Styrofoam Peanuts

[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?

[ronaldhanko]

I asked this question because the article I read claimed that after a change in the water supply, plant roots "refused" to enter the media and the conclusion the writers came to was that the styrofoam peanuts, which both were using, were the problem. Now I've had plants where the roots penetrated the styrofoam peanuts, but I've also had plants that had peanuts at the bottom of the pot and seemed to have trouble developing roots. I do not use them much any more because I just don't know what to think. My own feeling is (nothing scientific here) that different peanuts have different chemical composition and that not all are good for orchids. Would like to know a bit more, though.

[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).