What if the answer to floristry's floral foam problem could be grown instead of manufactured?

In this episode, Bec sits down with Kristina Bircsak of Miconet Solutions, creator of Natriform — a plant-based floral mechanic grown from hemp and mycelium, developed right here in Australia in collaboration with working florists.

Bec and Kristina first met at the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show, where Kristina's incredible mycelium sculpture was turning heads. But what started as a hobby — growing mycelium fibreboard with her partner to replace single-use plastics — soon became something much bigger. After attending a sustainability workshop at MIFGS, Kristina discovered just how damaging floral foam really is: breaking down into microplastics, harmful to touch and breathe, and quietly embedded in an industry built around nature.

Kristina also shares the deeply personal moment behind it all. Seven years ago she survived bowel cancer, and it changed everything — what she cared about, what she wanted to leave behind, and the impact she wanted to make on the world. Natriform is her answer.

Together, Bec and Kristina dig into:

• What Natriform actually is — mycelium as the glue, hemp as the structure, and why growing a product is like "taming a beast"
• The hundreds of prototypes tested over years, using rescued secondhand flowers
• What it's like to use on the bench: overnight soaking, planned workflows, fridge storage, and that satisfying stem grip
• Why casket arrangements and the funeral industry could be transformed by it
• End of life: it dries out, crumbles into your compost or garden bed — and might even grow you a crop of mushrooms
• The AS 5810 home-compostable wrap that keeps every drip contained
• Why hemp and mycelium make it genuinely sustainable from start to finish — low water, fast growing, soil regenerating
• How feedback from florists directly shaped the product (bigger, deeper blocks are on the way)
• The industry tide turning against foam — MIFGS, the RHS and a foam-free Chelsea
• What's next: full-scale production, new shapes and quick tutorials
• And Kristina's advice for any florist wanting to take one step towards foam free: educate yourself, and change just one thing

If you've ever tried to ditch the foam and slipped back because the alternatives were too fiddly or time consuming, this conversation will give you real hope — an Australian-made product designed with florists, for florists, is nearly here.

Find Kristina and follow Natriform's journey:
Website: miconetsolutions.com.au
Follow Miconet Solutions on Instagram and Facebook for product updates and release news

About the guest: Kristina Bircsak is the co-creator of Natriform and founder of Miconet Solutions. What began as a hobby growing mycelium fibreboard to replace single-use plastics became a years-long mission to develop a genuinely sustainable, Australian-grown alternative to floral foam — developed in collaboration with florists and mentors across the industry.

Follow Dish the Dirt on Instagram: @_dishthedirt_