This happens when water containing foam is poured down a drain, the foam is discarded into a garden or soil, mixed with green waste or buried on top of a coffin. Plastic in the natural environment is a huge problem and scientists are desperately calling on consumers to reduce our dependence on plastic wherever possible.
Once in the environment, plastic begins to break down; first into small pieces, and then eventually into microscopic fragments that can take hundreds, if not thousands of years, to completely revert into elements found in nature. Anybody who has worked in the flower industry will be familiar with the magical, green, water-absorbing blocks used to create flower arrangements.
First developed in the s by Smithers-Oasis , floral foam soon became established as an essential tool in modern floral design. Floral foam is a remarkable product of great convenience. Not only does it hold up to 50 times its weight in water, it is able to support a flower or foliage stem in a desired position. It can be easily cut and shaped to fit into a container and it is cheap to purchase, especially when compared with the cost of fresh flowers.
These features of floral foam enabled floral design to move in extraordinary directions as the process of arranging became simpler and faster, as well as allowing for more complicated design. Before the invention of floral foam, florists did their arranging straight into vases or pots of water, using chicken wire or metal pins under the water line to secure the stems in place.
Floral foam is a type of plastic that is different to other families of plastics found in packaging and more familiar manufacturing. The most closely related product is a type of house insulation foam, but other plastics in this family include bakelite and the very hard resin found in billiard balls.
All these plastics belong to a group known as phenolic resins, or phenol formaldehydes. These were the very first plastics to be developed in the early s. Looking under a microscope, the structure of floral foam is very much like honeycomb, with spaces between the connecting chambers that allow water to move through the material.
Before being cut, a plant receives water through the roots. Without water, the flower cannot open properly and will wilt and die. When the stem is placed in foam, the movement of water happens first through the foam and then into the stem.
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Welcome to Pollen's blog. I'm Lynn, owner and lead designer of Pollen in Chicago. I post here with real weddings and the latest news from Pollen. Search for:. Mary Lou Paulson says:. January 7, at pm. Floral foam was invented by product designer V. It's so useful to florists because it's a water source remarkably, it holds up to 50x its weight in water and stabiliser that keeps your bunch looking fresh and pert for up to 12 days.
Floral foam is contributing to the growing crisis of plastic of pollution. Thanks to its mossy texture, green hue and the fact that it's used with flowers, it can be easily mistaken as a natural product.
Instead, it breaks down into smaller and smaller micro-plastics. These can take thousands of years to completely revert into natural elements and are a real menace for the environment by contaminating our marine life and food chains. The last is currently the best environmental practice for safely disposing of leftover water from floral foam.
Add a grid of waterproof tape to hold the netting and foam securely in the container. To easily create a topiary, press a netted sphere onto a dowel rod or PVC pipe and hot glue the bottom of the sphere to the rod.
Apply waterproof tape for added security. After finishing a bouquet in a foam-filled bouquet holder , apply Floralock stem adhesive to lock the flowers in place.
This can also help secure the cascading flowers in large arrangements that must be moved to an event. Use the float-soak method to hydrate floral foam with water that includes flower food. Lay the floral foam atop a basin of water and let it sink into the water by its own weight.
While most floral foam saturation time averages about 90 seconds, the different densities of foam can soak from ten seconds to two minutes. I prefer to soak my foam overnight. Soaked floral foam should be used within 1 to 2 weeks. Once wet floral foam has dried, it cannot be re-wet. Floral Foam can last up to 12 months when stored in a dry dark place. It can turn brown rather quickly if left in sunlight or damp conditions. Cutting flowers with a sharp knife opens the interior waterways.
Clippers tend to press them together. Cut stems at a sharp slant slice through foam like an arrow. This creates a secure fit for the stem in the foam. Carefully insert flowers about 1-inch to 1. Insert a horizontal stem 1. Be sure the inserted flower stem fully connects inside the foam so the flower has access to water. If you need to remove a stem, simply clip it off at the edge of the foam. This preserves the integrity of the foam rather than leaving a hole. When preparing for a large event, save design-day time by prepping utility containers like this Lomey Designer Dish in advance.
Use this guide to help you save time and money by choosing the right density of floral foam for each of your projects.
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