Styrofoam Peanuts

[Ray]

Color can make a difference as well.

• Pure expanded polystyrene is white, and OK to use.

• Green ones are sprayed to indicate they are recycled, and they seem to be OK.

• Light blue (like you'll sometimes find in packages I ship) have a mild antistatic on them to make them easier to handle. They seem to be OK, too.

• The pink ones are sprayed with a strong antistatic chemical (for shipping electronics) that is supposed to be phytotoxic, so avoid them.

• The starch-based ones are probably the most environmentally-friendly (although I don't know the impact of their manufacturing process), but being water soluble, they should never be used in horticulture.

[Ranchnanny]

Ron Thanks for the heads up although I have not heard anything regarding problems with peanuts. BUT! just in case I check my last to Neo's I purchased and there were peanuts inside the moss. So I gently removed them from their pots and pulled out the peanuts which left a nice size hole. So now they are back in their pots without a hitch.....

Sheridan

[Rosim_in_BR]

I've been using styrofoam (only the white) for more than two years. I use larger pieces as drainage material and also small peanuts mixed to the moss to facilitate drainage. Never noticed any problem at all. On the contrary, my plants seem to love. As Royal says, the roots wrap the pieces in the bottom or even grow through them.

[gixrj18]

I just buy sheets of regular styrofoam, and break little chunks off of it. This kind of styrofoam is in half of the media mixes anyway.

[ronaldhanko]

The stuff in media mixes is not styrofoam but perlite, something entirely different.

[gixrj18]

I have seen some with shredded styrofoam also....I know perlite is also used.

[Ray]

Yep, the expanded polystyrene pellets are sold as "Aerolite" for media amendment.

[Tropic]

When using the polystyrene peanuts for pot bottom drainage in larger pots containing heavier plants and growing material, there were many times that I have had serious compression of the peanuts which completely blocked the drainage holes and created a mat of soft plastic that was totally detrimental to the orchid. In time the wet polystyrene peanuts tend to breakdown and loose their texture, so makiing the water control of the pot a lot more difficult.

[ronaldhanko]

I've not seen the mixes with polystyrene pellets, probably because I still make my own mixes. Are the pellets the same chemical composition as the peanuts?

[gixrj18]

Originally Posted by ronaldhanko

I've not seen the mixes with polystyrene pellets, probably because I still make my own mixes. Are the pellets the same chemical composition as the peanuts?

I've had no problems with the chunks of actual styrofoam, and they don't really compress much. Home Depot sells it in 3/4" sheets, for a couple bucks. I find this better because for bigger pots, you can break off bigger chunks...rather than having to fill it with peanuts (and you don't find yourself chasing peanuts everytime the wind blows, while you're working with them).