Interesting question. I can't wait to hear if anyone has had any experience with that. Have you ever heard of anyone using them for gardening before? I, too, am very environmentally conscious. I know that there are some peanuts that are actually biodegradable, but I don't think the white ones that you typically see are. Of course, the question would be how would either affect the plants.

Have you checked the frugal gardening forum?

They've been discussed extensively on this forum. See below if interested.

Here is a link that might be useful: More about peanuts

maryl, to answer your specific question....no, Styrofoam peanuts are NOT earth friendly. ;-) Few communities are set up with Styrofoam recycling programs, unfortunately.

If you read some of those earlier posts, you'll recognize that I am one of the people who do use them in the bottom of very large containers, to take up volume. And have been well pleased with the results.

However, reusing them in that way merely puts off the inevitable visit to the landfill, where they will languish for WHO knows how long? Not earth friendly at all.

Thanks for the info, rhizo & tapla. I will certainly check into the previous posts. Thanks to maryl for posting the question. If you hadn't I probably would never have even considered the idea. It's nice to know they can at least be used for SOMETHING besides void-fill before they make it to the dump!

Hmmm... I wonder... has anyone ever used cigarette butts!? I think I'll do a search for that one, too!

I read one of the previous posts on the subject. Thanks for providing a link. Seems like a good idea for a not so good product. But I still wonder if they were shredded up as opposed to kept whole could they be added to a potting mix to keep it light and porus for things like bulbs which rot so easily in all but the most perfect of drainage situations.

I used them once years ago in an old fashioned wash basket planted with herbs for a garden show. My reason was to make the basket light enough for one person to be able to move it without the handles breaking off. What I did not think about was how top heavy it would become. It fell over at the slightest touch. Al

I do know that they cannot be chopped up into tiny pieces in an Oscar Food Processor.

Anyone want to know how I know this?

Sue

Good point about a pot being top heavy. Chemocurl, I really hadn't formulated a plan as to HOW I would chop up the peanuts, but a Food processer (and probably a regular blender too) apparently isn't the way to go - LOL.

Now you have raised my curiousity. How do styrofoam peanuts and a blender interact?
I know my cat loves to carry them around if he finds them. You would think they were a special treat. :-)

not earth friendly but i did use some in the bottom of a half whiskey barrel so i wouldn't have to use so much soil to fill it. that was for flowers i wasn't going to eat. not sure that i would use them for food plants, but don't really have a reason for that.

Technically, Stryofoam is earth friendly, but can only go back to its original form -- oil. Try pouring some motor oil in a stryofoam cup -- but better try it over another kind of container, since the cup will melt.

Is it good for planting? You probably already got most of your answers, however, blending them down to pieces isn't a good idea for containers, (because they are very good at "electrostaticing" everything they touch, so it will both stick to your blender AND fly all over your kitchen LOL) since they will simply take up space better served with water crystal gel, perilite, water, air, and fertilizer. Plants simply can't use it, and, since they're in containers, they already need a lot more water and nutritent then grounded plants.

As for recycling them for the bottom of the containers, to not waste unnecessary soil, and to make the containers lighter, I've done it myelf with success, and plan to do it again this year. Important caveat though -- the stuff is yucky at the end of the season, when you're putting your garden away. I've been told it's much easier to deal with them, if they're put in pantyhose, but, yeesh, who has all day to fill up a single pair of panty hose, and then scoop up all the extra that fell all over the place, while you were trying to shove them in?! LOL

Also, as has been pointed out, be careful with the ratio of peanuts compared with soil, by making sure you never go more then 2/5ths up on a container. And, if it's a huge container, like for trees or bushes, unless the plants will never get taller then the soil in the container, you're simply asking for a thrilling show with the first windy storm, as you watch your plant and container spinning down the block like a dying top. LOL

As for other recycled products you might also consider --
- my favor, solid stryafoam pieces, like the things that protect large electronics (TVs, computers, etc.) in their shipping boxes. That's guaranteed not to fly all over your garden as you're trying to pour them into the container, when a breeze hits. (Murphy's Law is guaranteed with peanuts -- the breeze will start and stop, exactly as you try pouring them in. LOL)

- good old fashioned newspaper, although, obviously, it will turn into mulch, eventually, but at least, it gets heavier in a storm or with watering.

-- cardboard flattened - I like cereal boxes and the boxes soda pop comes in, since the slick coating stops it from "mulching" as quickly as corrigated.

- waxed milk cartons or theater popcorn or soda containers washed well and squished flat. (last even longer.)

- emptied, and flattened soda cans and bottles. (Flattening makes sure they don't collect too much water to drown your plants, and bottles are flattened, so the weight of the plant and soil, doesn't end up flattening it for you, shrinking the soil in your container instantly.)

- last year's compost, the stuff that hasn't turned into real mulch yet. (Be careful not to put the same kinds of plants into the bottom, like dead tomato plants into the bottom of the tomato container. True, it is exactly the nutrients tomato plants need, however, it is also the same way tomatoes end up with diseases like end rot, and other troublesome organisms that attack one particular kind of plant.

- the containers your plants come in or ones you'll never use again (except for terra cotta, since they're too good for using as hole covers to waste them this way.

And, as for cigerette butts -- don't think I'm not too cheap to have considered everything that goes into my trash anyway, HOWEVER, and I say this as a smoker, those butts don't just kill us humans. They're actually used to poison Ivy (not to be confused with "poison ivy"), when ivy has climbed up the masonry work, and has worked itself into the cracks and start pulling the side of homes apart.

Matter of fact, if you want one of the most toxic (in all senses of the word, since it will destroy the earth, too) plant killer, drop your used butts into a bucket of water and let them soak for a day. Pour that on plant, and it will kill the plant. After that, it soaks into the ground deeper, destroying harmful and helpful organisms, waits around to eventually find its way into the water system, and keeps on polluting and poisoning. Moral of story: IF you use the concoction, (gotta be good for finally getting rid of mint!!!) only use it in a closed system (container with no holes on the bottom,) and then take it to your local recycling center that deals with toxic substances like paint, old motor oil, and the like.

Oh, and for the record -- there is no such thing as a plant being kept in the same pot long term, if you want to keep your plants health in containers. Because containers are closed systems, the only nutrients the plants get are from the lovely store-bought potting soil, that includes fertilizer, and our occasional fertilizing. Since plants shouldn't be put into containers much bigger then they'll ever need, and the soil is also installed at the time of planting, all plants that live for more then two years, need to be repotted with new soil and a clean pot to keep them healthy. (It can be the same pot, but clean well and rinse better.)

Even our homemade mulch and compost should be used sparingly, since the bought soil is generally free from diseases and has been created specifically for containers, while our homemade stuff can be spreading unseen diseases all around the garden. (The problem with spending my winters reading gardening books, is I learn how much time I've wasted doing something I thought was thrifty and helpful to my plants. :::::::rolling eyes::::)

Wow - I'm sorry to say there's soo much I don't agree with in your post, VB.

good old fashioned newspaper, although, obviously, it will turn into mulch, eventually, but at least, it gets heavier in a storm or with watering.

-- cardboard flattened - I like cereal boxes and the boxes soda pop comes in, since the slick coating stops it from "mulching" as quickly as corrigated.

- waxed milk cartons or theater popcorn or soda containers washed well and squished flat. (last even longer.)

- emptied, and flattened soda cans and bottles. (Flattening makes sure they don't collect too much water to drown your plants, and bottles are flattened, so the weight of the plant and soil, doesn't end up flattening it for you, shrinking the soil in your container instantly.)

- last year's compost, the stuff that hasn't turned into real mulch yet. (Be careful not to put the same kinds of plants into the bottom, like dead tomato plants into the bottom of the tomato container. True, it is exactly the nutrients tomato plants need, however, it is also the same way tomatoes end up with diseases like end rot, and other troublesome organisms that attack one particular kind of plant.

These all present the potential for difficulty or disaster.

Matter of fact, if you want one of the most toxic (in all senses of the word, since it will destroy the earth, too) plant killer, drop your used butts into a bucket of water and let them soak for a day. Pour that on plant, and it will kill the plant. After that, it soaks into the ground deeper, destroying harmful and helpful organisms, waits around to eventually find its way into the water system, and keeps on polluting and poisoning. Moral of story: IF you use the concoction, (gotta be good for finally getting rid of mint!!!) only use it in a closed system (container with no holes on the bottom,) and then take it to your local recycling center that deals with toxic substances like paint, old motor oil, and the like.

This is untrue. Nicotine is a known carcinogen, but is not phytotoxic to any noticeable degree. Nicotine insecticides have been used for years, and before I knew better, I used tobacco tea with no evidence of plant damage.

Oh, and for the record -- there is no such thing as a plant being kept in the same pot long term, if you want to keep your plants health in containers

This is also just not true. With a little knowledge of repotting, root and regular pruning techniques, even herbaceous plantings can be kept in the same containers indefinitely.

There's more that I disagree with, but there's not much sense in going over it now.

Al

Holy cow! There's so much misinformation in there, bear! Beginning with the statement about the Styrofoam... which is irrefutably non-recyclable.

Just to clarify something, I believe that you are using the term 'mulch' in a way that most of us might find confusing. The correct definition of mulch is a layer of 'something' over the surface of the soil. Mulch is often organic matter, such as wood chips, leaves, pine straw, bark nuggets, newspaper, etc. Compost can be used as mulch, but it doesn't last very long. Some people even use stones or gravel as mulch.

When we say that we are going to 'mulch' something, we mean that we are going to lay down a layer of one of the above materials over the root system. Mulching protects the soil and roots, prevents weeds, etc.

Compost is any organic substance that is composted (decomposed) to varying degrees. It can be in an advanced state of decomposition (when it is mostly mush and liquid), or more coarse. Composting requires organic matter and lots of microorganisms.

I've had a little experience with pots, and I cringe at the thought of having to repot all my container roses every two years or so. If you select the right sized rose and the right sized container, it's been my experience that you can go a decade or more with only routine maintenance.......But I digress from expressing my appreciation for all the interesting comments about the peanuts. Valentinebear you have it nailed about the wind and those blasted light weight things. So true..........Maryl

Is there really any place where you can't take your Styrofoam peanuts into UPS or U-haul and either recycle or sell back the stuff?

Hope you don't mind a visitor to this forum making a suggestion. Instead of crushing water bottles and using them in the bottom of a container as suggested by Valentinebear, try screwing the caps on tightly after they are emptied. That way, they hold their shape, take up more space, and don't fill up with water. They can be recycled without too much trouble when you empty the planter. This is something I started doing this year, and it works great.

Well, having had a pot that was too deep, I ended up putting rocks in the bottom of the overlarge container in order to elevate the container that had the plants in it to the proper height (pot in a pot in other words). I now read that you are not supposed to add gravel or potting shards or anything else at the bottom of the pot you are putting your plants in - just a good potting mix. So since I have all these rocks left over I used them. The water bottle idea may be good IF you drink bottled water and have plastic bottles laying around.

I just bought some green styrofoam peanuts to use for an indoor project and on the bag it said they were biodegradable. A plant nursery owner gave a presentation at our garden club and said that she uses the green peanuts as a filler in her large pots because they were biodegradable and the white ones weren't.

Interesting, regine. The only biodegradable packing peanuts that I have ever seen are made out of extruded, puffed corn starch. They dissolve immediately if moistened.

What are your made out of? Not Styrofoam, but what other material?

Rhizo echos my concern. If the green peanuts are degradable, at what rate do they degrade? Too fast and it may defeat the point of using them for filler, too long (even if shorter then styrofoam) and you are back to an earth unfriendly problem.

I ran some water over one of the packing peanuts that I bought, and it disintegrated instantly! I guess that means it is made out of extruded, puffed cornstarch like rhizo said and would not make good filler. I learn so much from you guys!

tapla,

>These all present the potential for difficulty or disaster.What did that mean? Driving a car presents potential difficulties or disasters too, but, if someone wants to warn against such problems, they usually do so by explaining themselves.

>This is untrue. Nicotine is a known carcinogen, but is not phytotoxic to any noticeable degree. Nicotine insecticides have been used for years, and before I knew better, I used tobacco tea with no evidence of plant damage.Not big on reading what I was responding to, huh? The question was if CIGARETTE BUTTS should be used as FILLER.
1.) Cigarette butts and Nicotine insecticides are two different things!

2.) Nicotine isnt a carcinogen at all; the poisons (phytotoxics  I can use big words, too, just see no need when "poison" is easier to spell. LOL) are other substances in the cigarette and the derivative from the nicotine, which become even more potent, once smokers draw them all into the filter as we finish the smoke - once again making it a crappy filler for gardening!

3.) Nicotine Insecticide is a 40% solution of nicotine, not butts! As for the harm of such exposure of the insecticide, while the nicotine does degrade quickly, it is still an insecticide, able to harm the gardener just by going through the skin. (http://www.moleculeoftheday.com/2006/06/21/nicotine-freebasing-insecticide & http://www.inchem.org/documents/pims/chemical/nicotine.htm#PartTitle:9.%20CLINICAL%20EFFECTS ) Then again, the carcinogens in the butts DO poison people, animals, plants, and the ground.

4.) If it caused no problems, why do you "know better now?" (Then again, why is it you're allowed to learn as you go, but obviously, we are to KNOW all of this stuff immediately?)

>Oh, and for the record -- there is no such thing as a plant being kept in the same pot long term, if you want to keep your plants health in containers

This is also just not true. With a little knowledge of repotting, root and regular pruning techniques, even herbaceous plantings can be kept in the same containers indefinitely.Again, this just makes you look silly and snotty. Had you read the WHOLE paragraph, your response was needless. YouÂve said nothing different then what I said.

>There's more that I disagree with, but there's not much sense in going over it now.Well, so far the only thing IÂve seen you disagree with, that I actually WROTE, was about some of the fillers IÂve used. Nothing written why they were a bad idea to begin with, so even that was useless. As for the rest of the "disagreements," I can agree that you are very disagreeable, just disagreeing on something that I didnÂt write, or disagreeing by agreeing with me! A waste of ire!

I almost expected to be disagreed with, yet assumed there would actually be rational reasoning behind it. I have no problem with disagreement, but assume that the person disagreeing would explain why?!

Unlike you, I gave the best help I could offer, and actually took my time to respond thoroughly. Meanwhile, you merely pooh-poohed me with no facts included, no reasoning at all, and obviously little reading involved on your part!

There wasnÂt any reason to go at all, since you contributed nothing to the thread, except to show you're disagreeable.

As for everyone participating on this thread -- thank you. I've learned more too.

I have used all the fillers I've mentioned last year, and like tapla, I've seen no problems with my plants by doing so. After having to sift my soil away from the peanuts used last year, the only thing I've added to my method, is to put a layer of shredded paper between the soil and peanuts, in hope that the peanuts don't stick in the soil again next year.

If that doesn't work, the only thing I'll ever use Styrafoam for again, is to surround the planters during winter for insulation (putting them in contractor bags wrapped around the containers.)

I have learned that they do not flatten over the gardening season. Also, unflattened soda cans with the opening faced down IS a better idea then flattening them, (Read that in a book, and have done it myself.) Don't know if that gives you any more useful info, or not. Just wanted to make sure, I'm not angry with anyone else on this thread, and thought it was a good thread, in general!

Lynn

I recycled my styrofoam peanuts by using them in the bottoms of all my pots last year. But, I also recycled my cat litter bags at the same time. I cut out a circle from the bags and used them as a barrier between the peanuts and the soil. This worked great.