A Beginners Guide to OASIS® Floral Foam

Whether you enjoy flower arranging in your spare time or consider yourself a keen crafter, it is likely you will come across OASIS® Floral Foam at some point in your creative journey. Or you may have already used it and would like to know more.

We are taking it right back to basics with this blog and are giving you a complete beginners guide to OASIS® Floral Foam.

We will be answering all those need-to-know questions, such as:

• What is OASIS® Floral Foam?
• How to use OASIS® Floral Foam?
• How to soak OASIS® Floral Foam?
• What is the difference between wet OASIS® Floral Foam and dry OASIS® Floral Foam?
• How to put flowers in OASIS® Floral Foam?
• How to cut OASIS® Floral Foam?
• Is OASIS® Floral Foam re-usable?
• How to dispose of OASIS® Floral Foam?

There may be things you already know, things that may surprise you and certainly new things to learn along the way! We’ve chunked Q&A’s together, so you can easily scan and skip to the parts you need.

What is OASIS® Floral Foam?

Now you must be wondering, what is OASIS® Floral Foam? We will keep this short and sweet. Floral foam is a dense, lightweight porous material that holds its shape when wet, can be cut into different shapes, holds flowers in place and provides a water source. It has been used in the floral industry for years and is the go-to product for busy florists. The OASIS® brand is synonymous with floral foam, with good right too, as we invented it! You can now find OASIS® Floral Foam in a variety of shapes, sizes and even colours! When someone asks you 'what is OASIS® Floral Foam?', you can answer like a pro!

The Difference Between Wet and Dry OASIS® Floral Foam?

The main difference between wet and dry OASIS® Floral Foam is that wet floral foam is designed for fresh flowers and absorbs water to provide a water source for your designs. On the other hand, dry floral foam is designed for dried or artificial flowers and repels water.

Both OASIS® Wet Floral Foam and OASIS® SEC Dry Floral Foam have superior grip, meaning you can rely on either one for keeping flowers in place.

Both can easily be cut into any shape and won’t crumble. Another difference between wet and dry OASIS® Floral Foam is that dry floral foam (OASIS® SEC Dry Floral Foam) is easy to glue or spray. Perfect for crafty projects!

How to Soak OASIS® Floral Foam?

The best way to soak OASIS® Floral Foam is to fill a bucket, container or sink with fresh water. Use the float soak method - gently place the floral foam on top of the water, logo side up. It will float at first, so let the OASIS® Floral Foam absorb the water on its own. Do not push the floral foam as this will cause ripples in the water that may cause dry spots on the floral foam.

The OASIS® Floral Foam will naturally sink to the bottom of the water on its own. It takes less than a minute to soak OASIS® Floral Foam and as soon as it’s sunk to the bottom, your floral foam is ready to go.

And because OASIS® Floral Foam is renowned for its water retention, you will be amazed that very little water leaks from the floral foam! You will notice that, when soaked, floral foam will be heavier. This is because it can soak up to as much as 40 times its weight in water! The more water, the better for your floral designs.

How to Cut OASIS® Floral Foam?

OASIS® Floral Foam comes in a variety of shapes and sizes, but for most flower arranging work, a floral foam brick will do, which is when you may need to know how to cut OASIS® Floral Foam.

Wet Floral Foam can be cut dry or wet. Measure your container or space where you will need the floral foam to fit and either use a serrated knife or floral knife to cut to size.

OASIS® Floral Foam tends to cut easily and smoothly. So, you can cut in half, cut into chunks, round the edges or cut to suit your design.

Dry floral foam can also be cut and shaped easily with a serrated knife or floral knife too. But remember, it doesn’t need to be soaked!

How to put flowers in OASIS® Floral Foam?

Now you know how to soak OASIS® Floral Foam and how to cut OASIS® Floral Foam it is time to get to the creative part – how to put flowers in OASIS® Floral Foam!

First, cut your flower stems with either a sharp floral knife or floral scissors. By doing this, it allows the flower to soak up water easier. Cut stems at a sharp slant, so it slices through the floral foam like an arrow. This also helps the flower to grip and hold securely in the floral foam.

Now you are ready to put flowers in OASIS® Floral Foam. Carefully insert flowers about 1 inch into the floral foam. You will be surprised how easily the stem goes into the OASIS® Floral Foam and stays in place. Like magic!

There may be a bit of trial and error at first when putting flowers in floral foam, so if you need to remove a stem, clip it off at the edge of the foam, rather than completely removing the stem and leaving a hole.

OASIS® Floral Foam can hold more flowers than you think, certainly enough to completely cover the foam and show off your floral arrangement. Have a play around and see what works for you.

Is OASIS® Floral Foam Re-usable?

When your floral arrangement has come to the end of its life, you may think is OASIS® Floral Foam re-useable?

We would recommend you do not re-use floral foam. When you remove the flowers and are left with punctured floral foam, the structure has weakened, so it may not be able to hold onto your stems as securely.

Although you can re-soak floral foam, we would not recommend it, as it will be full of bacteria from the flower. This will be passed onto the next batch of flowers affecting flower life.

How to Dispose of Floral Foam?

We advise you dispose of floral foam in your general waste. We have included disposal information on all OASIS® Floral Foam product pages on our website.

But if you have any questions regarding how to dispose of floral foam, then please get in touch with our friendly team.

We hope this beginner's guide to OASIS® Floral Foam has been helpful, and equipped you with the knowledge and inspiration to try flower arranging, whether you're a seasoned crafter or are ready to try simple flower arrangements at home.