White styerfoam balls in potting soil

Mon Dec 05, 2011 4:53 pm

Hi everyone. We bought 4 ferns in the Spring in pots with that darn styrofoam ball stuff in the soil. Don't know if I want to put it into my compost bins. Will the white ball eventually turn dirt brown?

Mon Dec 05, 2011 6:24 pm

Could it be perlite?

Eric

Mon Dec 05, 2011 6:32 pm

It probably is. So, not as bad as styrofoam, but will it turn brown? I don't think I want white pellets in my gardens.

Mon Dec 05, 2011 6:44 pm

I think it will blend in fairly quick.
I use perlite and coir for seed starting. It pretty much disappears when mixed into the garden.

Eric

Mon Dec 05, 2011 6:55 pm

Ok thanks, into the compost bin it goes...............

Mon Dec 05, 2011 10:47 pm

They did use styrofoam beads in alot of the mixes and still do. If it is styrofoam it will be more of a bb of about the same size. Perlite will crush but styrofoam won't. They both blow away in the wind! Years ago I used to but the styrofaom beads and mix it with my seedstarting mix and it did work good to airate the soil. I don't use it any more.

Tue Dec 06, 2011 12:36 pm

Thanks I'll do a crush test. Will Styrofoam turn dirt brown?

Tue Dec 06, 2011 1:02 pm

In my seed starting mix, the perlite gets algae on it and turns green, but if it is outdoors in the garden, it wouldn't be so consistently moist, so probably would not do that.

Tue Dec 06, 2011 2:09 pm

Thanks. I think I'll keep the perlite/styerfoam out of the compost.

Thanks everyone.

Tue Dec 06, 2011 2:21 pm

I beleive you may have taken the advie wrong. There is nothing wrong with putting perlite in the compost.

I throw all of my used up potting soil in the garden or compost. It will add tilth if nothing else.

Tue Dec 06, 2011 2:29 pm

Ya perlite is a good mix for any garden since it acts a little like sand. Styrofoam has gotten a bad rap and is bad because it blows in the wind and floats int he water and never seems to decay. Styrofoam is bad for the inviroment that is why I do not use the beads any more!

Tue Dec 06, 2011 4:46 pm

I wouldn't want styrofoam in my garden, but perlite is just a natural rock product and seems like an OK thing to me, philosphically speaking. If you don't like the white bits that's up to you!

Tue Dec 06, 2011 5:04 pm

Yes it's the white specks I want to avoid.

Tue Dec 06, 2011 5:14 pm

Actual;ly the white specks in the soil are good for all plants because it reflects light back up to the bottom of the lower leaves. I would use some perlite or shredded white papper in the garden as a mulch in july to cool the soil , keep in the moiture and reflect light especially for peppers! I also plan on putting some perlite in my seed boxes on the surface to give mor liht to the new seedlings! little things add up and will make a big difference in plant growth!
+++
The mulch also insulates the soil at night and holds the heat for the roots to absorbe! Peppers grow so slow because the nights seem to be below 60 especially here in Pa. this past summer! I am starting to think gardening is like a math problem or maybe a equasion with many more parameters!

Tue Dec 06, 2011 9:05 pm

wsommariva wrote:Yes it's the white specks I want to avoid.

You won't even notice it.

And please all this talk of putting styrofoam in your garden is just wrong. I would never put that in any garden too many reasons. They do have an organic packing peanut around now though that would be okay. http://www.uline.com/Product/Detail/S-1 ... del=S-1564