Reusing Potting Soil
Poll: Do You Recycle Your Soil?
Thursday May 17, 2007
Nancy & Jeff had a provocative blog posting last week over at the Gardening and Yardening. They were questioning why, in this age of recycling, it is still recommended that you dump your container potting soil and start fresh each year. They offered recommendations for mixing in some fresh soil and some time released fertilizer, rather than wasting all the old potting soil or simply tossing it into your compost. (They like Dynamite Controlled-Release Fertilizer.)
What about you? Do you reuse your potting soil or dump it all and start fresh? If you have any tips for us for freshening potting soil, let us know in the 'comments' below.
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Comments
I’ve been doing it for a while and haven’t noticed any problems, though I’ve enriched the recycled soil with compost and fertilizer. I don’t want to dump old soil because I don’t really have a convenient place around my home to just drop a big pile of dirt. Besides, I’m cheap and don’t want to spend the money on new bags of soil if I don’t have to.
I don’t reuse my potting soil in the original container but instead spread thinly and evenly across my gardens. I am concerned that reusing it in the same container would foster the growth and gradual overwhelming of the soil by potentially harmful fungus or bacteria. Other predatory/beneficial bacteria and organisms that would otherwise be able to migrate into the soil and neutralize them cannot migrate into my containers. I like to start with neutral soil each season. I certainly don’t feel I’m wasting the potting soil either by spreading it across my garden or adding it to my compost. Throwing dirt away at the landfill is wasting it.
I never throw out potting soil. I only purchse a small bag of new each year to top off the pots. I have never had any trouble with fungus, pest, mold, or anything else. Always have great huge plants without any chemicals.
I never throw out potting soil. I only purchse a small bag of new each year to top off the pots. I have never had any trouble with fungus, pest, mold, or anything else. Always have great huge plants without any chemicals.
I just add more potting soil to it. If you can buy a few small bags of peat moss, vermiculite, & permiculite, plus can fertilize the soil as needed, you will do well. If I had too much soil, I would dump it in my more clay flower beds!
I just add more potting soil to it. If you can buy a few small bags of peat moss, vermiculite, & perlite, plus can fertilize the soil as needed, you will do well. If I had too much soil for my container pots & plants, I would dump it in my more clay flower beds!
I reuse my container media for 2 seasons. In the second year, I freshen it up with new peatmoss, perlite, vermiculite. I add about 1/2 old media to 1/2 new peat moss. I find that after 2 years the peat moss in the old media starts to decompose so I mix it into my flower and vegetable beds to add organic matter. I add Osmocote every year to the media in containers. This system has worked great for me. I store the old media in my garage over winter sow I doesn’t sit wet for 5 months, this keeps it fresher.
As a Horticulturalist I always recommend using NEW soil when repoting your plants that will be outside during the growing season mainly because of pests. The pest will lay eggs and then hatch when you bring the pots into your home for winter more than likely infesting your indoor plants. Although I personally will reuse indoor container soil by adding fertilizers( as long as no fungus or molds or visably growing on the surface of the soil.) As far as recycling outdoor soil its as simple as throwing it into an exsisting garden or spread it under a bush. Many people repot plants in spring I like to repot in the fall right as I bring the plants in for winter storage. This way in the spring the plants are ready to go right out and you can concentrate on all the other things you have to do in the spring. As always if your not having problems with you current system and your plants are thriving then hey go for it but always be aware that if you get pest they can kill your plants and possibly infest all your other plants.
As a Horticulturalist I always recommend using NEW soil when repoting your plants that will be outside during the growing season mainly because of pests. The pest will lay eggs and then hatch when you bring the pots into your home for winter more than likely infesting your indoor plants. Although I personally will reuse indoor container soil by adding fertilizers( as long as no fungus or molds or visably growing on the surface of the soil.) As far as recycling outdoor soil its as simple as throwing it into an exsisting garden or spread it under a bush. Many people repot plants in spring I like to repot in the fall right as I bring the plants in for winter storage. This way in the spring the plants are ready to go right out and you can concentrate on all the other things you have to do in the spring. As always if your not having problems with you current system and your plants are thriving then hey go for it but always be aware that if you get pest they can kill your plants and possibly infest all your other plants.
For over thiry years, I have been reusing my potting soil and just topping it off with new potting soil in the spring. Only one year that I can remember, there was some kind of little gnats flying around when I brought them inside for the winter. Spraying Safer Soap on the leaves and soil after watering them each week, took care of the problem after about a month. For my outside plants, I just top off with fresh “garden soil” I buy in a 40 lb. bag, unless I repot them to larger pots. Then I just add compost to the bottom of the larger pot and put in a layer of the garden soil and fill in around the sides of the root ball. About the only time soil goes in my compost is when I take up tomato plants or whatever and shake it off the roots, then compost the plants. Go “Green” - It’s Great!!! (and important).
The larger roots from last year’s plant should be removed because they will consume valuable nutrients as they decompose. So, I remove and toss enough old soil to get rid of roots and re-use the rest after adding some organic fertilizer and new planting mix.
When I throw old potting soil into the compost, I do NOT look on that as “dumping” it! It will soon be reused in the garden and is a great recycling method. That way I get soil into the compost and I start with new clean soil in the containers.
In a whiskey barrel or container of that size, I top it off with new soil. It’s too heavy to get to the compost bin, and I’m too cheap to refill that every year!
I live in India where re-using and recycling are still a part of our lives. Through the year, I top up the plants with organic fertiliser. When we re-pot, we add fresh soil and lead mould. Most of the other replies have said just what I would have, so all I can add to this discussion is a quote that is said to have originated at a nursery: mud thrown is ground lost!
I have a 33′ x 2′ box across the front of my screenroom. At the end of the season I empty all my pots into that space … that space also loses some of it’s soil during the season so it helps keep it full. BUT I also compost, and some of that rich mixture adds enormously to the recycled soil. My nasturtiums love it!
if I dump the old soil in one of my flower beds.
I usually start with new soil in my pots and spread the old out onto my flower beds or garden…..I usually put either styrofoam or sawdust or something in the bottom of my LARGER pots…..takes too much soil. Seems to work good for me.
For indoor plants I would never ever re-use potting soil. For outdoor plants I have do both. My outdoor container plants are all emptied out in the fall so that I can store them inside one another for the winter. I then usually spread the old soil over poor sections of my lawn or in flower beds that could use extra earth. In the spring I always add manure, peat and compost and even some fresh soil so my flower beds are fine with the re-used earth. When I don’t empty out my containers and re-use the earth I always add manure, compost and slow-release fertilizer to my container soil so it is not lacking any nutrients in the soil. I also add chunks or pieces or styrofoam to the bottom of large plant containers for drainage and also to fill up the pots so I don’t need to use so much potting soil. (some of the plant pots and containers are extremely large now and would require an enormous amount of soil). Any excess soil I have would also go into my compost if it is not infected.
I always reuse soil. I buy a bag of fresh soil when im expanding, but also use the old soil. I have a large pot of compost i created myself and i mix that with the old soil along with fresh soil. I also keep rotating the soil to various pots. It works fine for me.
I reuse my soil each year but I do add to it every other year. I use potting soil, good quality brand, sphagnum moss and sand. Works well and I have never had a problem.
i reuse my putting soiul and mix it with some compost that been sifted and clean .I usually have two compost one that i donot throw any weeds or floers seeds into and I would use that compost that been age over the year or less
Thanks for all of the information.
I discovered coir for the first time this year and am concerned about throwing both the coir and the potting soil from my large containers away - or at least putting the mix in beds etc.
I do not want to go to the expense of buying both soil and coir again next year.
yes I reuse my garden soil. After the growing season ends I put all my used soil in one pile. Chop all the roots with a shovel untill the siol free of root clump.I then add my kitchen scraps eggshells,banana peals,apple peals,peaces of cereal boxes etc… mix debree well into soil with shovel. Over next couple months continue to mix soil once a month or so to help to decompse the organic material.Then finally about five weeks befor growing season begins you add some dolimite lime to nutralize the ph balance,because the soil tends to be a little acidic from the preaveas year of fertilazation grouth and the dcomposation of the organic material after you have completed this process you will be left with the richest most nutrient rich soil you can get and your garden will thrive. You will not need to add or buy more soil unless you require extra soil for garden expanion. Complete this process each year and acheave the same exelent results year after year wile saving money to good luck.