| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| graciegreeneyes |
Posted - Sep 09 2008 : 06:14:17 AM
I'm just curious about reusing potting soil - is this possible and if not what do you do with the potting soil you used the year before??
Thanks,
Amy Grace
Farmgirl #224
"use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without" |
| 9 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Contrary Wife |
Posted - Sep 15 2008 : 10:25:12 AM
I put mine in the compost pile as well.
Teresa Sue
Farmgirl Sister #316
"Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly." The Dalai Lama |
| Huckelberrywine |
Posted - Sep 13 2008 : 09:11:38 AM
I had a friend who baked her used potting soil to sterilize it. Guess it depends on what it's made up of...some stuff might burn, like if it has a lot of "filler". I do bury (my lazy compost) my old potting soil and "harvest" dirt from the area as needed.
We make a difference. http://huckleberrywine.blogspot.com |
| ddmashayekhi |
Posted - Sep 11 2008 : 09:38:44 AM
At the end of the growing season I dump my potting soil in to the compost heap as well. I try to slowly do my outside containers in the spring to help deal with the rising costs of the potting mix & plants/flowers. I start planting some of my containers in April, May and finish up in early June. It helps take the sting out of the expense. I try to buy the largest bag of potting soil I can find on sale too.
Dawn in IL |
| asnedecor |
Posted - Sep 11 2008 : 06:52:57 AM
I dump mine at the end of the season in the veggie garden and then do the lasagna thing with compost and leaves etc for the winter. This way it gets amended along with everything else and doesn't go to total waste. Never have had a problem doing this.
Anne in Portland, OR
"Weeds are flowers too, once you get to know them" Eyeore from Winnie the Pooh
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| Annab |
Posted - Sep 10 2008 : 4:13:37 PM
We usually turn ours into the comost pit too. The chickens usually end up giving it a good working over |
| lisamarie508 |
Posted - Sep 10 2008 : 05:54:11 AM
I just dump mine into the compost pile. I agree with Mary Beth that the soil would be pretty much depleted and worthless and if you had a plant that died of some disease, then you are much better off bagging it up for the trash or risk spreading disease to everything else. If it simply died from frost or lack of watering, that's ok to dump into the compost pile.
Also, make sure you clean out your pots well with soap before re-planting them to prevent disease.
Farmgirl Sister #35
"If you can not do great things, do small things in a great way." Napoleon Hill (1883-1970)
my blog: http://lisamariesbasketry.blogspot.com/
My Website:
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| Marybeth |
Posted - Sep 09 2008 : 08:15:01 AM
It's not really a good idea to reuse potting soil. but we all do from time to time. Mainly it is because of bacteria and if you don't amend it then the soil will be pretty well depleted. It can become a cost issue and sometimes ya gotta do it. MB
www.strawberryhillsfarm.blogspot.com
www.day4plus.blogspot.com www.holyhouses-day4plus.blogspot.com
"Life may not be the party we hoped for...but while we are here we might as well dance!" |
| gramadinah |
Posted - Sep 09 2008 : 07:13:47 AM
I reused the soil in my outside planters this year but I did add some fertlizer and some peatmoss and mixed it together really well. When I repot the inside plants I will also throw the soil into the mix but I wouldn't reuse inside and mix the outside because of bugs. I really enjoyed the outcome as It had seed of last years plants in it and I had volunteer plants come up to make thing all the more pretty.
Diana
Farmgirl Sister #273 |
| Ms.Lilly |
Posted - Sep 09 2008 : 07:10:50 AM
I keep a large bucket in my green house that I dump my used potting soil in. When it is about half full I ammend it with some compost and reuse when I am needing to repot something. If for some reason the potting soil is unusable (very root bound) I just place it in the compost pile or the garden to be tilled in.
Lillian |
