Can Plants Absorb Plastic? Find Out Which Pots Are SAFE For Your Garden!

[@GardeningInCanada]

Here are solutions free ones & purchase options. Silicon seed starter - geni.us/xnB4Su Silicon nursery pot - geni.us/ClM0F Blocker I have a few options in the free garden guide - chipper-originator-4877.ck.page/a073b6b263 This video is a free option kzbin.info/www/bejne/oWjTmWxsjcimnc0

[@spontaneousun]

I believe the silicone nursery pots you linked are only silicone on the bottom. For additional alternatives I have seen galvanized steel seed starting trays, but haven’t tried them because they’re outside of my budget. Also, there is another KZbinr who has done a deep dive on removing plastics from their small flower farm/ garden and she makes seed starting trays out of wood that she has charred the outside of to preserve (Japanese technique). I think her channel is “Regenerative Gardening with Blossom & Branch Farm”.

[@SDaulton]

⁠@@spontaneousunLead☠️ may be present in galvanized steel :(

[@tabithadrew9875]

@@spontaneousun oh that's a really good idea with wood and charring. I'm going to go look up that method now.

[@broodmother5027]

​@spontaneousun Charcoal from firepits as well as the ashes are very beneficial to add to gardening areas...the forest fires in the east coast last summer may have done some damage to the area but the blueberry farms had a bumper crop...no coincidence...Charcoal has its benefits 😊

[@kavyrose4016]

I thought silicone is an endocrine disrupter. It may not be as bad as plastic but not sure if it’s that much better.

[@imperfectlypermaculture]

I see a lot of folks commenting that we're already all exposed, so might as well keep adding more -- and that seems like a really bad take. No, we can't eliminate our exposure, but we can choose to purchase less plastic. And the less that everyone purchases, the less companies will make, and the less will be put into our soil, air, and water. Just because you can't be 100% perfect doesn't mean you should throw some PETE chips in the blender and make yourself a big old plastic smoothie. Next season, instead of buying more plastic pots, maybe get a soil blocker or some paper pots. Sure, maybe you'll still have plastic trays, but that's alright. When you want a new t-shirt choose one that's 100% cotton instead of a polyester blend (because polyester, nylon, elastane, and other synthetic fibers are just plastic), but when the only winter coats available for you are made with synthetic fibers, don't beat yourself up about it. Make the better choices when you can, and demand better choices when none are available.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Very true the concept is called toxic loading

[@stitchychris6065]

Well that was reassuring. 😆 I don't know, I was born in the 70s, I'm probably 80% plastic by now.

[@cgk.thankgod]

07:26 Plastic Barbie doll status here we come! :)

[@davidanderson8469]

74 here and I'm 90%.

[@GardeningInCanada]

It’s basically like free cosmetic surgery. You’re just gonna age better.

[@657449]

A new video topic, starting seeds in glass mason jars.

[@kendexter]

@@GardeningInCanada oh you said Barbie..lol.. listening

[@Thecozycottagestead]

My favourite piece of knowledge on this topic is that most teabags are plastic. Boiling water increases the release of micro/nano plastics, so next time your drinking your cup of tea, just remember it’s orange pekoe with a side of microplastic 😂 don’t put teabags in your compost piles!

[@kspence5300]

[puts cup of tea down…]

[@GardeningInCanada]

Someone else had mentioned this. And I had no idea that teabags were made from plastic. What world am I living in that? I had no idea I’m surrounded by PETE!

[@Foxysvacation]

Only the fancy ones are plastic

[@AscheOfTheLake]

I'll stick with my glass and metal tea pot and loose teas from metal tins

[@TheOnlyKontrol]

What do you mean “most” I haven’t had a tea bag that was plastic in a while. Also I’ve moved over to buying loose leaf in bulk because it’s cheaper and I got bio degradable fillable tea bags from Amazon.

[@sophien5416]

Wow this is probably one of the most important videos in gardening that I've watched. As a gardener, we are stewards of this land. Thank you for all your research and hard work! 🙏

[@GardeningInCanada]

Glad it was helpful! That’s very kind

[@OntarioGardener]

I am glad you addressed this issue. So many gardeners order pots from amazon and they are not food grade. I have always had a problem with hydroponic grown veg set ups that use PVC pipes to grow their food. One of the worst things on youtube is watching these small and huge greenhouse setups that use PVC and call themselves organic. I won't even bring that in my house for fear of off gassing. (like pvc office chair mats, shower liners etc) and definitely will not grow food in it. We live in a plastic world. Polyester society. I also wonder what the greasy feeling substance that new solo cups have on them. I wonder if there is some kind of coating that keeps them from sticking together. Yes I am paranoid sometimes. You don't want to research what is in our Tim Hortons coffee cups either. Teflon. 😬

[@GardeningInCanada]

Very good point

[@johannachan9685]

Having gotten back into veggie gardening as an adult, I was so unhappy about how much plastic is involved in gardening, which seems so counterintuitive. I love your approach and appreciate all of your hard work! 💜 I hope we can get away from plastics soon. I grew up in the 1990s and 2000s. There seemed to be a huge movement towards biodegradable items… it seems like that kinda stopped.

[@GardeningInCanada]

There are so many options now that I think you could probably pull it off

[@crystalglass1358]

Ashley, please do one on PVC hoses vs rubber or certified drinking water safe hoses. Also on safe and unsafe hose nozzles and fittings (brass, plastic, aluminum etc, etc). Another thing to look into are rain barrels and also the fact that the ones connected to your eaves troughing system are collecting rainwater that has streamed over asphalt shingles.

[@blackmber]

Yeah this was on my mind too. I’ve heard vulcanized rubber poses some risks

[@Gardenfrog]

I want to know about hoses too. I was looking into soaker hoses. I’ve been considering the Gardena soaker hose because I felt with the higher EU standards they might be safer. Apparently their stuff is manufactured in Germany. I also wonder now about all of our plastic greenhouses being used. Oh boy the rabbit hole just keeps getting deeper and deeper.

[@lostpony4885]

Water kills you especially if it wdnt thru anything tube shaped. Its ok the air already kilt u

[@GardeningInCanada]

I’ll research this and see what I can cook up. I’m not confident I’m going to be able to find actual journal studies. But I probably could find some thing that points in the direction of exactly what’s going on. Just nothing concrete if you will. It’s unlikely a University got funding for garden hose testing .

[@SDaulton]

Lead is generally present in brass. Great point about rain barrels!

[@lizliz4186]

I love your dry humour ❤️ Thanks for teaching us and making us laugh at the same time.

[@GardeningInCanada]

You are so welcome

[@wendyweedwhacker]

100% agree! 😂❤

[@xinalorreen2031]

"Pete. The bad guy." Shows a pic of Epstein. 😂 💀

[@timcoolican459]

While I like what Ashley is saying, regarding micro-plastics, we have to realize that there are many micro-particles that we should be worried about...depending on how much we have been exposed to. Take, for instance, fires. We all experience what fire season is like, when the smell of smoke is thick in the air and the daylight is subdued to a pale orange color. So what kinds of particulates are falling on our crops and water sources...especially if a wildfire burns through a landfill or vehicles? Better yet, what falls down on us after they spray the skies with their 'climate change' mixture, in an attempt to block out the sun or create different weather effects? Let's not forget what the smoke stacks of various industries are belching out, as well as the aerosols and sprays used in applications like painting or crop spraying. Did you also know that tiny little pieces of meteorites can be found in your rain gutters on your house...not all of them are pieces of asphalt shingle. And speaking of shingles, they can also leach into the water and soil, bringing the bitumen they were soaked in with them. So yes, we should try to mitigate micro-plastics where we can, but we cannot avoid every nano-particulate that we are exposed to. I don't have solutions on this issue, other than to say we should start to change how we package and use plastics, as well as numerous other products that could be harmful to us, in large quantities...over time. Thanks for sharing this Ashley. I have been questioning how our refuse and recycling systems have worked, or rather are not working, and ideas to eliminate waste.

[@GardeningInCanada]

If we are being honest I’m seed starting in plastic this weekend lol. So I’m clearly over it already

[@timcoolican459]

@@GardeningInCanada It's still good to know, especially if your going to be using certain products for a long time.

[@andrewsusen3154]

Thanks for heading down that rabbit hole for us. Knowledge is power

[@GardeningInCanada]

You bet

[@ltlwlwl5057]

Thank you for sacrificing some of your sanity for this issue. You're a Hero! 😊

[@GardeningInCanada]

Any time! We need a support group

[@91210paige]

Part of me wants to say "TOTALLY OFF TOPIC" but you'd have me laughing my ass off just sitting around having some beers. Your Witt and humor are perfect.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Very welcome. That’s my natural every day humour shining thru. I’m usually serious so people don’t think I’m a total dummy.

[@winstonsizemore2385]

Wonderful video as always. Please do one on fabric grow bags and plastic nursery pots. Including the McConaughey brand that commercial nurseries use. Thanks sweetie❤

[@GardeningInCanada]

Great idea!

[@izzybecker818]

Fabric bags are made of polypropylene as are pretty much all plastic pots these days. It is not carcinogenic directly but more research shows that as microplastics it still increases cancer rates once it’s in the body

[@sqeekable]

I had already to plant in wooden trays, convinced now.

[@GardeningInCanada]

You are living in the future while we just chill in the past

[@MushroomMagpie]

I would be concerned with municipally produced compost. I find bits of tags, tarp, rope and such in the mix and wonder what else citizens might put in there.

[@marm2371]

Durham Region's municipality free compost had tons of shredded pieces of plastic bags throughout it. Freaked me out!!

[@GardeningInCanada]

That’s so true. Because ours here is definitely full of plastic. I have seen pieces of it in the compost when I picked it up.

[@AscheOfTheLake]

That's why I'll happily keep my own compost pile going. Hay, leaves, grass clippings, coffee, loose teas, and all food scraps. It gives me enough over a year for the following year's planting.

[@mhawang8204]

I’ve toured municipal composting facilities for work. It’s impossible to keep what residents put in there out of the product entirely. The process has multiple screening steps to remove foreign matter, but there only so much they can do on a large scale trying to remove tiny pieces of plastic. Yeah, the safest way to to make your own, because you know what goes in. Even commercial compost can be contaminated by persistent herbicide.

[@cuznclive2236]

DO NOT use that stuff. Farmers are losing their land after State funded applications, then Bill Gates comes in and purchases it. It's toxic and "They" know it! Happening in Maine and Oregon to the extent I can remember atm.

[@CanadianPrepper]

Great topic I never thought about this. I think if you go down this rabbit hole you may find disturbing things we are literally becoming plastic

[@GardeningInCanada]

You need the plastic to keep the wrinkles away. Free facelift 💅🏻😉

[@markcarruthers3313]

I can’t help but think about the posts I’ve seen showing “raised beds” made out of old tractor tires. They are certainly not plastic but I am thinking rubber may be a bigger concern than the plastics you were/are concerned about. I am certainly aware of environmental concerns about massive tire dumps. 🤔Thoughts/comments?

[@markcarruthers3313]

@@watermelonlalala This one individual seemed to be growing just about everything in old tires and had issue with me raising health concerns about doing so.🤷‍♂️

[@amechealle5918]

Channels that show these (diy) toxic planters drive me crazy. So many people never think of the toxins

[@dorothyschell511]

Amazing research, bottom line, and my takeaway, garden because you enjoy gardening and don't sweat the small stuff.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Absolutely!

[@aknaj89]

I loo❤e your sense of humor❤

[@GardeningInCanada]

Thanks

[@RagnarokLoW]

I work in a pretty large nursery and #5 is the only plastic we send to recycling when it's broken. It's also one of the easiest plastics to recycle which makes sense.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Oh interesting! Thank you for this information

[@dillonbuford]

I remember as a child liking this Chinese restaurant and specifically liking the way the water tasted out of the Styrofoam cups, also Styrofoam is a brand the product is " expanded polystyrene".

[@GardeningInCanada]

No! Are you serious! That’s wild

[@dillonbuford]

@@GardeningInCanada unfortunately yes

[@CapitanFantasma1776]

OK. Oh man. There's no escaping! Thanks! Very thoughtful!

[@GardeningInCanada]

You bet!

[@Gardenfrog]

Thanks Ashley. I always go back and forth with should I worry - should I not worry. I do try to choose hdpe #2 whenever possible in the garden but there is just so much plastic out there! I appreciate your scientific mind. I don’t have the educational background you do but I appreciate the scientific perspective.

[@GardeningInCanada]

This is me too. I’m like a ping-pong ball in a rubber box. Depends on the day as to whether or not I care.

[@ontariogardening]

Tried using cell trays this year (plastic of course, lol)- absolutely HATE them. Going to try soil blocking next year.. no containers needed! Great video

[@dmacd8027]

Enjoyed the topic. As I understand, most heavy plastic containers are built up from several layers. A plastic containers manufacturer in Mississauga once mused to me that their liquid containers were extruded from 9 layers. The ability of their process to include a nylon layer made their containers approved for certain specialty needs like liquid pesticides and fertilizers. I think a lot of shampoo containers these days include a nylon layer, but I doubt there is much consistency among manufacturers. Teflon tends to be a common inner coating on lots of products.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Interesting! Did not know that.

[@rowenakotelniski2603]

Definitely something to think about. Has me wondering about my drip irrigation system and rain barrel.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Those are 2 I did look into that

[@yorkshirecoastadventures1657]

This is an absolute gem of information.Thank you so much. Since the start of the whole covid thing I've lost so many people to cancer.Cancer is the real pandemic and I'm positive that micro plastics and chemicals leached from plastics is,to an extent,part of the cause of this.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Man, I’m so sorry to hear that. Hopefully it ends for you here soon.

[@chesterhobbs7244]

Thank you so very, very much for this release. I have often wondered about plastic usage in the garden and it's breakdown and absorbtion by plants and humans. Now I know I should definitely worry!!!

[@GardeningInCanada]

Ha ha yeah apparently that is the case

[@GardeningInCanada]

Glad it was helpful!

[@hart2938]

Thanks for opening more eyes on this subject, my personal plastic rabbit hole is years deeeep. House plumbing, dental floss, shampoo/soap beads, fiber pots, yada yada. Scary is plastic keeps breaking down but never disappears just gets smaller. Forever chemicals mmmm

[@GardeningInCanada]

Dental floss for you actually serious

[@brianseybert192]

Just came in from removing a ratty tarp I 've been using to harden off the onions I planted a week ago. These are the same tarps I use to mix potting soils, cover compost piles etc, sure I am introducing a bunch of plastic into my soils and amendments. I know a lot of people who use shredded paper, envelops, cardboard as worm bedding, sure they are introducing plastics into their worm bins ( I use leaves and compost as bedding). Do not think there is much one can do to, after all, we live in a pretty plastic world these days. Good info for sure, gotta love the solo cups. Stay Well!!!

[@GardeningInCanada]

❤️❤️❤️

[@tb5334]

In this crazy time, you & thi channel is truly a treat!

[@GardeningInCanada]

Welcome! Glad you enjoy!

[@tiegsy775]

This was excellent information, I’m trying not to panic!😂😂 Thank you!❤

[@GardeningInCanada]

Your welcome 😂 we are starting a support group

[@JJ-ec9lp]

I do want to see a pvc video because I see people do diy hydroponic vegetable gardens in pvc pipes from lowes and information about whether or not that is safe is important!

[@GardeningInCanada]

All the time…

[@nikolasberthelsen1606]

Holy S.... This is scary :O Thank you for this video Ashley. I knew plastics where a problem, but the main problem is the missing information to the people. Obviously they make it available in a way you can do research and eventually find out, but there should be heavier regulations and requirements to bring this info to the consumer.. Keep up the great work :D Thank you for bringing this up and also with your knowledge me ( and others ) do take your word for it.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Absolutely anytime. If I’m not sleepy at night, neither are you. 🤓😉

[@blackmber]

Interesting. We’ve been using #5 yogurt containers for tomatoes. It’s pretty discouraging when even the water has plastic in it, but maybe we can get things cleaned up a bit if food packaging changes.

[@ChannelleLVMusic]

This is VERY interesting. I was really invested the entire time. 😂

[@StephanieRichardsonJ]

Epic gardener did a great article on this last year. He noted that #1 (PETE) is mostly a concern with water and heat, but soil for one season is probably ok. I use pop bottles for winter sowing and then recycle after I transplant stuff out.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Interesting! I would have thought it is the same considering if your soil (if it’s growing something) is likely high water content.

[@StephanieRichardsonJ]

@@GardeningInCanada I was just reading that they can leach antimony at high temperatures (45c+), but I'd imagine the damp soil would help keep them cooler? In any case I'll try to get veggies transplanted out before the temperature gets much higher than 25c.

[@alexvalle6771]

I'm really glad you. Shared this because it's been high on my anxiety and even lowered on my knowledge known about the situation, my neighbor told me to save my plastic cups for gardening, so when I saw a bunch dropped and being thrown away at work I grabbed them to save and just found out all the plastics I've been saving from work to garden with are #1. And now I'm sorry curious on what the amazon garden supplies was made out of because they barely lasted the season, three plastic stated to Crack and fall apart from being in the sun, I really thought it wouldn't be that way since it is garden supplies

[@GardeningInCanada]

People in the comments are saying the Amazon is 1

[@wayneessar7489]

Veneer wood strips, scored and folded, secured with a staple used to be sized to fit well into wooden flats. Soil did not fall in between them when you filled them. They were not reusable but they seem to be worth bringing back.

[@sharonpreston2826]

I guess we'll have to start seeds in peat pots now.

[@sarahing306]

Wow! That must of been a deep rabbit hole indeed. Thank you so much for disseminating all that information. Looks like we all might look like Barbie in the future😂

[@GardeningInCanada]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@carolstuff]

Lots to think about plastics. Thanks for sharing Ashley!

[@GardeningInCanada]

You are so welcome!

[@paulamucha4378]

Thank you so much, Ashley! I often wondered in the back of my mind about this. I used to search journal articles for other topics, but never knew what to search for in seed starting vessels. I appreciate your recent video. I wonder about systemics. Hopefully soon can get these seedlings out of solo cups in the garden and hope they didn't sustain any impact. In another vein, I'm hoping at least being done at home that it has less impact than the grocery store purchases of produce. And here, I'm trying to be healthy and consume whole foods grown at home and stores. Yikes, good video! I appreciate your candor. Rabbit hole indeed!

[@GardeningInCanada]

I literally research this in I believe 2020. And there was no articles really written on this or journals. It hasn’t been until the last year or two that the studies done in 2019 2020 have been published in regards to micro plastics. So a lot of this research in regards to plant uptake is mega new to the world

[@paulamucha4378]

@@GardeningInCanada Appreciate this so much, thanks!

[@tecc8380]

That is quite interesting and a little disheartening. Not gonna worry too much about it because that worrying energy will destroy me faster than plastic. Thank you for the research! 🙏🏼

[@johnndavis7647]

UV from the sun degrades plastic . It can become faded and chalky on the surface. It can also become brittle. I think that new plastic is ok but once it starts to fade they should be retired. I would think that pots stored indoors, off season, should be safe for three years. They are cheap enough to toss and buy new ones.

[@teac117]

Ya, this was weird since there's this new trend to reuse your plastics in the garden... I'm like eh? The recycler's can't use UV degraded plastics either, which just shifts them into the garbage stream instead of actually being recycled later.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Yes! That chalk look! I have seen this

[@gordsmith7708]

Thanks for creating some sleepless nights for the rest of us gardener's. !!! Just kidding ? I think 🤔 .Great video and very informative . Cheers 🍻 and have a great day 😀

[@GardeningInCanada]

Hahaha you too! Happy weekend

[@dawnmurphy7028]

Lmao. OMG you’re funny. I have to pause the vid for a sec to recover 😅. Love the information and the way you deliver it. Thanks for the laughs and content!

[@GardeningInCanada]

I appreciate that!!!

[@ElenaXrm]

Love your style Ashley! “Here are the facts, but you do you. Sorry about ruining your day 😂” away for checking numbers on my plastic containers 😮. I think I have something in 1s😩

[@GardeningInCanada]

Haha thanks

[@wayneessar7489]

Pete is labeled Pet out here in BC and it is very welcome in our recycling depots.

[@GardeningInCanada]

The prairies have a hard time recycling the literal basics 😂

[@murdocksmadnesspatriotgard5472]

Great video. Love the science stuff. Love the Red Solo cup gardening ❤️

[@hedgerow.homestead]

Thanks for this video. I'm actually shifting away from containers to soil blocks and then, if needed, up potting into paper pots I can put right into the ground. That being said... now I wonder how bad the inks from newspaper (flyers) is for my garden and plants.

[@AMKB01]

inks were switched to vegetable based, decades ago. Your fliers and newspapers should be fine. Just watch out for anything on glossy paper.

[@hedgerow.homestead]

@@AMKB01 I avoid the glossy paper. Thank you for your insight!

[@GardeningInCanada]

Glad it was helpful!

[@GardeningInCanada]

Yea I was just going to say I believe it’s soy

[@novampires223]

I told my partner that ink was made from soybeans and now safe.. he laughed, having worked for a major ink company and seen the other chems added to said soybean ink.😢

[@elmohead]

Born in the 80s during the Tupperware era. I'm basically RoboCop but plastic now.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Yeah, I’m the same way. I just think of it as extra Botox at this point.

[@elle11277]

Thanks for all the info!!

[@GardeningInCanada]

You bet!

[@Justsay_n]

I like your straight forward no nonsense scientific style so I subscribed. Plus I'm a molecular biologist so I'm down with the scientific stuff!

[@GardeningInCanada]

Welcome aboard the GIC Crew, get a subscription to therapy

[@matthawkins4579]

Lol... this sent me scrambling outside to look at my pots. My smaller pots (under 5 gallons) are all #2. The larger pots are all #5. However, all my 2 inch nursery pots are #6.

[@dillonbuford]

I'm commenting a lot but the tailor shipping those solo cups in the middle of summer are not refrigerated and from my experience from offloading trucks those trailers that ship everything including solo cups are not less hot than the outside.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Ha very good point wow see this is why you guys are so smart

[@VivianNeal-b9w]

The municipal compost that a gardener can pick up for free here in Vancouver is filled with bits of plastic. It looks like it's mostly from plastic bags, and also small bits of hard plastic.

[@waynesell3681]

Back in the day of CB radio my buddies call was The Plastic Waffle! Fun memories.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Haha awe

[@ASpinnerASpinner]

#2 HDPE plastic is only food safe if it is virgin HDPE and if the vessel has dye that also has to be food safe. This is why most 5 gallon buckets you buy for under $5 are not food safe - they are not made with virgin HDPE and also contain dyes that are not food safe. This is why food safe 5 gallon buckets cost 2-3x more and most of them are white (no use in dying it as that just increases costs, however there are colored food safe buckets).

[@sharonpreston2826]

My friend who is so organic about her gardening is going to freak when she hears this.

[@mssavedin92]

ha! Let us know what she thinks now.

[@comfortablynumb9342]

You're making me happy about switching to fabric pots. I grow cannabis and veggies in them. I switched for the air pruning from fabric, but this video is giving me another reason to use them. I'm glad I found your channel too.

[@imperfectlypermaculture]

The fabric is probably synthetic fiber, which is just another form of plastic. :)

[@comfortablynumb9342]

@@imperfectlypermaculture yeah I was thinking about that. They seem to be a tough canvas but they probably have plastic too. Unfortunately I don't believe a perfect solution exists in gardening.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Welcome aboard! Newest GIC crew member

[@imperfectlypermaculture]

@@comfortablynumb9342 agreed that we are lacking perfect solutions-that’s why I always strive to do better instead of striving for perfection. I’ve been considering trying to make my own fabric pots at some point.

[@comfortablynumb9342]

@@imperfectlypermaculture are you familiar with Earthboxes? They're plastic, it might be cool to make a ceramic or terracotta version of them to get the benefits of bottom watering and avoid the plastic.

[@JOJOJOJOJOJOJOJOanne]

Super insightful video, thank you so much! One thing to consider is growing what you can and buying what you need. The nice kale that I can't grow (yet) right now - probably contains what it contains in the grocery store. seems like harm reducing is kind of like the only option we have given that plastic is in everything. it would be unrealistic to aim for plastic free - for us commoners, I think anyway! Loads of us garderners have enjoyed gardening as a hobby and growing food brings joy and all that good stuff. However, avoiding plastic can also come from fears from all sorts of fearmongering (Instagram wellness, Instagram low-tox health people, all the "link in my bio" kind of people pushing us to buy their stuff (like their 'nanoplastic-free creams, greenwashed products etc!). Another consideration is that risks of plastics must be assessed in comparison to other potentially harmful things in our garden/life. For example, insecticides, fungicides, rat poison- and how we handle these products. One thing I have been thinking since watching your video is about earth sunken green houses. A lot of them are just big holes dug up, some with PVC tubes (oops), or plastic tubing to force warm air in the ground (GAHT, climate battery style). The perimeter of those greenhouses tend to be lined up with insulation - that includes styrofoam or plastic foam to reduce heat loss. Would you be concerned by that, given that these structures do get hot in the summer? I guess, for me it would be a yes-ish but dont know of other alternatives! May our plant stomatas learn to not inhale plastics 🤣

[@ticaj]

Number 7 plastic is the worst. In 2019 or 2020, my country decided to ban plastic and Styrofoam. They introduced paper containers and a plant based plastic (Number 7). When I was in my 2nd year of gardening in 2022, I started looking into what are the best plastics to use for planting since I heard that some are not safe. 7 is one of them, I found it suspicious that plastic can be made from plant materials. it turns out the polycarbonate is what holds it together, and it is just like number 6. It is not heat tolerant. I stopped using this plastic to grow things because not only will it melt from heat, but just like Numbers 6, it can cause cancer and leach harmful chemicals in the soil too quickly. Like you said, I don't worry about it too much, and I stick to Numbers 2 and 5, and only use number 1 temporarily.

[@champagnehand]

Thanks for this video. I have a chemical injury (ES/MCS), so this is always top of mind for me. I have been growing my own food because I often can't tolerate the veg sold in my local stores. I no longer even grow food outdoors because other people kept contaminating it with snow-blown road salt and surveyor paint, &c. Now that I'm switching to indoor hydroponics, everything is frigging plastic. I'm doing a lot of greens as Kratky in glass 4L sealer jars, but all the larger tubs for things with larger root systems are plastic. (The ones I have are #2, I just checked.) So many of the KZbinrs with cool how-to videos show the type of system I would love to have, but they use materials that make me cringe. Water reservoirs out of Home Depot truck totes, and the runs out of PVC tubing or fence post covers, for example. Thanks for all your excellent research! This helps me navigate my options.

[@elizabeth5877]

I love your videos. I'm sharing it because people know I'm a plant lover, so hopefully they will watch and learn 😊 yay science 🎉🤳

[@GardeningInCanada]

Awe thank you so much for the support

[@cbak1819]

Reminder.. nothing causes cancer per say. Free radicle damage is the cause. Over load is the big trigger issue. Free radicles are floating around all the time.. anti oxidants eliminate them from the body. Eventually we all succumb to oxidative stress.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Toxic loading ftw

[@rulerofthelight]

I will never drink from a Solo cup again after I did all my plant starts in them one year and saw all the little plastic shavings in the cups.

[@GardeningInCanada]

What! Seriously?!

[@rulerofthelight]

@GardeningInCanada after labeling a package(50cups) I noticed little sheds of white plastic statically clinging slinging to my hands and on my black hoody. Remind me of the time a buddy of mine got a "NOS" energy drink and kept pulling blue plastic bits(shredding from the cap) out of his mouth. Sick SOB still drank the whole thing.

[@gigiartstudiowithartistvir3919]

The genie has long been out of the bottle. Plastics are ubiquitous and there is no escaping it.

[@davidanderson8469]

No more need for psyllium husk based digestive aids anymore.

[@tabithadrew9875]

Oh wow. I had no idea it was such an issue. Here I'm pretty sure that only pp5 is considered food grade plastic. This has made my head spin 😅 back to toilet roll middles 😂😂

[@GardeningInCanada]

Yes, exactly

[@heatherhowellstaff4392]

Micro plastics aren't just coming into our gardens by water, 6:04 , its falling out if the air too in significant amounts. How much dryer lint blows out into the environment from all of our homes. Most of that dust is plastic microfibers from our clothes. Multiply that with vulcanized rubber dust from our tires wearing down on the roads, the blowing around plastic bags or any plastic surface that is outside that is breaking down in UV light, and you result in air full of micro and nanoplastics.

[@amechealle5918]

THANK YOU!!!!!! It seems like all the gardening channels are still sharing ways to use PLASTIC in out gardens. It drives me crazy. Plastic is the enemy to healthy food. Just say no. My cousin just sent me Glass seed starting cubes with holes on the bottom just like the seed starting trays. This is what I’m using this year (yes I’m being the Guinea pig) so far so good. 🌱💕

[@marmundo9110]

Hi! Really loved your plastic containers review, you really put in a lot of time and effort to make sure your videos are accurate and no bs, I really appreciate it. I have a question about it, apart from the toxic and carcinogenic particles released, in what way are those micro and nano plastic particles released by the other food-safe plastic containers a health hazard? I haven't found anyone that could give me an actual satisfying answer. I mean I'd much rather eat my food 100% plastic-free, but what if I do ingest nano plastic that is food-safe? What if that's all that I've been eating my whole life? How would this affect my health? Thanks again for your video 😊

[@91210paige]

So I grow a lot in Homer buckets from Home depot. These things sit in the sun year after year. Should people not be using these?

[@xinalorreen2031]

Styrofoam is the worst!! The way it falls apart into those little white beads, the litter I've seen on the beach is so sad and it's absolutely ridiculous to try picking it all up. The fact that you listed it as a garden material shocked me. I can't believe anyone uses that where they're growing food!

[@Dalmatianbee]

I read about a study, which I cannot find now which indicates that there may be some way to neutralize microplastics in water. The study showed that when microplastics are boiled in hard water. Some minerals in the hard water attach themselves to and essentially encase the microplastics preventing them from being able to bond to anything. However, it qas only tested on the three most common hard plastic. Also I am not sure which minerals were needinf to be present in the water. Still it gives me hope that we may find a solution to microplastics.

[@jessemxgangl]

The only way out is through at this point. Bring on the plastic-digesting microbes.

[@GardeningInCanada]

HAHAHA exactly

[@sovereignsoul]

I only use plastic pots for food crops for a year, and then repurpose them for ornamental plants. Food crops are in plastic while seedlings, which is for a comparatively short time. That said, I am transitioning to ceramic. Of course the ceramic is only as safe as the purity of the material it is made of. Not sure silicone is safe either, as silicone breast implants were linked to cancer.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Oh my goodness seriously!? I have no idea

[@lindsayk3708]

Pete's picture. 😂🤮 Loved this video. Thanks for traveling down this rabbit hole for us.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Very welcome. Thank you for coming with.

[@jeil5676]

People worry about the plastic touching their dirt but meanwhile they wear mostly plastic clothing and inhaling a credit card worth of plastic a year. This ends up going through your gut and bowels. not to mention, the rest of plastics everywhere in our environment.

[@kerrytoby7041]

HDPE is very stable. Sun does break it down over time. PVC is going to leach and degrade in the Sun. PVC vinyl siding has stabilizers in it to help it resist uv rays. The only one I would use to mature plants in is HDPE.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Interesting! HDPE did have a pretty good wrap

[@kerrytoby7041]

Food grade plastic barrels are HDPE . They are also used for drinking water. The big rectangular whitish ones in the metal frames are also used for water. The containers need to be used for safe things like food to be good later for water. They must have not been used for chemicals previously.

[@xinalorreen2031]

Curious about the corn- and plant based-plastics that were being made into cups and food packaging, whatever happened to that and could they make seed trays and pots out of it? I've always wondered about the amount of petrol plastic used in gardening, it's a rabbit hole I've looked at from a distance several times, to intimidated to dig. Thank you for going down it and sharing what you learned with us. Whenever it all seems too overwhelming and unstoppable, I go back to watch "Naussica of the Valley of the Wind" for the umpteenth time. It probably won't happen in our lifetime, and maybe humans will be gone already, but eventually the Earth will heal.

[@Qlassyone]

I’m old any seen a lot of iterations of “new and improved” items being unhealthy that are replaced by “newer and more improved” items that are less healthy. Unless you are prepared to go back to the Stone Age and live simply, you have to accept most things (not just plastics) in today’s world are not good for you. Pick and choose what you want to keep around you. Live as simply as you can. Live your best life and don’t worry.

[@mhawang8204]

As someone who studied the microplastic issue, I already knew they’re in the air and rain. Yeah, I wouldn’t stress too much about it because we’re already exposed, sadly. It’s best to avoid the carcinogenic materials, though. It’s something we CAN control at the source, and as the saying goes - “The dose makes the poison.” A little bit of plastic is still better than eating cancer-causing food.

[@GardeningInCanada]

That is so cool that you study this before

[@dismurrart6648]

What would you say are cancer causing foods? Asking out of genuine curiosity.

[@mhawang8204]

@@dismurrart6648 that was inaccurate wording for brevity, sorry. I meant food grown in carcinogen-contaminated soil. Some foods are indeed carcinogenic: burnt food, sugar, processed meats… if lab tests results are to believed. I’d say health risks are always a combination of things, and genetics also play a big role. There’s no point in worrying too much or we’d live in gloom all the time.

[@mhawang8204]

@@GardeningInCanada it was a “trendy” topic in environmental studies for a while, kind of like PFAS now 😅

[@dismurrart6648]

@@mhawang8204 oh absolutely and I fully agree

[@afghanica]

oh oh don't forget microfibers! hanes socks from walmart had me vacuuming every other day and turns out, left my cannabis flowers laden with teeny tiny wiry strings, completely covering all of the plants, also all over everything else because cooking makes them stick to everything. not sure of the plastic/cotton content of them i don't want to know at this point so i got rid of the hanes socks and get a 10 dollar pair of 100% cotton socks from mark's, and then as if by divine karma, i pulled one of the socks off my foot to check the fiber situation and what literally looked like a puff of smoke, rose into the air and comically exploded before my eyes... of course it was not smoke it was a lighter than air puff of microfibers ahhhhhh i'm done with socks. i can only imagine how much i have ingested by my lungs, stomach eyes etc end of times eh : )

[@GardeningInCanada]

What!? That’s anything lol 😆

[@candacerobinson1167]

Thanks so much for this! I have been wondering, especially since almost every gardening video these day seems to mention that you should verify that your containers are food safe and yet when I check the pots etc that I have garnered from nursery purchases there seems to be no consistency. I would love to hear peoples ideas on the best alternatives.....clay, peat???

[@GardeningInCanada]

Glad it was helpful! Clay, peat, coir, paper

[@holandjule]

I looked into the green/clear plastic seedling trays from Amazon. They are #1 plastic.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Oh! Thanks

[@connifilteau2678]

Wood, rough paper, cardboard n such may be better. The advantage also being no root disturbance when planting out. I remember someone showing how to fold, to make newspaper ones, some time ago. Thanks for the valuable plastic research.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Thanks for the tips!

[@patkonelectric]

Recycled paper and cardboard contains microplastics. Just saying.

[@theresamurray624]

I just went down this rabbit hole myself when considering grow bags. Most are made of recycled water bottles. Isn't it really like growing in a plastic bag. We eat 5 grams of plastic per week, the weight of a credit card (which of course is plastic). Yuck.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Oh no. That would mean they’re a bunch of Pete’s!!!!

[@patmanley6745]

What an interesting topic. Not something that I've ever thought about and I am a boomer generation. Your presentation skills are wonderful. You didn't talk about those soft plastic potting containers that the garden centres sell, small 2 inch and up in size. Are those safe for seedlings? Not sure if they have a number on them.

[@GardeningInCanada]

The 6 pack ones

[@Shanngella]

Going to throw out all my no6 pots in the shed!🏃‍♀️‍➡️

[@GardeningInCanada]

Hahaha legit me. I sprinted

[@the_green_anna]

Great topic!!! 💚 Started reading about pfas the other day, wich is put in plastic and clothes and god knows what, and now I "see" it everywhere... 😳 What have we done? Thank you for bringing up important stuff like this! ⭐

[@GardeningInCanada]

Thanks for sharing!!

[@b_lumenkraft]

Gotta love those plastic-free plastics.

[@dustinsmith8341]

PP is best in higher temperature situations but is fairly equivalent to HDPE. PP can be autoclaved.

[@TooMid]

Great info! Thanks!

[@GardeningInCanada]

Glad it was helpful!

[@ZeFeratu]

FYI, the seed starters with green tray and grow light I personally purchased are PVC! 😢 Thank you so much for this video. I just tossed a TON of my gardening plastics. At least my new hoop house is made of HDPE 😅

[@suebar5177]

Omg I love you/ your videos!! So I commented on your dollar store vid that I like the fabric pots…I recall reading that these pots are made from recycled water bottles….see where this is going… Can you please do a video on fabric pots and if they’re actually “disguised evil plastics?”😵‍💫

[@GardeningInCanada]

Yea I will look into these it seems to be a Mix of thought on these.

[@mssavedin92]

Wow...valuable video, thankyou so much from BC. I love the way you presented and spoke on this important issue. I will NOT be adding styrofoam chunks to the bottom of the 20 gallon nursery pots so as to take up some un needed space and make the big pots lighter!!! I was totally going to do that. Also One good solution for me ...dollar store solo cups for starters. I wonder what our heavy duty black nursery pots are? Those things can and do get super hot in summer.I'm so happy I watched this one.

[@Fabdanc]

Spot on with the water! Most micro/nano plastics enter water systems via washing clothes -- synthetic fibers are plastics.(Polar fleece is the worst offender.) You have to buy a special filter to try and screen them, buuuuuut no one person us doing that at a meaningful scale. UV radiation (the sun) is what degrades plastic the most. You may notice that plastic left in the sun for a prolonged period will become brittle and start to chip. You can store your plastic pots away from sunlight when you're not using them and they will degrade less. Here is to hoping that they can make nursery pots out of mushroom mycelium! I avoid #6 because my local recycling centers cannot recycle it. My facilities do 1-5, and 7 EXCEPT for bags/films because they clog the machines.

[@GardeningInCanada]

fashion will be our down fall

[@dismurrart6648]

Btw, be cautious about paper takeout containers. They're often coated in pfas. Personally i think the solo cup is safer than coated paper. Not saying anyone is doing that, but i know people will sometimes see stuff like this and conclude paper is fine.

[@GardeningInCanada]

I have heard this!

[@chuckmaceanruig]

This would mean all paper cartons of juice and milk… as well as tetrapaks.

[@dismurrart6648]

@chuckmaceanruig yeah they pretty much are unfortunately.