Mud Plaster Trials over Earthbags

A few mixes which were tried out: mud, mud+ bajra crop residue, mud +groundnut crop residue,
4 mud+ 2 cowdung+ 2 ash

Natural additives+ Mud plaster

Base coat plasters:  (the base coat mud has bajra crop residue and wheat husk added)

1. Milk Casein+ mud
2. Cooked wheat flour+ mud
3. mud base coat brushed with whey
4. mud base coat brushed with cooked wheat flour

Mud plaster with Paper

The clay proportion in the base coat was reduced by adding grit/stone dust.  Apart from the straw, the fibre content was increased by adding paper-mache newspapers shredded and soaked in water, were added to the plaster mix along with ash.
The trial mix was as follows:
1 unit paper mache
1 unit ash
3 units mud (reduced clay)

cracking does reduce, but the plaster flakes on impact. perhaps a higher clay percentage should do the trick.

Interior Mud Base Coat

The following proportions are to be taken with a pinch of salt. Not literally of course. The proportions and ingredients will change with every soil.
Mud: 7 units
crushed sand/ grit: 3 units
Straw: 3units
Wheat husk: 2 units

- Mix ingredients dry - add water, let soak overnight - Remix! (shovel and stomp) -  apply base coat (smack and press)

Exterior Cement Base Coat

-Stretch the chicken mesh over the wall surface - Hook it on using pieces of binding wire - Apply the first coat of cement plaster

Earthbag Raised Garden Bed

This garden bed was an experiment, it was built on a shore line of a large lake. I wanted to see how earthbags and plaster held up to water. What I didn't expect was the lake levels rising higher than ever before. I also didn't expect such large waves; the garden bed was battered for countless days. The plaster held up well when submerged in water, but it was unable to hold up to the constant barrage of large waves. Luckily the garden bed drains very well, most of the plants recovered. I was impressed with the strength and affordability of this earthbag structure. The cost to build this was appox $80.