Floral foam?

[sporeworld]

Anyone familiar with what I THINK is called "Floral Foam"...? Or Oasis, maybe? It's the green cubes of material that florists stick cut flowers into to keep them alive (it holds a lot of water - like a sponge).

I've got a bunch leftover from an event, and started jamming my plants into it while cleaning cages. Anyone know if it's toxic? It holds a LOT of water (humidity).

Any florists out there...?

 

[hibiscusmile]

I think it would be toxic, I could be wrong, have u pulled an msds on it? I thought not, I will.

 

[hibiscusmile]

here is link and yes it would appear to be toxic.

http://gorgeousandgreen.wordpress.com/2009/03/04/floral-foam-not-so-green/

 

[patrickfraser]

 

[sporeworld]

Thanks! Doesn't seems to be worth the risk. (I better wash those stems, too).

Mark

 

[Rick]

Good job Rebecca. Best to stick to proven methods in this hobby.

 

[hibiscusmile]

 

[sporeworld]

Good job Rebecca. Best to stick to proven methods in this hobby.

Bah humbug!

Those methods had to proven at one point, too!

But seriously, I've been putting vermiculite into vases and it's worked just as well. I just have a ton (well, about 30 pounds) of this foam stuff just lying around. Seems a shame.

BTW, Vermiculite is one of my new favorite substate. Simple and presentable, and MAN does it soak up the water!

 

[Rick]

Bah humbug!

Those methods had to proven at one point, too!

But seriously, I've been putting vermiculite into vases and it's worked just as well. I just have a ton (well, about 30 pounds) of this foam stuff just lying around. Seems a shame.

BTW, Vermiculite is one of my new favorite substate. Simple and presentable, and MAN does it soak up the water!

I was looking for that stuff awhile back for one reason or another. Impossible to find.

 

[sporeworld]

I was looking for that stuff awhile back for one reason or another. Impossible to find.

hmmm. There's never more than a few bags at the hardware store when I go. But it's always in with the orchid and cactus soil mixes.

i was worried that something that absobent would actually RELEASE the moiture, but it's the opposite. I soaked both Vermiculite and the fiber pet bedding and put the enclosures on a heat pad. The entire vermiculite enclosure was steamed and covered in water droplets faster and longer than the bedding. To be honest, I didn't scientifically measure the amounts of water, but it was pretty close. Be interesting to see which one takes longer to drop to 20% RH.

 

[PhilinYuma]

This is very odd! I have used this floral foam, after getting it waterlogged, as a substrate for crickets to lay their eggs. I noticed that in fact that site (above) never did show an MDS, I got an error code! As for where to buy it, Michaels, the craft store, has shelves full of different shapes and sizes.

Edit: Yay! http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/food-feeding/57917-cricket-eggs-keep-molding.html

In this tried and true method, you place a slab of floral foam in a shallow plastic food storage box and remove it for hatching after about a week, replacing it with a new one.

 

[hibiscusmile]

The home depot andlowes have the vermiculite in the garden section, all in a bag by itself, for moisture, I use something that is a small pellet and when water applied, swells right up.

 

[dgerndt]

My friend gave me this pouch that has a white powder in it, and you just spray water on it and it soaks it right up. It stays like that for a few days and crickets love it. Not sure what it is, so I haven't used it yet. But his crickets are thriving.