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soil Re using previous seasons soil?

Valleyman

Valleyman

What are your practices about handling the potted soil from the previous years grow? Do you re use it? Re use it with the addition of new compost, nutrients, ect.? Or do you make a new batch annually? 
 
That's a lot of cost & material to fill 3-5gal containers
 
Thanks!
 
Imo I wouldn't use it unless the bag of soil was completely sealed up.
Old opened soil w/o being properly sealed can grow mold or harmful bacteria and the nutrients will break down over time.
 
At the end of the year I dump all my pots into a big pile.  Let winter take care of it then re-use it the next.  As long as you didn't have any issues with disease go for it.
 
Thanks
 
Because of the amount I like the idea of one big pile winterized then revitalize it come spring. I did mostly 3 gallons this season but by adding to this years batch, I'll be going up into the 5 gallon size
 
Thanks!
 
millworkman said:
At the end of the year I dump all my pots into a big pile.  Let winter take care of it then re-use it the next.  As long as you didn't have any issues with disease go for it.
Click to expand...
 
What's the difference between dumping all the pots into one pile versus just leaving the soil in their pots outside?
 
millworkman said:
At the end of the year I dump all my pots into a big pile.  Let winter take care of it then re-use it the next.  As long as you didn't have any issues with disease go for it.
Click to expand...
 
 
BrianK said:
Why not turn it into compost if to are able? Mix in some browns and greens and then you'll have supercharged soil for next year.
Click to expand...
 
 
Nightshade said:
I re use just add new nutrients and stuff
Click to expand...
 +1+1+1
 
Composting is great
 
I either dump into the garden for the following year....or dump it into a container I can close up.  The next year I mainly use it for the bottom fill in the pots (maybe about 1/4 of the pot), then fill the rest with newly mixed soil / nutrients...etc.
 
I have used it again. Will flush with water to rinse all the salt from nutrients the year before. Can let dry a bit leave a little moist black trash bag and let it bake in the sun will kill about any thing left alive in it.

Jason
 
I reuse the same container soil every year.  At end of season it stays in the pot along with the pepper root hairs that ripped away from the center root ball the past fall when the plants where pulled out.  At the beginning of spring I dump a few pots' soil at a time into a large washtub and mix in a few shovel fulls of compost from a pen I add all kinds of vegetative kitchen scraps to all year long to build up over time, and add some less than composted brown material like dried up pine needles, spanish moss that grew on nearby oak trees, chopped up stems from last year's peppers, bark, and anything else fibrous lying around the yard throughout the year that looks like it'll contribute to fluffy soil, in addition to coffee grounds and crushed egg shells.   
 
The plants are happy, I'm happy.   There's no way I would buy fresh soil every year unless I had some specific use for the old soil like building a raised garden or similar.  I've never had any problem with harmful bacteria or disease doing this but any compost I add that was green material (not listed above except as kitchen scraps) is fully aged before it goes in a pot mix. 
 
I should also add that I use synthetic fertilizer because I am evil :hell:   and that added nitrogen component in it compensates for the nitrogen leeching that happens when the brown material I added decays... but then I get it back to available by the next growing season.  To me that is the key, think one season ahead because there's a lot of vegetative *trash* that you might as well use instead of burning or setting at the curb for garbage collection.
 
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