Packing Peanuts and Potted Plants
Packing peanuts are no longer just for protecting your valuables during shipping. Many gardeners are using the polystyrene kernels as helpful drainage filler in the bottom of potted plants and gardening beds, and you can too! This practice saves money on costly potting soil, and peanuts are lightweight for easy use. Polystyrene packing peanuts can also be used to anchor the roots of hydroponic plants.
When using peanuts for potted plants, fill one to two inches of the bottom of an empty pot, instead of using of heavy pebbles. Lay a barrier of landscaping fabric over the peanuts to protect the soil from sinking down. Fill the pot with soil and add your plants or seeds. The non-biodegradable polystyrene will act as a barrier between the pot base and the soil, allowing drainage to occur if there is too much moisture. Proper drainage keeps plants healthy, and packing peanuts save a lot of weight in potted plants. This method works best in heavy ceramic pots because plants in plastic containers may become top-heavy and capsize.
If you want to use packing peanuts for an outdoor gardening bed, enclose the peanuts in a feedbag, or create a bag using landscaping fabric. Containing polystyrene peanuts for a large job is critical to cut down on the mess. Just as you would with potted plants, cover the peanuts with soil and plant as desired. Packing peanuts may even deter pests from burrowing into your garden box from below.
Hydroponic gardening is a cinch with polystyrene peanuts. All you need do is anchor your soil-free plant with two inches of packing peanuts in the bottom of your potting container. As a growing medium, polystyrene pellets support and aerate the root system, just as heavy rocks and pebbles can.
FastPack Packaging offers polystyrene peanuts that you can use for your next indoor or outdoor gardening project. Our peanuts will help your garden and potted soils retain a healthy level of moisture, so your plants will not become waterlogged. Contact FastPack Packaging to order polystyrene packing peanuts today at www.fastpack.net or call 1-866-971-7201 .
