I had tons of pots on the patio this Spring, and now am left to clean them up from the freeze about a month ago. What do you do with the old soil? Put it in the compost bin? None of the plants had any disease that I saw, so I don't think the soil is contaminated or anything.
Old Soil in Pots?
Being ever so thrify I have used it to fill holes in my yard, I have added it to compost and I have added to existing beds being sure to dig it in.
As long as it's clean I think your ok.
The same here, you could even mix it with your other potting soil for larger plants, but I would not use it to start cuttings or seeds with.
Better to have new soil for that purpose.
Josephine.
My husband thinks im nuts but I put it in a big glass dish a zap it in the microwave for about 5min. then add some compost to it and use it again.
I either dump it in the garden or use it to fill the bottom half of 25 gallon pots.
I have heard about microwaving soil and it makes sense to me.
I think Paul James (on HGTV's "Gardening By The Yard") addressed this just last weekend. As long as the plants were not diseased, he said it's no problem to add the soil to the compost pile or to add to fresh potting soil for re-potting plants.
Be careful dumping Miracle Grow potting soil that has fertilizer in it in your beds if it has not been heated. I added it to my beds one year and it developed a fungus that killed my plants. I had to remove all of the soil and replace it. I also had dumped it from my pots into some low areas working it into the soil. It also contained some kind of fungus which killed some shrubs. It states on the package to replace the potting soil in your containers with new potting soil. I thought this was stated just so one bought more of their potting soil each year. Now I know why. Maybe I just bought a batch of contaminated potting soil. The Miracle grow potting soil my Mother and my brother purchased around the same time did the same thing. I never use Miracle Grow potting soil any more.
Interesting that you should mention problems w/ MG soil- I don't use it and haven't for a while because I read that the fertilizer that they add to the potting soil was responsible for lots of folks like us, hobbyists if you will, losing many plants, especially seedlings. I really try to find potting soil w/o the additives, but boy is that getting hard.
I use it for the bottom layers when I'm trying to fill up a real big pot--cuts costs of filling huge pots.
I toss my old soil into my "dirt box" and then use it when I don't have anything else to use or to mix it in with raised beds.
For pots and such - i now just buy plain old peat moss (in the big cubes) and add perlite and vermiculite to it. you're right - It's hard to find mixes that do not contain fertilizers already.
I'm trying to change from the peat moss to coco coir, but having a hard time finding it in as big a packs as the peat moss cubes.
Maybe I will try your recipe, peat, vermiculite & perilite; a lot of the commercial potting soils are just so heavy and hold way too much water.
Why are you trying to change to coco coir?
vermiculite is pretty pricey these days isn't it? or maybe I just thought I read that somewhere......
Some one in the AV forum says it's pretty cheap @ Home Depot.- large bag, small price.
I was at Lowes today and the lady in the garden dept. says they have coco coir, but she didn't know if it was in large sizes.
I use seed starting mixture myself for most things. I'm in the "I never have time to mix it myself and am too lazy to do it" club myself! lol
Yes I always say I will do it but never seem to get around to it. I am quite accomplished at procrastination!
I too do not use prefertilized potting soil. Especially when it is hot and the plants need to be watered a lot or we receive too much rain (what's that?), too much fertilizer is released. Seedlings especially can't tolerate it. Home Depot used to carry the best potting soil I had ever used (Lambert's Professional Potting Soil) and it was cheap as well. It never pulled back from the container nor harened as it dried, held moisture well and could be used over and over again. But, they quit carrying it. The Florida Growers Association recommended it. I have used 1 part sphagnum peat moss (the kind that is used to cover up the base of flower arrangements), 1 part peat moss, 2 parts perlite and 2 parts compost. This mixture was found to grow healthier and better blooming plants by the Connecticut Agriculture Department. The sphagnum peat moss retains water, provides aeration and resists airborne diseases. I have mixed seed starte with cheap bags of potting soil (with no fertilizer). My cuttings are doing well in this mixture,.
Thanks for the recipe!
For you guys who use MG potting soil, I use MG GARDEN SOIL. And I wont use anything else. I even use it to amend the soil in the ground. All 93 of my Hosta pots have Garden soil it and I never lost one yet. I know it make a difference because the area where I didnt use it in my raised bed is hard as a rock. There is a big difference in the Garden soil and the Potting soil.
Sylvia
Last year I read a warning about using MG for new seedlings- in essence they were saying the fertilizer was too strong for young plants; I have no personal experience, I believe that I may have used MG once or twice w/o any deliterious effects.
I actually read a warning about MG potting soil that in the second year you have fungus frowth on the top layer--I like April, have no personal experience--there has just been alot of warnings about MG potting soil in the last couple of years.
edited to say fungus growth--although it does look rather frothy!
This message was edited Jan 21, 2006 12:26 PM
The reason for coco coir is that its a renewable resource. Peat is not. I personally prefer it to peat. It doesnt seem to have the wetting problems that peat has. I have used it in potted plants and to lighten up some garden beds with no problems at all. I havent had any luck finding it for sale in Houston, so I order it from Spray n Grow. What they have is under the brand Gro-Bric. 1 "bric" is about the size of...well..a brick, however it expands to about 6 lbs. of product, not bad for 2.95. I have seen coco coir on other web-sites in larger amounts, but to me the 'brick sized bric', is just a more managable size.
txgrdn--I see what you mean. If it expands that much a "bale" size like they used to sell peat moss in might expand enough to swallow your car! Or worse yet you! We can't afford to loose you or any of our gardeners....we are such an endangered species.
I have found the coco coir in bricks at Petco, in the section for reptile products. It's commonly used as bedding for them. I live within a few miles of Texan Agri Products, and noticed when I picked up soil the last time, they now sell bales of the coir. I'll ask them next time how much it is.
I knew that peat was not a renewable resource, just wasn't thinking or was thinking that maybe there was some specific gardening reason like "...it's better because...bigger veggies...brighter blooms....whatever." I was looking for a smaller reason and overlooked the bigger and more obvious rationale. Thanks for the reminder and thanks for the info on coir- will have to try it!
There may be issues with how peat is harvested, but peat is renewable and for the sake of diversity, it should be harvested and managed. In some areas peat need to be preserved intact. In other areas, peat is spreading. Coir is cheap partially because the labor is nearly unpaid. I for one will continue to support our Canadian brothers as long as they are managing their peat supply in a constructive manner.
Just FYI, I did find Coir at Wabash Feed on Washington.
Oh man, environmental issues vs. social issues- don't you just hate to have to make those sorts of decisions?
I will stick w/ peat. I am all for preserving/saving the environment, but I place a higher value on people/social issues. Of course, each to her/his own. Thanks for the information throneofyord.
Whoever was looking for the Coco coir--Lee valley has it in bricks $2.25 page 29 in catalog and they will have it online too.
April you sound as if you are ready to throw in the towel. LOL ...... like my Hosta buddies, they are all involved in shape, size and color of the leaf ... and how to tell one from another. I cant put myself through all that. I just love the plant that I love. lol
Sylvia
Southwest Fertilizer in Houston is where I get all of my organic stuff. You might want to try there for the coir.
I quit buying MG potting soil when they changed the mixture. It is not as good but is also way to expensive. My seeds and cuttings are started in my own mixture I make.
Sunnytx,
What is in your mixture?
Sharon
I have heard about SW fertilizer, just haven't made it there. People I know highly recommend them.
HYPERLINK@davesgarden.com]
Sylvia