I need tips on reusing soil

Smoke · July 9, 2013

I chopped down everything but my mators & raddichio.I'm growing in pots.Soil has had about 2-3 months use.Its pro mix ultimate organic mix(green bag).I put it in a couple containers & chopped it up to loosen roots & help it dry.

Idk what I should do next.Plan to bag it when it dries,all i know what to do

RayR · July 10, 2013

That's fine if your not going to grow anything else in it this season.
Some of my pots have the same soil when I started them 4 years ago, i just freshen then up each season with compost, fresh potting soil, organic fertilizers and other amendments.
You'll need to reinoculate with mycorrhizae next time since they won't survive without living roots.

COMPOSTER · July 11, 2013

Quote:

Originally Posted by Smoke

I chopped down everything but my mators & raddichio.I'm growing in pots.Soil has had about 2-3 months use.Its pro mix ultimate organic mix(green bag).I put it in a couple containers & chopped it up to loosen roots & help it dry.

Idk what I should do next.Plan to bag it when it dries,all i know what to do

I do not even bag my soil I just leave it in the pots. However I am using regular garden soil and not a Pro mix type of soil. Every spring I take about 20% of the volume of the soil out and do similar to RayR with the exception of the reinoculation step. I actually empty the pots, mix all the ammendments into the soil and refill the pots. Then when I plant I add a couple good size handfulls of compost and a teaspoon of lime to the planting hole. I do not use any chemicals and have been using some 5-10 gallon containers with the same soil for 10 years or more. As you can see from my location I do get a good freezing Winter to kill a lot of diseases organisms and this may be why this has worked for me so far.

Glenn

viewsaskew · January 3, 2014

I've not had any success keeping soil for years in containers - depending on the soil mix, 2-3 years was max and that wasn't a peat-based mix. When I tried it with a peat-based mix, in one season the peat had broken down into a mushy, soggy, decaying mess. There was no aeration for the roots at all - it was like planting in peanut butter, lol.

Disease is a concern for me. While some things would die in cold, many things do not - and those are the ones I'm worried about. I grow a lot of older varieties of tomatoes and many are not resistant to things that are not killed by cold. Fusarium is killed at high temps - I've seen 140and 180 F listed - holding it at that temp for an hour. But, it doesn't matter - neither temp is easy to achieve in a container or a bed. Phytophthora types can withstand freezing - some types survive to -25 F, according to an article I read.

If you save anything, consider rotation just as you would of any other soil. A couple years ago, I couldn't find an ingredient I use in an indoor potting mix I use for gesneriads. I decided to reuse some. I rinsed out the peat, but saved the chunky parts. I even heated it in the microwave, using a thermometer to keep the temp where I thought it should be. At the same time, I was unintenttionally careless with some plants I had in quarantine. I moved one, by mistake, into my collection, after repotting it (and saving that soil). Fast forward to me in full PPE as I had to use nasty chemicals to wipe out two types of mites and root mealies the had spread to many plants. Because I'd not been worried, I'd moved plants between containers and then had no idea how many were affected, so I had to treat every plant - hundreds of them. I lost several kinds that are hard to find and I may never be able to replace. I know we're talking something else, but the principles apply.

Lots of people are lucky - I know I haven't been and I won't ever do it again.

MrsJustice · January 4, 2014

Quote:

Originally Posted by viewsaskew

I've not had any success keeping soil for years in containers - depending on the soil mix, 2-3 years was max and that wasn't a peat-based mix. When I tried it with a peat-based mix, in one season the peat had broken down into a mushy, soggy, decaying mess. There was no aeration for the roots at all - it was like planting in peanut butter, lol.

Disease is a concern for me. While some things would die in cold, many things do not - and those are the ones I'm worried about. I grow a lot of older varieties of tomatoes and many are not resistant to things that are not killed by cold. Fusarium is killed at high temps - I've seen 140and 180 F listed - holding it at that temp for an hour. But, it doesn't matter - neither temp is easy to achieve in a container or a bed. Phytophthora types can withstand freezing - some types survive to -25 F, according to an article I read.

If you save anything, consider rotation just as you would of any other soil. A couple years ago, I couldn't find an ingredient I use in an indoor potting mix I use for gesneriads. I decided to reuse some. I rinsed out the peat, but saved the chunky parts. I even heated it in the microwave, using a thermometer to keep the temp where I thought it should be. At the same time, I was unintenttionally careless with some plants I had in quarantine. I moved one, by mistake, into my collection, after repotting it (and saving that soil). Fast forward to me in full PPE as I had to use nasty chemicals to wipe out two types of mites and root mealies the had spread to many plants. Because I'd not been worried, I'd moved plants between containers and then had no idea how many were affected, so I had to treat every plant - hundreds of them. I lost several kinds that are hard to find and I may never be able to replace. I know we're talking something else, but the principles apply.

Lots of people are lucky - I know I haven't been and I won't ever do it again.

I agree with you when gowning heirloom tomato plants in reused potting soil to avoid Disease . At this time of year many people put unwanted fruits and vegetables into the trash. If you take all your leaves from your yard "ANY REUSED SOIL and left over vegetables {No meat} in your garden area, your dirt turns into Farmer'S Gold. But always use sterilized soil or fresh potting mix each year.

KarenO · January 3, 2014

I re-use mine forever, adding compost and composted manure and\or topping up with fresh potting mix as needed. every year. (peat based planting mix). I also leave it in the pots just moistening it, stirring it up and mixing in the fresh additions every spring. We have very cold winters so no disease or insects overwinter in the pots. I use a good granular slow release fertilizer at planting time as well. basically, potting mix isn't soil and to me it is more of a matrix for roots to grow into and that holds moisture and nutrients for the plants but in pots that moisture and those nutrients needs to be provided by you, on a regular basis to be successful in growing healthy plants. This is why it is fine to re-use potting mix as long as you replenish the nutrients used by your plants. sometimes, in smaller pots and baskets the roots get really tight and it's not possible to re-use that basketful of potting mix. That goes into the compost to break down.
KarenO

July 9, 2013	#1
Smoke Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: indiana Posts: 18	I need tips on reusing soil I chopped down everything but my mators & raddichio.I'm growing in pots.Soil has had about 2-3 months use.Its pro mix ultimate organic mix(green bag).I put it in a couple containers & chopped it up to loosen roots & help it dry. Idk what I should do next.Plan to bag it when it dries,all i know what to do

January 3, 2014	#6
KarenO Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Vancouver Island Posts: 5,931	I re-use mine forever, adding compost and composted manure and\or topping up with fresh potting mix as needed. every year. (peat based planting mix). I also leave it in the pots just moistening it, stirring it up and mixing in the fresh additions every spring. We have very cold winters so no disease or insects overwinter in the pots. I use a good granular slow release fertilizer at planting time as well. basically, potting mix isn't soil and to me it is more of a matrix for roots to grow into and that holds moisture and nutrients for the plants but in pots that moisture and those nutrients needs to be provided by you, on a regular basis to be successful in growing healthy plants. This is why it is fine to re-use potting mix as long as you replenish the nutrients used by your plants. sometimes, in smaller pots and baskets the roots get really tight and it's not possible to re-use that basketful of potting mix. That goes into the compost to break down. KarenO Last edited by KarenO; January 3, 2014 at 05:26 PM.

July 10, 2013	#2
RayR Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Cheektowaga, NY Posts: 2,466	That's fine if your not going to grow anything else in it this season. Some of my pots have the same soil when I started them 4 years ago, i just freshen then up each season with compost, fresh potting soil, organic fertilizers and other amendments. You'll need to reinoculate with mycorrhizae next time since they won't survive without living roots.

January 3, 2014	#4
viewsaskew Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Zone 6A Illinois Posts: 10	I've not had any success keeping soil for years in containers - depending on the soil mix, 2-3 years was max and that wasn't a peat-based mix. When I tried it with a peat-based mix, in one season the peat had broken down into a mushy, soggy, decaying mess. There was no aeration for the roots at all - it was like planting in peanut butter, lol. Disease is a concern for me. While some things would die in cold, many things do not - and those are the ones I'm worried about. I grow a lot of older varieties of tomatoes and many are not resistant to things that are not killed by cold. Fusarium is killed at high temps - I've seen 140and 180 F listed - holding it at that temp for an hour. But, it doesn't matter - neither temp is easy to achieve in a container or a bed. Phytophthora types can withstand freezing - some types survive to -25 F, according to an article I read. If you save anything, consider rotation just as you would of any other soil. A couple years ago, I couldn't find an ingredient I use in an indoor potting mix I use for gesneriads. I decided to reuse some. I rinsed out the peat, but saved the chunky parts. I even heated it in the microwave, using a thermometer to keep the temp where I thought it should be. At the same time, I was unintenttionally careless with some plants I had in quarantine. I moved one, by mistake, into my collection, after repotting it (and saving that soil). Fast forward to me in full PPE as I had to use nasty chemicals to wipe out two types of mites and root mealies the had spread to many plants. Because I'd not been worried, I'd moved plants between containers and then had no idea how many were affected, so I had to treat every plant - hundreds of them. I lost several kinds that are hard to find and I may never be able to replace. I know we're talking something else, but the principles apply. Lots of people are lucky - I know I haven't been and I won't ever do it again.