Can I use the soil from previous grows?
- Thread starter Benelli
- Start date
trailerparkboy
Well-Known Member
ive never done tried but ive always seen other ppl anwser no...maybe if ur doin an organic grow tho
seasparrow420
Member
would like to know as well
TheTokingKing
Active Member
I use the spent soil to fill my rosebeds and garden areas. Works wonderful
Dinosaur Bone
Active Member
Its like a battery. If you dont re-charge a battery it is useless.
Re-mixing it with "food" would be fine. There are various "super soil" recipes on here. OR put it in the composter, or rosebeds.
Re-mixing it with "food" would be fine. There are various "super soil" recipes on here. OR put it in the composter, or rosebeds.
The reason you should think twice about re-using your soil is the same reason farmers/gardeners rotate their crops--to discourage infestations from disease and pests. What happens is that during the first grow, your plant is likely to pick up a virus or fungus of some sort. The numbers that infect your plant are initially small, but they grow and multiply, so that by the end of the season the plant may be fine, but the population of the bugs has increased a thousand-fold. If you re-use the same soil, by the second or third year the numbers may be high enough that they'll threaten the health of a new plant. You can get away with it for awhile, but why take the chance?
And yes, composting is the best thing to do with your old soil. Properly composting will not only make the soil richer, the heat from composting will kill anything you may have picked up..
And yes, composting is the best thing to do with your old soil. Properly composting will not only make the soil richer, the heat from composting will kill anything you may have picked up..
woodsmaneh!
Well-Known Member
IMHO
You should not re-use any medium that u use chemical fertilisers on. It's cheap so toss it out.
Now if you grow organic you can re-use the soil but need to freshen it up with compost and whatever u are using.
I grow in raised 4x8x1 (feet) boxes and don't flush and have no run off. I re-use but add the required food, sheep manure, Sea & Land compost, Blood & Bone meal after every harvest. Every year I add 50 pounds of worm castings. I screen everything I pull out and use for transplanting my clones and they love it. All I do is water and some time make a tea. I do water with molasses.
You should not re-use any medium that u use chemical fertilisers on. It's cheap so toss it out.
Now if you grow organic you can re-use the soil but need to freshen it up with compost and whatever u are using.
I grow in raised 4x8x1 (feet) boxes and don't flush and have no run off. I re-use but add the required food, sheep manure, Sea & Land compost, Blood & Bone meal after every harvest. Every year I add 50 pounds of worm castings. I screen everything I pull out and use for transplanting my clones and they love it. All I do is water and some time make a tea. I do water with molasses.
fabfun
New Member
when i but plants into flower in 1 gal pots and the males show i cut stem at soil level and dump pot into a bag and smack it then shack root ball and remove it then transplant females into 3 gallon pots and use soil from males but i wouldnt do it with a male that has busted pollen sacs im talking about killing as soon as u see signs of male
Spanishfly
Well-Known Member
Lot of the usual BS being spouted here from people who have never done it.
YES, of course you can re-use soil, farmers do it every year.
I put what soil I have left (most of it is replaced by roots) together with the roots in the top of my composter, I add green and brown materials as they become available. After a year or so I get a rich brown humus from the bottom. I fortify that with some manures and lime and some drainage material. Excellent nutritious growing medium.
YES, of course you can re-use soil, farmers do it every year.
I put what soil I have left (most of it is replaced by roots) together with the roots in the top of my composter, I add green and brown materials as they become available. After a year or so I get a rich brown humus from the bottom. I fortify that with some manures and lime and some drainage material. Excellent nutritious growing medium.
Spanishfly
Well-Known Member
Whatever derogatory LABEL you care to give it, that is how I reprocess my soil. And it works very well.
mlore
Well-Known Member
i found this in google:
Overview
If, for economic reasons or for the sake of recycling, you choose to reuse your previous season's potting soil, you must properly sterilize it before you use it again. Old soil carries all the dangers of fungi and soil-borne pathogens that may have been present with the old plant. Placing soil in an oven or microwave removes the potential of transferring these pathogens. After sterilization, the soil will need a quick boost with a water-soluble, complete fertilizer.
In the Oven
Step 1
Moisten the soil lightly, place it into an oven-proof container, and cover it with a lid. Extension.org suggests placing a piece of foil over the container if no lid is available. Do not spread the soil more than 4 inches deep, suggests Laura Pottorff of Colorado State University Extension.
Step 2
Place a thermometer into the soil, and set the oven between 180 and 200 degrees F. Do not allow the temperature to go over 200 degrees, as this may produce plant toxins, says the Colorado State University Extension.
Step 3
Cook at 180 to 200 degrees for 30 minutes, and then remove from the oven. Allow the soil to cool, and do not uncover until ready to use, as cooking the soil creates a stench, says extension.org.
In the Microwave
Step 1
Fill a plastic microwave container with moist soil and cover with foil. Poke holes in the foil for ventilation.
Step 2
Cook the soil at 200 degrees using the microwave's temperature controls, and cook for 20 minutes.
Step 3
Remove from the oven, and tape over the ventilation holes to keep the soil sterile until used, suggests the Colorado State University Extension.
hope this helps people.
Overview
If, for economic reasons or for the sake of recycling, you choose to reuse your previous season's potting soil, you must properly sterilize it before you use it again. Old soil carries all the dangers of fungi and soil-borne pathogens that may have been present with the old plant. Placing soil in an oven or microwave removes the potential of transferring these pathogens. After sterilization, the soil will need a quick boost with a water-soluble, complete fertilizer.
In the Oven
Step 1
Moisten the soil lightly, place it into an oven-proof container, and cover it with a lid. Extension.org suggests placing a piece of foil over the container if no lid is available. Do not spread the soil more than 4 inches deep, suggests Laura Pottorff of Colorado State University Extension.
Step 2
Place a thermometer into the soil, and set the oven between 180 and 200 degrees F. Do not allow the temperature to go over 200 degrees, as this may produce plant toxins, says the Colorado State University Extension.
Step 3
Cook at 180 to 200 degrees for 30 minutes, and then remove from the oven. Allow the soil to cool, and do not uncover until ready to use, as cooking the soil creates a stench, says extension.org.
In the Microwave
Step 1
Fill a plastic microwave container with moist soil and cover with foil. Poke holes in the foil for ventilation.
Step 2
Cook the soil at 200 degrees using the microwave's temperature controls, and cook for 20 minutes.
Step 3
Remove from the oven, and tape over the ventilation holes to keep the soil sterile until used, suggests the Colorado State University Extension.
hope this helps people.
Spanishfly
Well-Known Member
So this is something you found on GOOGLE - nothing you have done yourself then.
A MICROWAVE container !!!! FFS, we are taliking about 200 litres or so here. Not little pots that fit in the microwave.
Some of these kids that have only ever grown tiny pots under little lights just have no idea. And other kids tell them brilliant post +rep.
JESUS preserve us all.
Look guys, some of us larger yielding growers do not use little pots that will fit in your mom´s microwave - we are talking large volumes that cost a LOT, that is why we recycle it. Just makes you want to give up sometimes.
mlore
Well-Known Member
wtf dude. i thought you was okay man, youve helped me a few times so why you having ago at me for man. i am no dopey kid. i may be young but im still in my twentys. i was only trying to help someone out.
you dont need to use the microwave for it anyway. if you have a big enough oven you can do it in there, but obviously you may need to do it a few times depending on how much soil you got. i went looking for infomation because i was also interested on how to do it too. i may use my old soil. and i would like to let you no im not using tiny pots that fit into the microwave haha. and im not using lights, im outdoors.
you dont have to put your nickers in a bunch man. was only trying to find some infomation for someone jeez. a
NBKA
Active Member
Recycling is good my friends!
Spanishfly
Well-Known Member
Just what I was saying!!!!!