Breaking up root balls for recycling your soil

Dr. Who

Dr. Who

Well-Known Member
So after several hrs of bending over and feeling mighty old and sore after working at breaking up my used soil from 8 - 5 gallon pots and re-amending (still got 20 to go)......I got to wondering....

How do you guys/gals break up yours?
Got any short cuts?
Do them completely dry?
Right away after harvest?
Keep the roots broken up in, or screen it out?

Lets hear from all you re-amenders.....

I'll bet a whole bunch of us would find the answers interesting!

I don't really want to do no till.....so I'm not interested in that inevitable posting...
 
Indagrow

Indagrow

Well-Known Member
I used a course screen (1") and a rubber made underneath. A lot of ripping and tearing standing up over it then just a couple bashes against the screen.. Didn't want to kill myself and was OK with having some root matter, hopefully the microbes will be too? I still lose I'd say 1/4 gallon to the ball but oh well I just toss them into the compost anyways

Fabric pots can suck to get out but I found the root ball is easier to break up not exactly sure why maybe due to air pruning not making such a root matrix as in plastic pots

Edit: I cut low at the base, hang whole and let the pots dry before I try to reclaim.. Trimming comes first for me then making more soil for the next,next,next...next round (perpetual)
 
norcal mmj

norcal mmj

Well-Known Member
I pull out the taproot and leave all the small rots. Then break up what's left, after that I mix in my amendments, ewc and compost. After mixing the pile several times in a week I add water to make the soil damp. Then cover with a tarp for spring.

This is my first year reusing soil. So I'm not a expert. image.jpeg
 
greasemonkeymann

greasemonkeymann

Well-Known Member
a senile fungus said:
Toss it in the compost pile and make a new batch. Eventually the old root ball will make it's way into a new soil batch...
Click to expand...
I second this, I have two "sets" of soil, the ones that are rootbound after harvest get tossed in the compost, it also helps because the aeration get mixed back in too, but the roots are long decomposed before the leaves are.
I also do a no till for three runs. It is a hybrid of the two, but after three runs I need to re-amend.
I reamend/mix every calendar year, when my leaf-compost is done. Works like clockwork.
 
shredder4

shredder4

Well-Known Member
I grow no till, so I transplant into my no till pots, as soon as I can after harvest.

I cut out the old stem and root ball with a sharp bladed metal spade. I knock the dirt off the stem and root ball. Then I take the same sized pot as the new plant to be transplanted into that pot, to fill with soil and roots until the pot fits in the hole. Then the new plant goes in the old hole. The small pot filled with dirt and old roots that used to be in the large pot, goes back on as mulch over any top dresses at transplant..

That's it. I only mix soil once. I use 4 fifteen gallon pots under each 1K light. I start cuts when the moms go into flower, then at transplant they're about 15-25 inches tall depending, and in 1 gallon pots. The new plants are ussually root bound and love the bigger pots. New growth is fast, and they take right off.
 
qwizoking

qwizoking

Well-Known Member
i grab the trunk, pull out the pot.. grab my snips and just break it down right quick. takes no effort, i just add that to my big ass compost pile thats in a spare bedroom.

i reuse my soil, and add anything that i dont smoke. extract leftovers, trimmings, stems....

good stuffs
 
Abiqua

Abiqua

Well-Known Member
Dr. Who said:
So after several hrs of bending over and feeling mighty old and sore after working at breaking up my used soil from 8 - 5 gallon pots and re-amending (still got 20 to go)......I got to wondering....

How do you guys/gals break up yours?
Got any short cuts?
Do them completely dry?
Right away after harvest?
Keep the roots broken up in, or screen it out?

Lets hear from all you re-amenders.....

I'll bet a whole bunch of us would find the answers interesting!

I don't really want to do no till.....so I'm not interested in that inevitable posting...
Click to expand...

Time....I find the best is to just let them sit buried in older compost. With a moderate amount of heat and microbial activity...after a 6 weeks, sometimes, whats left of the stem is a brittle as burnt bacon by this time....The soil starts to smell, thats my 1st indicator...that
Earthy" smell actually is produced by actinomycetes :peace:
 
Richard Drysift

Richard Drysift

Well-Known Member
I got 2 tote bins: one for new root balls & one for cooking soil. After harvesting I usually leave the root ball with a stem sticking out of it for like a week or 2 until I get around to peeling off the smartpot. Once the root ball is in the tote it's usually bone dry so the main root stem will fall right out after chopping it up with my rusty ol shovel. Then I hydrate the dead soil & add some fresh EWC. A day or 2 later I add my amendments & mix it up real good. I will then add coco coir, perlite, & more water to hydrate it nicely & then let it cook for a month. Ez breezy....yup that earthy smell is when you know it's about done
 
hyroot

hyroot

Well-Known Member
I throw it in a tote or leave it in the pot and cover / top dress with worm castings and water with a seed sprout tea. A couple times. After about 1 -2 weeks all the roots break down. No need to remove them. The roots are food for microbes and full of nutrients.
 
Dr. Who

Dr. Who

Well-Known Member
I lied! :eyesmoke:
I'm enjoying the No-Till answers too!

Great stuff!

This is a really great thread, with wonderful answers all!

I was on my knees and envisioning with great contempt. A small chipper pointing down and myself gleefully dropping 28 - 5 gallon root balls in when the idea for the thread hit me.
 
cannakis

cannakis

Well-Known Member
Dr. Who said:
So after several hrs of bending over and feeling mighty old and sore after working at breaking up my used soil from 8 - 5 gallon pots and re-amending (still got 20 to go)......I got to wondering....

How do you guys/gals break up yours?
Got any short cuts?
Do them completely dry?
Right away after harvest?
Keep the roots broken up in, or screen it out?

Lets hear from all you re-amenders.....

I'll bet a whole bunch of us would find the answers interesting!

I don't really want to do no till.....so I'm not interested in that inevitable posting...
Click to expand...
Personally I have a bin inside for my current pots... Outside is my Fresh soil and next to that I dump all Completely finished flowering pots out there... I only go up to 2gl so I just dump into 5gl buckets break a little by hand and walk outside. Pile it up until it gets big THEN use a shovel add my amendments and mix and flip the pile and let it sit.

In the mean time I've got the other unused Fresh pile ready to go for all new girls. NOW I Do just dump the males into my bin inside and tear up the plant and let it degrade right there since they were only using a Little bit of dirt. Usually within a few days it's degraded... I just try to keep it simple. I was breaking my back and I'm a big boy when I was keeping the soil inside in bins flipping by hand. THE LORD blessed us with Minds and Tools so let's use them!

But yeah I usually just rip straight out of pot cut up or rip up then dump pot and break up by hand.
 
Dr. Who

Dr. Who

Well-Known Member
OH LOOK save BIG dollars on a mixer right now!

3 1/2c/ft 30+rpm for 199.00 at HF!

http://www.harborfreight.com/power-tools/mixers/3-1-2-half-cubic-ft-cement-mixer-67538.html

HERE'S A REVIEW

By PJ Farm

from Saucier, MS

About Me Professional


Pros

  • Delivery Speed
  • Price
  • Quality
  • Size
Cons

Best Uses

  • Mixing Potting Soil
Comments about Central-Machinery 3-1/2 Cubic Ft. Cement Mixer:

We use this in our greenhouse operation to mix our potting soil recipe. It's the perfect size. Quality is good. I highly recommend if for this application.

Bottom Line Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

Images shared by PJ Farm

Mixing potting soil.


Tags: Mixing Potting Soil, Pjfarm

I'm on my way!

I thought about this a year or so ago.....Pride made me not do it - 57 and pain has me on the way for it!
 
Dr. Who

Dr. Who

Well-Known Member
I use the big commercial curbside rolling trash containers for my soil storage. Traded some Blue Cheese for them from the local hauler....
2 bloom
1 veg
 
cannakis

cannakis

Well-Known Member
Dr. Who said:
OH LOOK save BIG dollars on a mixer right now!

3 1/2c/ft 30+rpm for 199.00 at HF!

http://www.harborfreight.com/power-tools/mixers/3-1-2-half-cubic-ft-cement-mixer-67538.html

HERE'S A REVIEW

By PJ Farm

from Saucier, MS

About Me Professional


Pros

  • Delivery Speed
  • Price
  • Quality
  • Size
Cons

Best Uses

  • Mixing Potting Soil
Comments about Central-Machinery 3-1/2 Cubic Ft. Cement Mixer:

We use this in our greenhouse operation to mix our potting soil recipe. It's the perfect size. Quality is good. I highly recommend if for this application.

Bottom Line Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

Images shared by PJ Farm

Mixing potting soil.


Tags: Mixing Potting Soil, Pjfarm

I'm on my way!

I thought about this a year or so ago.....Pride made me not do it - 57 and pain has me on the way for it!
Click to expand...
But my thing is you Still have to Load and Unload that mixer. Why not just have a big pile and use a shovel to just flip it... I don't know I just personally feel that compost bins and mixers end up being More work for me in the end. Remember Work is good for you its exercise... Just remember to keep Good Posture and keep that back locked!
 
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