What does everybody do with container soil after a plant has died?
I'm talking specifically about a houseplant that may have kicked it for no apparent reason, esp. my over-wintering annuals that just don't like it indoors. If a plant is obviously infected w/ a disease, it goes in the trash of course. Annuals that I have let freeze in outdoor containers go into the compost and I plant anew in the spring (adding a little fresh container mix).
BUT... I have about a dozen indoor plant pots with dry, old soil in them, and more often than not, dry, dead plants. What do I do???
I will add that they are not all the same soil mix- some are bonsai, some succulent, etc.
What to do with used soil?
Hi, Melissa - From something I posted somewhere else:
In my estimation, the only case to be made for reusing container soils is one of economics, and you'll never find me argue against making that decision. If you can't afford it, you can't afford it. That said and setting economics aside, you might decide to reuse soil for reasons other than economical. Perhaps the effort involved with acquiring (or making your own) soil is something you might not wish to go through or be bothered with. In any case, it would be difficult to show that soils in a more advanced state of structural collapse can somehow be preferred to a soil that can be counted on to maintain its structure for the entire growth cycle of the planting. So, if the economic aspect is set aside, at some point you must decide that "my used soil is good enough" and that you're willing to accept whatever the results of that decision are.
All soils are not created equal. The soils I grow in are usually pine bark based & collapse structurally at a much slower rate that peat based soils, yet I usually choose to turn them into the garden or give them over to a compost pile where they serve a better purpose than as a container soil after a year of service. Some plantings (like woody materials and some perennials) do pretty well the second year in the same bark-based soil, and with careful watering, I'm usually able to get them through a third year w/o root issues.
Watering habits are an extremely important part of container gardening. Well structured soils that drain well are much more forgiving and certainly favor success on the part of the more inexperienced gardeners. As soils age, water retention increases and growing becomes increasingly difficult. If your (anyone's) excellence in watering skills allows you to grow in an aging medium, or if your decision that "good enough" is good enough for you, then it's (your decision) is good enough for me, too.
The phrases "it works for me" or "I've done it this way for years w/o problems" is often offered up as good reason to continue the status quo, but there's not much substance there.
I'm being called away now, but I'll leave with something I offered in reply on a recent thread:
"... First, plants really aren't particular about what soil is made of. As long as you're willing to stand over your plant & water every 10 minutes, you can grow most plants perfectly well in a bucket of marbles. Mix a little of the proper fertilizers in the water & you're good to go. The plant has all it needs - water, nutrients, air in the root zone, and something to hold it in place. So, if we can grow in marbles, how can a soil fail?
Our growing skills fail us more often than our soils fail. We often lack the experience or knowledge to recognize the shortcomings of our soils and to adjust for them. The lower our experience/knowledge levels are, the more nearly perfect should be the soils we grow in, but this is a catch 22 situation because hidden in the inexperience is the inability to even recognize differences between good and bad soil(s).
Container soils fail when their structure fails. When we select soils with components that break down quickly or that are so small they find their way into and clog macro-pores, we begin our growing attempts under a handicap. I see anecdotes about reusing soils, even recommendations to do it all over these forums. I don't argue with the practice, but I (very) rarely do it, even when growing flowery annuals, meant only for a single season.
Soils don't break down at an even rate. If you assign a soil a life of two years and imagine that the soil goes from perfect to unusable in that time, it's likely it would be fine for the first year, lose about 25% of its suitability in the first half of the second year, and lose the other 75% in the last half of the second year. This is an approximation & is only meant to illustrate the exponential rate at which soils collapse. Soils that are suitable for only a growing season show a similar rate of decline, but at an accelerated rate. When a used soil is mixed with fresh soil after a growing season, the old soil particles are in or about to begin a period of accelerated decay. I choose to turn them into the garden or they find their way to a compost pile.
Unless the reasons are economical, I find it difficult to imagine why anyone would add garden soils to container soils. It destroys aeration and usually causes soils to retain too much water for too long. Sand (unless approaching the size of BB's), has the same effect. I don't use compost in soils because of the negative effect on aeration/drainage. The small amount of micro-nutrients provided by compost can be more efficiently added, organically or inorganically, via other vehicles.
To boil this all down, a container soil fails when the inverse relationship between aeration/drainage goes awry. When aeration is reduced, soggy soil is the result, and trouble is in the making."
Al
The decision to re-use soil is one of convenience, too; if I don't have any "fresh" mix on hand, I always have a dead plant!
I, too, usually turn the soil into the compost or flower bed, but it seems ridiculous to keep spending $$ on "fresh" potting mix when I have so much already. Winter makes it tough to dispose of the old soil, too. (I like my snow-covered garden nice and neat!)
I generally dump it into my garden beds, unless of course there'd been some disease or insect problem, then it goes in the trash.
Yes, ercane, I do the exact same thing.
I also dump the soil into flower beds. We have a lot of clay, so anything added is beneficial.
I too throw it in garden beds.
Garden beds and patching low spots in the lawn.
No one reuses it in houseplants?
I have. It depends on how old it is.
Jax4ever,
I have some pots outside that I grow peppers in. During the cold months I let them die. When it gets warm I'll mix the soil up and reuse it for peppers or some other outdoor plant. Keep in mind that potting soil was higher than the average potting soil. I paid extra to get a good quality potting soil.
I never reuse it for containers. I guess if I had something that died after a month or two and the soil was still very fresh, then maybe I'd use it for another container, but normally my stuff lives at least for a full summer or so, and by then I figure the soil is starting to wear out a bit and it's better to dump it in the garden and get new stuff for the pots.
I just dumped most of my old soil into one container. It is very gravelly b/c I used to use gravel as drainage b/f I read Al's post on PWT and wicking. Since I reading Al's posts, I guess gravelly soil is a good thing- fast draining. I'm going to add some perlite, water crystals and some CRF and see what it looks like!
If you use it for plants you absolutely adore they're sure to die but if you use it for plants you're no longer fond of they'll probably thrive.
Half the time that's true of fresh potting mix too! LOL
Often enough! LOL
I should plant my Clivias in it- I am the only person on planet earth who can't keep one alive!!! I still try, tho'....
Do you allow them a period of rest without a drop of water? That's where most people fail with clivia.
yep!
...and very rootbound to the point of breaking the pot?
They never get that old!
LOL!
Maybe I should put them in teeny-tiny pots!
I save my used soil and soiless mix from dead houseplants in a big 55 gal drum and use it in the summer to fill baskets and whiskey barrels outside. I don't kill that many plants but I also throw the used soil from repots in late fall early winter!
I feed the first time with Bayer rose systemic and fertilizer and i have never had any problem. The holding barrel is out side my door and it does freeze in the winter! I don't know if that helps in any way!
Julie
Funny idea but it might work, Jax.
Jazzy - probably the cold doesn't cure anything but since you're only using it for baskets outside I'd continue with that policy unless something goes wrong. It's worked for me for very many years.
Ok. I wasn't sure if any insects could thrive or not in the frozen soil . I knew SOMEBODY here would help out!! Thanks Pirl!!
I think sowbugs can survive the cold and freezing weather just fine but that wouldn't keep me from using the soil. Here they feast on decaying matter but others have said the sowbugs eat the roots. I'm glad I have the well behaved ones.
Oh I don't care for 'em! But hey I went from hating bugs to Picking 'em off plants, catching my mice, and killin' spiders when necessary!! All in a good days gardening!!
Thanks Pirl.
When it comes to earwigs and slugs I show no mercy - ever!
Slugs are cute!!!
...And slugs are keen; they like to live in your latrine!
I usually get enough saved up to fill up my turkey roaster and bake it. If it is already moist that is good enough for me. If it is bone dry, I will wet it a bit. I bake it an hour on a cold day so I can get double use from the oven with it warming the room as it sterilizes my used soil.
Baking it kills the bacteria and weed seeds.
Charlene
Charlene,
Does it smell bad?
No smell at all usually. I think if it were to smell bad, I'd add about a teaspoon of bleach to a cup of water and add that to it.
Charlene
Charlene,
HUMPH?????
What temperature do you "cook" it at??
Are you sure one hour KILLS all bacteria??
I would love to do it in the winter too!!
Julie
I cook it at 450. I don't remember where I read it, but I think it was somewhere online. It was not my original idea. The article said it kills the bacteria and any weed seeds. I would think it would do so. I will try to find the article and post the link here.
Hey Char,
Great thanks for the info. i will try to hunt around. Maybe the new "tag" thing would work here.
I don't know! I don't know how this new tagging system is suppose to work or how you use it. i am not very puter literate!!
I am going to try your method. sounds good.
Julie
Bleach??? Yikes!
I have a container that I put used soil into. I usually mix it with leaf mold, soil from the ground where I intend to plant, and some fertilizer. If I have raised beds that need more soil it goes in there with leaves, etc. I find it to be a good soil conditioner when you have heavy soil.
Hey I just bought a brand new Turkey roaster!! You know the big babys! It was $5.00. I am
going to use it to cook my soil, well roast my soil! LOL!
I am going to plug it in the basement so i won't have to "small" any thing!!
Thanks All. I do like to make my own soil for some things. Especially some seedlings I really like to pot up in soil when they have leafed out. The potting mix does not have enough nutrients or small plants that I may grow on in the basement or for my perrienel starts. I do of foxglove , delphiniums and kale/cabbage
in July. These grow enough to be little babies that will blossom the following summer!! I would rather pot them in soil at that time of year as the pot mixes dry out too fast also!!
Thanks ALL!!
Julie