Re-using Container Soil

[Ed]

We have a lot of planters, containers, and large pots full of annuals. Would
like to re-use the potting mix. Any input would be most appreciated.
--
Captain Ed

[Chris[_14_]]

On Aug 27, 9:54 pm, "Ed" > wrote:
> We have a lot of planters, containers, and large pots full of annuals. Would
> like to re-use the potting mix. Any input would be most appreciated.
> --
> Captain Ed

I toss it into the compost for a year. While it's depleted of
nutrients, the texture is still superb, and I wouldn't waste that.

Chris

[Frank]

On Aug 27, 9:54*pm, "Ed" > wrote:
> We have a lot of planters, containers, and large pots full of annuals. Would
> like to re-use the potting mix. Any input would be most appreciated.
> --
> Captain Ed

I reuse mine but amend by removing top few inches and adding dirt and
fertilizer.

[Nanzi]

On Aug 27, 9:54*pm, "Ed" > wrote:
> We have a lot of planters, containers, and large pots full of annuals. Would
> like to re-use the potting mix. Any input would be most appreciated.
> --
> Captain Ed

We reuse ours by putting into a flowerbed that needs amending. Our
soil is heavy clay and the good texture of the potting soil plus some
compost and peat is renewing it.
Nan

[Phisherman[_3_]]

On Wed, 27 Aug 2008 21:54:49 -0400, "Ed"
> wrote:

>We have a lot of planters, containers, and large pots full of annuals. Would
>like to re-use the potting mix. Any input would be most appreciated.

Not good to re-use potting soil. The soil is most likely depleted of
nutrients and may contain diseases.

[David E. Ross]

On 8/27/2008 6:54 PM, Ed wrote:
> We have a lot of planters, containers, and large pots full of annuals. Would
> like to re-use the potting mix. Any input would be most appreciated.

Several things can go wrong with reusing potting mix. Nutrients are
depleated by the plants that were growing in it. Its organic components
are further decomposed, changing the nature of the mix. Salts can build
up from both tap water and fertilizers.

When I repot a plant, I might reuse half of the old potting mix and add
fresh mix for the other half. (See my recipe for do-it-yourself potting
mix at <http://www.rossde.com/garden/garden_potting_mix.html>.)

As mentioned earlier in this thread, the half of the old mix that I
don't reuse I put in my garden. It still has more organic matter than
my adobe clay soil, and any salts will leach away.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean
Sunset Zone: 21 -- interior Santa Monica Mountains with some ocean
influence (USDA 10a, very close to Sunset Zone 19)
Gardening pages at <http://www.rossde.com/garden/>

[paghat[_2_]]

In article >, "David E. Ross"
> wrote:

> On 8/27/2008 6:54 PM, Ed wrote:
> > We have a lot of planters, containers, and large pots full of annuals.
Would
> > like to re-use the potting mix. Any input would be most appreciated.
>
> Several things can go wrong with reusing potting mix. Nutrients are
> depleated by the plants that were growing in it. Its organic components
> are further decomposed, changing the nature of the mix. Salts can build
> up from both tap water and fertilizers.
>
> When I repot a plant, I might reuse half of the old potting mix and add
> fresh mix for the other half. (See my recipe for do-it-yourself potting
> mix at <http://www.rossde.com/garden/garden_potting_mix.html>.)
>
> As mentioned earlier in this thread, the half of the old mix that I
> don't reuse I put in my garden. It still has more organic matter than
> my adobe clay soil, and any salts will leach away.

"Reusing" pot mix should probably be restricted to recycling it into the
main gardens. The reason NOT to do so would be because it was a badly
chosen & never a good product to start with. It's unfortunately very
common for potting soil products to mix in with lots of non-soil
ingredients, like polymer pellets or other alleged super-absorbant toxic
trash that is frankly a scam on gardeners. They usually appear as white
speckles in packaged soil mixes and should be strictly avoided in favor of
true organic potting soils.

Polymers are the equivalent of mixing styrofoam packing peanuts into the
garden, & Frank Shields of the Soil Control Lab in Watsonville California
has shown polymer products actually retard moisture retentention and can
kill some plants (killed cucumbers in test samples). "Super absorbants"
sold with the promise of cutting down the need to water much are one of
the half dozen worst tricks played on gardners by scam artists posing as
garden supply companies, whose real goal is to take something that would
otherwise cost a lot to dispose of as toxic waste (like polymers or
rubber) & sell them to easily conned gardeners for an enormous profit.

But the issue of nutrient depletion in a pot full of dirt is a red herring
if "reuse" is in the garden rather than the next pot. Even sand or peat
mixed into soil can be profitable to gardens, nutritionally inert
ingredients being important to overall soil health. And the small amount
from a planter scattered about is at worst innocuous.

One exception I would make to reusing soil mediums one pot to the next pot
is some of the stuff used for epiphytes -- orchids or orchid cacti. Some
"large chunk" mixes of rock-bark-etc are void of nutrients to start with
and as good second time around as first time, and can even be
steam-sterilized without injury to its worth.

-paghat the ratgirl
--
visit my temperate gardening website:
http://www.paghat.com
visit my film reviews website:
http://www.weirdwildrealm.com

[beecrofter[_2_]]

On Aug 27, 9:54*pm, "Ed" > wrote:
> We have a lot of planters, containers, and large pots full of annuals. Would
> like to re-use the potting mix. Any input would be most appreciated.
> --
> Captain Ed

Add coarse organic material, such as sifted compost loosely shaken
through 1/2 - 3/4 mesh to replace organic material that has been
consumed..
What happens to your old container mix is the organic material is
consumed or breaks down into a fine muck. Because fine muck lacks
decent pore space for the roots to respire you need to also add coarse
pearlite or masons sand to open things up a bit. In addition before
adding the new materials I would really flood old stuff with water to
leach out the salts that buildup.

Use new mix for seed starting as the seedlings are more susceptible to
diseases like damping off and the like.

If you tend to overwater then add more coarse sharp sand or peralite
than you think you might need, it drains faster and adds pore space.

[Marie Dodge]

"Ed" > wrote in message
m...
> We have a lot of planters, containers, and large pots full of annuals.
> Would like to re-use the potting mix. Any input would be most appreciated.
> --
> Captain Ed

I reuse mine for several years unless it looks like it's starting to
compact. It then goes to the compost pile and I start again. A little
composted cow manure is added each spring when I loosen the soil to plant
the flowers.

[Bill R]

Chris wrote:

> On Aug 27, 9:54 pm, "Ed" > wrote:
>
>>We have a lot of planters, containers, and large pots full of annuals. Would
>>like to re-use the potting mix. Any input would be most appreciated.
>>--
>>Captain Ed
>
>
> I toss it into the compost for a year. While it's depleted of
> nutrients, the texture is still superb, and I wouldn't waste that.
>
> Chris

I usually compose my container's soil at the end of the season (late
October). I make sure that it is well mixed with anything else in the
compositor. By spring it is ready to use again.
--
Bill R. (Ohio Valley, U.S.A)



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[George.com]

"Ed" > wrote in message
m...
> We have a lot of planters, containers, and large pots full of annuals.
> Would like to re-use the potting mix. Any input would be most appreciated.
> --
> Captain Ed

leveling out the lawn & filling hollows.

rob


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