soil recipe shelf life?

[wonder6977]

I don't think this has been asked yet, but here we go; I have a large amount of soil I made with the subcool super soil recipe. it has been sitting in a tote in the basement for about a 14 months, and its pretty dry. but not completely. is this soil going to be good to use, or do I need to remix it? anyone know an estimate on the shelf life of a soil recipe?

 

[wonder6977]

Update: just turned the soil and found a good dampness under the top half of the soil so I'm assuming its good to go.

 

[Banana444]

Should be fine. I dont think dirt goes bad. When you buy a bag of potting soil that stuff sits in a warehouse, then a truck, then the store, sometimes well over a year before you get it, if its not sold in season. I bought a bag in winter once anf the guy was like its frozen, how will you use it. Lol, I said all the dirt on the ground freezes every year and it thaws every spring and is just fine.

 

[st0wandgrow]

I don't think this has been asked yet, but here we go; I have a large amount of soil I made with the subcool super soil recipe. it has been sitting in a tote in the basement for about a 14 months, and its pretty dry. but not completely. is this soil going to be good to use, or do I need to remix it? anyone know an estimate on the shelf life of a soil recipe?

Should be fine. I'd moisten it down with a compost tea which should kick it back in to gear

 

[neonknight420]

It's dirt, I have a lot of it that I'm currently using now that was mixed up 2 years ago. It seems to get better with age, It really mellows over time.

 

[Pattahabi]

Should be fine. I'd moisten it down with a compost tea which should kick it back in to gear

Correct answer imo. Dry soil = dead soil. It doesn't go bad, but you do want to kick start that microlife. I would add a compost tea before I planted into it if possible. Make sure you keep a good layer of mulch on top your soil.

P-

 

[wonder6977]

Why mulch? will that help hold in moisture or something?

 

[Pattahabi]

Why mulch? will that help hold in moisture or something?

Exactly. The top couple of inches of soil are very important to keep the SFW working at it's full potential. Dry soil = dead soil. You want live soil if you are growing organically imo. I prefer leaf mulch over straw, but use what works and what you have available. When using leaf mulch be sure the trees were not sprayed with chems.

 

[keysareme]

I don't think this has been asked yet, but here we go; I have a large amount of soil I made with the subcool super soil recipe. it has been sitting in a tote in the basement for about a 14 months, and its pretty dry. but not completely. is this soil going to be good to use, or do I need to remix it? anyone know an estimate on the shelf life of a soil recipe?

Dude, its cooked and fully alive now. Good work man.

 

[wonder6977]

Ok, I have a few bags of mulch from lowes left over from yard work, can I use it even if its red? Or would it not be a good ide because its been sprayed? How can you tell if its been sprayed?

 

[Pattahabi]

Wonder, I don't have a lot of experience with wood chip mulches. I would be hesitant to add a cedar mulch. In the past, I have used leaves from trees and dynamic accumulators (comfrey, chamomile, lavender, horsetail, etc). I usually try and get somewhere around 2" of mulch. Here's a quick picture of a plant with mulch.



Peace!
P-

 

[JRTokin]

That is one beautiful looking plant pat! Its obviously working out for you with the soil