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Garden Gate:  Can you reuse potting soil?  |
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graciegreeneyes
True Blue Farmgirl
3107 Posts
Amy Grace
Rosalia
WA
USA
3107 Posts |
 Posted - Sep 09 2008 : 06:14:17 AM
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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" |
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Ms.Lilly
True Blue Farmgirl
826 Posts
Lillian
Scotts Mills
OR
USA
826 Posts |
Posted - Sep 09 2008 : 07:10:50 AM
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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 |
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gramadinah
True Blue Farmgirl
3557 Posts
Diana
Orofino
ID
USA
3557 Posts |
Posted - Sep 09 2008 : 07:13:47 AM
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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 |
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Marybeth
True Blue Farmgirl
6418 Posts
Mary Beth
Stanwood
Wa 98292
USA
6418 Posts |
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lisamarie508
True Blue Farmgirl
2648 Posts
Lisa
Idaho City
ID
USA
2648 Posts |
Posted - Sep 10 2008 : 05:54:11 AM
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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:
http://www.freewebs.com/lisamariesbasketry/index.htm |
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Annab
True Blue Farmgirl
2900 Posts
Anna
Seagrove
NC
USA
2900 Posts |
Posted - Sep 10 2008 : 4:13:37 PM
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| We usually turn ours into the comost pit too. The chickens usually end up giving it a good working over |
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asnedecor
True Blue Farmgirl
1054 Posts
Anne
Portland
Or
USA
1054 Posts |
Posted - Sep 11 2008 : 06:52:57 AM
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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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ddmashayekhi
True Blue Farmgirl
4815 Posts
Dawn
Naperville
Illinois
USA
4815 Posts |
Posted - Sep 11 2008 : 09:38:44 AM
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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 |
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Huckelberrywine
True Blue Farmgirl
1607 Posts
Michelle
Rosalia
1607 Posts |
Posted - Sep 13 2008 : 09:11:38 AM
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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 |
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Contrary Wife
True Blue Farmgirl
2164 Posts
Teresa Sue
Tekoa
WA
USA
2164 Posts |
Posted - Sep 15 2008 : 10:25:12 AM
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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 |
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Garden Gate: Can you reuse potting soil? |
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Can you reuse potting soil?
