Important note: We are not advocating that you actually make these mattresses. They have not been tested and are not approved mattress kits. This is an exercise of the imagination for entertainment purposes only. Think of this as our private design notebook, now opened for everyone to see!

 

Natural Shredded Latex + Hemp Fiber + Winter Wheat Seeds, Homegrown Mattress

(links will take you to a product on Amazon.com) 

Having a green thumb could save you lots of money on your home furnishings!  

We grew these cushions using a base layer of hemp fiber mixed with natural shredded latex.  Next we added a generous amount of these winter wheat seeds, gave it a good watering and sat back to watch our mattress layers grow :)

Winter wheat sprouts easy and grows very fast.  Within days you will have lots of germinated seeds and by the end of the week a nice green pasture and a root bound mat.  We let things continue to grow for about 2 weeks (watering occasionally but not too much to prevent mold) until the grass just started to turn brown, and then dried the sample in silica gel beads according to the instructions on the package. (Later we learned the blue type had some toxic ingredients so we switched to the orange silica gel.  This is why we do samples :)

After everything was completely dry we cut off the dried blades of grass (unsure if this was a necessary step as it could have added some thickness) and inserted the new mattress sample into a pillow case to mimic a mattress encasement.

Before sleeping on the homegrown mattress, we would make sure the cushion was100% dry by using a moisture meter and comparing it with readings from another material we knew was dry enough to sleep on.

 

The roots were not incredibly strong but that was not so important as there were so many and the hemp fibers are very durable.  We were disappointed that the sample lost about half its loft but this just means one would need to layer these sheets to make a mattress.  

Hint:  I would put it on my calendar to grow a new layer every Spring and place it on top, removing the bottom layer as it will probably be the most broken down.  

How did our sample feel?  It feels nice like a cross between a tatami mat and a latex mattress. More layers would need to be grown to test but our hunch is it would be more comfortable and durable the thicker you made it.

What we like about this mattress idea:  Again every material is 100% biodegradable.  The layers that are removed each year could then be used as a weed block later in your veggie garden! 

Negatives: Some seeds will remain in your mattress and this could attract (be a food source) for any pests you may have in your home.  It had a little bit of a rustle sound to it.

Future possibilities:  We don't see this as a very viable mattress for the consumer market, reasons kinda obvious :)  We do see it used for novelty, kids camp project or many cushions needed for a nature inspired retreat or temporary venue. Having this one pass a flame test may be as difficult as a regular foam mattress. Roots have a lot of air inside them so highly flammable. Don't try this one at home kids!

 

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