Anyone know of any research in the use of styrafoam peanut packaging for filler in planters.

It has been my experience that this product when exposed to water becomes almost gum like.

Recently heard of its use commercially for large planters on multi-million dollar buildings.

Reply to post by Stephen Wiley, on April 08, 2002 at 23:14:54:

It sounds like you made a trial run with a new product, starch-based peanuts. These are designed to serve the purpose of styrofoam while being biodegradable. If you find true styrofoam, it won't change in the presence of water.

As to whether you should put it in planters, I don't have the direct experience you request. I would think it would be fine for the plant--not really much different than perlite. My concern would be stability--with modern plastic pots, plants get top heavy really easily. If you reduce the weight further by removing soil, you may find the plants want to tip over all the time. If it's more of a permanent box (on a roof, say) where you want reduced weight, I'm guessng you'd be ok.

keith

Reply to post by keith, on April 08, 2002 at 23:14:54:

I was breifly a janitorial manager when I got out of the USMC and noticed the peanuts being used in potting soil on plant in hihg rise office buildings. That was like 8 years ago. Try calling one of those plant rental companies, they deal with some big containerized stock.

Reply to post by Stephen Wiley, on April 08, 2002 at 23:14:54:

Phillip Craul in his second book entitled "Urban Soils: Applications and Practices" discusses this on page 159. He suggests using cast blocks under areas such as turf on a rooftop, where less soil depth is required to keep the surface level with areas where trees need more to keep them upright. He suggests that granules or pellets used tend to be compressed by soil weight, minimizing their weight reducing effect. He also mentions other alternatives

Hope that helps. Bob Underwood

Reply to post by Bob Underwood, on April 08, 2002 at 23:14:54:

Bob,

Thank you for the information, do you know of any other research writings that deal with the chemical properties and/or reaction with root growth?