We’ve got a large pot in our yard, approximately 20” in diameter and about the same deep. What’s planted in it requires very little soil. Is it problematic to fill much of the void with styrofoam to save weight and soil? From what I’ve read, and for all intents and purposes it doesn’t decompose. Will it break down in some way to plug up the pot’s drain holes.
What kind of plant is this? I personally wouldn’t recommend using Styrofoam.
If you can get cornstarch pellets, or something similar, something that is biodegradable, that would work better.
Can’t you use perlite?
Styrofoam won’t break down, but it will crumble, and it’s very possible some of the bits that crumble will plug up your drainage holes
Thanks for the replies. I’ve since learned that styrofoam is not a good idea for a variety of reasons. Any thoughts on aluminum soda cans or used capped plastic bottled water containers?
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If reducing weight is an important factor, I don’t see why layering water bottles in the bottom wouldn’t work.
Or you could use ping pong balls and have them to raise a sunken ship if you needed to.
The classical fill is large stones but that adds a lot of weight. Pumice rocks are fairly light. I think sealed bottles would work fine.
How about simply an upturned smaller flower pot?
Actually, most of my big pots have big chunks of Styrofoam and empty plastic water bottles in them for just that purpose. Been in there for a few years and no issues yet.
I’ve used the empty plastic planters that plants come in when you purchase them. I sometimes rummage through our recycling bin and find plastic bottles/containers and use those.
That’s what I’ve used, it works great. Mine were a little thicker, for carbonated mineral water, and, aside from the labels, barely aged after a few years.
While I don’t see a problem with using Styrofoam, I think extruded polystyrene (XPS) would be a better choice, as it’s more “waterproof” than Styrofoam.
Googling, the kind of foam used in product packaging is expanded polystyrene while Styrofoam is a brand name used for insulation boards made of extruded polystyrene.
Reading the Wiki page on Styrofoam, you are correct, and I wasn’t aware of that! But in common usage, people rarely call XPS “Styrofoam.” Instead, “Styrofoam” is used when referring to the white stuff (EPS), and yet that appears to be incorrect. Interesting!
To clarify the abbreviations you used, XPS is extruded polystyrene while EPS is expanded polystyrene.