bean bag filling

[cambourne7]

Hi

I might have managed to get a bag of bean bag filling i was wondering if that would be ok to add to my raised beds.

L.

[cambourne7]

[katynewbie]

 :o

Are they really beans? Just have a suspicious mind and always thought there might be something else lurking inside! If they are dried beans I guess they would be ok, and may help with drainage, I would think they would take a long time to rot down.

Hope someone else has tried it, I would be interested to know how it turns out!

;)

[cambourne7]

HI

I believe that they are just polystyrene beans.

L

[Robert_Brenchley]

I wouldn't put polystyrene into my soil, if that's what it is!

[Mrs Ava]

It will be polystyrene balls, trillions of them, which will stick to everything!  :o  It won't rot down, well, not for a million or so years, and won't feed the earth.  I would worry about the chemicals in it and what might leach into the soil in the short term.  I guess it would open up the soil in the same way sharp sand would, but something deep down inside me says no way, I wouldn't do it. :-\

[Merry Tiller]

Polystyrene in your soil = bad

[cambourne7]

Hi

But i have seen these little balls in other peoples soil on TV and such.

How can this be so bad?

Or just bad for veg?

L

[Deb P]

What you are seeing is probably either slow release fertilizer 'balls', or slug/snail eggs!!!!!

[Ceratonia]

Polystyrene balls sometimes get used in place of perlite for potting mixes and the like, or in large pots to reduce the weight compared to 100% compost.  The stuff is pretty much inert - won't break down chemically and I wouldn't be worried about leaching of nasties into the soil - I'm sure plenty of us grow seedlings in polystyrene seed trays. Can't see any reason why you'd want to add it to raised beds though?

Everyone I know in Cambourne says they have really thick clay - are you looking to do something to lighten the soil a bit? You'd be better off adding manure, compost or sand or maybe lime/gypsum - [for flocculation ;)]

[greyhound]

I sometimes use torn-up polystyrene and packing balls in the bottoms of containers for drainage, and it doesn't seem to have any adverse effect, but I don't think it would be useful to dig it into open soil.

[cambourne7]

Polystyrene balls sometimes get used in place of perlite for potting mixes and the like, or in large pots to reduce the weight compared to 100% compost.  The stuff is pretty much inert - won't break down chemically and I wouldn't be worried about leaching of nasties into the soil - I'm sure plenty of us grow seedlings in polystyrene seed trays. Can't see any reason why you'd want to add it to raised beds though?

Everyone I know in Cambourne says they have really thick clay - are you looking to do something to lighten the soil a bit? You'd be better off adding manure, compost or sand or maybe lime/gypsum - [for flocculation ;)]

Thanks -- yes its heavy clay. And the allotments were created on the top of a settled spoil heap :-(

I have added soil improver but when it drys out it is difficult get it wet again and it can dry into clumps so i was looking for something to try and break up the soil improver and perlite is a little expensive for the size of my allotment.

I was also going to put this into my garden to try and break up the clay.

[Merry Tiller]

Polystyrene is a plastic made from oil, it will never rot, it will still be in your soil in 100 years time, don't confuse it with perlite.
Throw it away and get hold of some grit, think of the people who will take over your land when you are gone

[Robert_Brenchley]

Use grit or sharp sand. Another thing you can do is keep putting in as much organic material as you can.

[cambourne7]

OkOK   :P

I will use it to make a bean bag for the allotment then rahter than spilling the contents into the soil.

Where then can i get sharp sand, grit of perlite cheap?

[supersprout]

Hi cambourne, have you considered organic matter as an alternative to sand/grit/perlite?
DP posted this a while back:
http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/joomla/component/option,com_smf/Itemid,91/topic,6059.0

I just typed 'improve clay' into the New Improved Search ;) and some interesting references to organic matter as a clay soil improver came up. Just the right time of year for bagging leaves eh ::)

[cambourne7]

HI

Yes i have tried that on one of the small beds.

I am looking for something for something for the beds i have already filled :-) each one was 8-9 wheelbarrows to fill so i dont feel to keen to empty all 9

[Moggle]

Hi Cambourne

I chucked un-rotted leaves in to the bottom of beds on my clay-ey (now ex) allotment as I was double-digging it - around nov-jan time I think. You could also spread the leaves over the top and let the wormies take it all in?

I also used some green manure - grazing rye produced plenty of green and again was sowed at about this time or later - think I was told it will germinate up to november.