How to create a trough of 3 meters

Aquilegia jonesii ‘Jones’

How to make a three-meter trough

Jan Tholhuijsen

How to create a trough of 3 meters.

by Jan Tholhuijsen

We all know the wonderful 2-300 year old troughs, entirely chiseled by hand. In Western Europe they are priceless, especially 2 to 3 meter troughs.

In my previous life in the Czech Republic, we had 12 of the sizes of 1.50 to 3 meters. These were present on the farm that we purchased. Used in the stables as feeding troughs for livestock. They were just there, I did have a destination!

Now we are back again three years in the Netherlands, with 400 sqm of land, I wanted to back it up a little garden, with rock plants. So far, so good, tuff, lava, sandstone and making troughs, everything is been addressed, but a 3 meter trough was still a wish. Not to buy such an old, but create one.

You must do this on the spot, because he is not to lift more. But how do you do it as cheaply as possible? make an expensive formwork you only used once, no I did not. Here I would like to explain how I did this.

Let’s start

Materials  14 Small curbs for paving 100-15-5 cm, I bought them second hand.  6 gravel tiles of 50-50 cm.  Tile adhesive for exterior  Reinforcement bar approximately 3 meters, in diameter 8 mm.  1 stainless steel threaded stud of a meter and stainless steel nuts  120 mm screws and dowels (10)  Small packet of peat

    

25 kg bag of Portland cement chicken wire Plastic to protect the ground Old tea towels or cotton / linen pieces A good hammer drill with long masonry drill and grinding machine with diamond wheel.

Determine the right place, lay plastic on the ground, If the trough is ready you can cut it Lay the tiles with the top down, side by side on the plastic, so that a piece of 50-600 cm becomes available. The tiles lay about 3-5 mm apart, so you have all five drains.

On both long sides put three small curbs for paving .You grind than two curbs for paving half. Beginning with the top row of a half, and then two full and half again so that there is a connection is created.

Now grinding four pieces of 40 cm for the ends.

Drill now above the upper band halfway down the lower band, with an 8 mm masonry bit. Do this for all Carefully drill, the curbs for paving can break easily when drilling. (I'm two lost) Take away the curbs for paving in order to start greasing the narrow bottom with glue. put on the gravel tiles and pressing, then the top row.

The rebars grinding into pieces of 20 cm. and these iron gently into the holes curbs for paving tapping so that they are connected to the lower curbs for paving.

On the corners, I also drilled holes (carefully) through the band to the short side of 40 cm. Herein is a plug and then connect with a screw of 120 mm.

Two pieces of stainless steel threaded end at one third of the curbs for paving pierced and secured with nuts put on solidity. If you do then drill from the inside out, then occurs to pierce a bigger hole on the outside so you can eliminate the nuts.

After that rub the gaps between the curbs for paving with glue so they sit well together.

The next day, create of mortar and half plain tiles or pieces curb obliquely upwards around bricklaying against the walls. Chicken wire on the upper

lock for the next day to bricklaying on the rest.

Create of mortar so that it is soft enough to "slam" at the top of the trough through the chicken wire Smear on to a cm on top of the rim, so that the edge is between 8 and 10 cm wide word. This does not have to be tight, it is better that what is wrong, a natural handmade trough.

Lay next to the trough a large piece of plastic, so you do not mess up the ground.

We will now give the exterior an old handmade appearance  Necessities for a first mix. (You need 3 mixes)  In the wheelbarrow and I use an old measuring cup of half a liter.  9 x portland cement  2 x peat  2 x cement / sand  1 x glue.

Mix well then add water to create a thin gruel.

The tea towels or other items must be at least 60 cm high.

The first towel dipped in gruel, and well get through it so that the entire fabric is soaked. You can see that the gruel too thick when the cloth do it and you will see dry round pieces of mixture, then a little water needs to.

If the cloth is well soaked, to grasp the corners and lower to the ground on the outside and then bring in over the top. Then press down and sticking. Make the trough outsite a little wet for better adhesion. Continue until you are around.

Do not dry in the sun, care for shade. After a few hours you can still update the

outer side at its own discretion with a brush and bowl of water.

The next day at the bottom of the base of the trough, you can take the plastic and cut away excess cement.

The inside with the overhanging cloth. Here you see nothing yet of when filled.

The filling is, First potsherds, anti-root fabric The basis: 25% sand from the garden, 25% Japanese split 2-6 mm, 25% coarse river sand / crusher sand, 25% improved garden soil and clay The plants are 817 827 843 834 845 848 847 846 313 841 851 857 361 362 363 398 837 855 856 534 540 317 604 829 839 822 424 849 815 816 524 106

Ajuga Armeria Asyneuma Azorella Benthamiella Burkartia Calceolaria Campanula Celmisia Clematis Crassula Crassula Dianthus Dianthus Dianthus Dianthus Dianthus Dionysia Erysimum Ewartia Globularia Helichrysum Juniperus Lysimachia Minuartia Ramberlea Raoulia Santolina Saxifraga Saxifraga Schivereckia Scleranthus

pyramidalis juniperifolia pulvinatum filamentosa patagonica lanigera fothergillii asperuloides argentea marmoraria exilis subsp. sedifolia setulosa var. curta microlepis ssp. rivendell haematocalyx subsp. ventricosus repens haematocalyx subsp. pinidicola haematocalyx ssp. alpinus aretioides caricum planchonii bellidifolia 'County Park Silver' communis japonica uniflora 'Inchgarth' australis chamaecyparissus x zimmetri longifolia doerfleri uniflorus

Winter / rain protection

'Metallica Crispa' 'Brookside'

syn. Perezia lanigera syn. trachelium asperuloides

'Bevere'

'Horts Blaze' ?

'Compressa'

'Small Ness' Hybriden syn. Schivereckia bornmuelleri 'Olive'