! I'm from Texas in America.

You have some really great ideas and I will definitely try them this spring

I've discovered my niche. I make homemade pots that are so fragile and thin that they break before you even put a plant in them. A sort of a zen-ish thing!

They look really great mate! Nicely done. Thanks for sharing

Tony thank you, I am going to do this. My favourite was the one you did over wet sand, the fact the edges were not the same thickness looked intentional and added something to it I thought. I want a pot to make a forest planting but the price of proper pots is at this time stopping that idea, I will be able work towards that now so cheers.

Best and most interesting cement pot I've seen! Thanks!!

Those pots turned out lovely. Great stuff Tony!

I like this and am casting about for things to use. The grey ones look like a rock has been weathered by wind and rain and the brown ones almost look like they are made from a log.

That looked like you had some fun! I think the way you chóped the brown pot was a great fix and looked fab! I think I’m ready now to give it a try ! Thanks as always for the inspiration- and let us know how the fireplace turns out!

Love the video. I find that it’s easier to get the cement pot out by turning the whole thing upside down and pouring hot water on it. The hot water relaxes the pot and the cement pot comes out easily. Thank you for making amateurs like me want to try new things without being intimidated.

Learned a lot Tony! Keep the videos coming!! Thank you!!

Tony you are an artist, we can buy pots from anywhere but artisticly you have to spend a lot on a pot that is different. Really love your work and videos dont ever change

Thanks. Great work. Something to keep my ADHD grandson busy with. I love working with cement too.

Cool I’m looking 👀 for a Bonsai slab for my Giant Sequoia Red Wood bonsai landscape project 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻💚

Really enjoyable video. Thank you for taking me on this journey, I might have a go. Nice big pots aren't cheap!

I love it. Thanks for the tips. Greetings from Papua New Guinea

If you keep the concrete damp for a week while it sets it will improve the strength. Drying too fast makes it more brittle, but most people just dry it fast so up to the user. I like working with white Portland cement. Structurally it is the same, but it is more of a white colour instead of grey. I prefer the whiter look, and it is also takes less dye and produces sharper colour if that's the goal. White cement is about twice the price though which can make grey suddenly appealing. For de-molding professionals often use a special wax product to line the mold first but it's pricey. If you're trying to make a show worthy pot it might be worth it.

Very nice video... Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us...your humor was spot on !!! (I"m in the States as you would say)

I stuck around! haha great video thanks

Those came out awesome!

Good clear presentation as usual. Thanks!

Very enjoyable video Thanks Tony

Really good video! Looked like fun! You will never have to worry about those particular pots blowing over on a windy day, either!😉👍 Really liked the big one for a forest grouping….and adding colorant was a nice touch. Make it a third to twice as dark as you want the final color…..it always fades over time. Greetings from Montana, U.S.A!

I made bonsia pots in jr. High school. Nice video.

This was soo cool mate. I loved it.❤

Brilliant, the red washing up bowl one is ace

I love this Tony! Devinitely gonna give this a go in a future video! I love the cat litter tray

That was great! I enjoyed watching👍🌟

Banging video that Tony the sr will definitely help with the strength, I dig watching you lay on as well 😀

Great to watch you making pots 👍🤗 There are definitley some take aways for me, as I'm creating my own cement-pots, for some while. My technique differs a little from yours, as I"m using quite liquid cement, soaking a towel and drape around /or inside my decided shape. Putting additional cement stepwise at the inside and outside up to the desired thickeness. This makes me able to keep my pots less heavy. Last outside cover, I like using some coloured cement. Putting a bag inside your buckets and bowls prevents the cement from sticking to hard. Looking forward to more videos. THX Kind regards from Austria 😊

I think they look great 😊

Awesome video, try using a cooking spray or an oil based spray as a mold release the cement will come out much easier without risking breaking the pot. Just coat the inside and you'll be fine 👍

Very nice video. Saving for later to try myself!

thanks,another great post !

You are soo entertaining I did watch every minute and didn't quit or skip. You could always add your broken tile bits to the outsides of those pots. When you do your Scots pine seeds please show how to video. Xx tia. Mandy.

nice work !!

Loved this video, I would try a release agent like oil in the mold first to help with releasing when dry. What about making a very runny cement mix to rub on the outside to smooth it then sponge whilst still green? Anyway, you have inspired me to have a go. cheers Rich

Nice job Tony. I'm a bit worried about the weight of some of them but cheap & practical wins the day for me ! 👍👍

Thanks for this topic! Reminds me the times when I worked on the building sites, mixing tons or concrete and mortar...

That’s a messy business. My grandkids would like making grandpa some pots. Thanks, keep growing

Brilliant vid, no end to your skills 👍

Tony I don't think even you are killing enough bonsia to keep the burner going 😉 .love a bit of craft thrift of the pots.great fun

That was a fantastic video watch Tony. I agree that the brown coloured pot with the rough texture looks good but I also agree that in these times of economic 'doom and gloom' we have to keep looking for cheaper acceptable alternatives for our hobbies. By the way, how is the fireplace going? That definitely brought back memories of several houses I renovated in my early years :)

Very nice I'm definitely gonna try it! I'm a beginner so most of my bonsai are rubbish:)

Fantastic work you quite a dab hand at that Tony.... I really need to make one now thanks for the video bro...allways rember Mr Chan herons bonsai did this 50 or 60 years ago before he had a well-known business great stuff

You can buy ready mix from most big diy stores just add water easy.

line the moulds with veg oil

Great ideas! I'm like you...I can't afford the expensive, pretty pots. And like you, I'm not exhibiting my plants, so this will be a great winter project for me and I'll have somewhat attractive (I hope!!), pots for my bonsai plants

Hi there Tony Don't plant your bonsai in them unless you seal the insides off with something as the lime will Leach into your roots and that won't be good!

Trimakasih telah berbagi informasi tentang pot bonsai kawan

I've been using a Crock-Pot lid but I've been doing it the wrong way obviously I've been putting it on the outside and using stainless steel window screen to reinforce and since here in the states a bag of Portland is around 15 to $18 I just buy concrete and uses screen to sift out the gravel so I just end up with straight cement

Nice!

I really liked the plant pot one the best really fun video

The cat litter one is perfect with the contoured bottom as legs, might have to try this. Thanks for the info.

A fun video Tony

Hi Tony. I've done this with mixed results. When they turn out ok, it's worth doing. Yours look more successful than mine 🙂

Just wipe the inside of pots with vegetable oil or used motor oil , for a quicker release.

I've dabbled in making cement pots. For molds i use plastic meat trays . recently I've been using plastic mushroom containers but what i do first is pour boiling water on them to melt them into odd shapes. Mine never really come out smooth on the outside which is ok they kinda look like lava rock! I also bought some diamond coreing drill bits to drill ceramic and other hard materials to make drainage holes in things i find at thrift stores. Baking dishes, soap dishes ,anything can become a pot or tray !

Use oil ,linseed oil or buy a release agent,but well done for the effort bud and build gigs for your mortar mix mould scrapings will help,regards -South Africa.

Do you need to leach out the cement in water before actually putting plants in these? Can they be used outdoor in freezing conditions

When removing the pot it's best to pour hot water on the plastic container first.

You ça pour hot water on the plastic to help release the cement. I enjoyed watching

Tony from Catalonia, next time you can use white cement, then you can stain with pigments and make pots of different colors. a hug oscar

They came out well! Iv got 2 drying off in the garden! Slightly different style but hopeful. Although I play with Mortar a lot for work I’m a little skeptical about strength worth ago tho!

I like the coarse appearance, very industrious I have seen colored powder you add to the cement, pretty cool Cheers

Thanks for sharing very inspiring….i find poring boiling water over the plastic will make it easier to release from plastic or covering the plastic with old cooking oil before putting cement into pot.

great video, learned a lot Thak You

Great video Tony I will be having a go at doing some .is there a sealant that I could paint on ...

Great video Tony!!! You hade me good in the start. Learn Counting with Tony hahahaha 🤣

Yeah been making pots for a few weeks now with sand mould and plastic stencil. First few were mweh but now starting to look really good. Smooth inside with a damp sponge for smooth finish

I enjoy making cement pots. I have tried different methods like make a cast of polystyrene and also making a skeleton from chicken wire and ad cemen to it.

Nice one Tony I like what you have created for a few pence.

I've made a few and had a great time. Even fixed a few. I don't see a way here to send you a picture probably smart :)

The only skip i know is a kangaroo mate, watched the concrete master all the way through. Good to see you being creative Tony, its weird timing as only 3 weeks ago i started to make my own pots with angle grinder and diamond blade to hollow out granite and quartz river rocks...a few sandstone too, its very dusty work and I've killed one angle grinder already but it was only 30 days old so they replaced it for me. The granite pots are so strong and when you concider the stones come from the center of the earth millions of years ago and been rounded by years of water flowing over them and shaping them...they are very special. I hope to sell some on ebay one day and become a millionaire!!

Maybe try a thin layer of oil as a releasing agent. Car wax also will works well as a releasing agent

Hi tony I add pearlier to my cement mix and also when I use a former I give it a good coat of veg oil as it helps as a release agent enjoy your vids by the way

Oiling the plastic makes life easier they can only get better

you can try and put wax in the insides of the molds

Hello Tony iv been making concrete pots a while now I use a large desert spoon and a 2in paint brush to clean up the insides

Well, the last pot is unique, but I don't think it could win a bonsai show lol, anyway I think buying a pot is quicker and easier.

Hi tony,what do you think of planting bonsai in terracotta pots,they do look very nice but thee seams to be a worry about breaking in winter.i have put 4 coats of water seal inside and out.what do you think,some of these terracotta pots look better than bonsai pots.

Really Thanks Tony.

Hot water will expand the plastic a bit

Yes I have made a few Tony haven’t made any for a while though x🇬🇧😊❤️