Reuse old soil plan?

FatBoyVik said:

Hey people,

I have a quick question related to using my old soil as I would like to figure out if I can use it again. I bought lots of "living soil" from Eco thrive and it seemed good quality but I had some temp problems which caused me issues. I culled the plants and all of the old soil and root balls are in a large plastic container. I have checked and there are no signs of fungus gnats (which I have alot of in the home unfortunately) and the roots have been removed.

If I put boiling water on it, then water with a water hydrogen peroxide solution and then throw it in a composter and add neem meal and EWC and a compost tea would it be suitable to use again? I don't really just want a just add water grow and I would be open to using an all in one organic fertiliser like house and garden bio 1, as I can imagine some nutrients would be missing from just adding EWC and Neem meal.

Whats the opinions on this plan? Are there clear problems I will run into or could it give me good bud? or would you make changes?

Any input appreciated.

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GenericEnigma said:

I've recycled my soil for years so far. It's home-built. I have never sterilized or done anything unusual, just dumped, broke up the root ball, added amendments, and refilled.

I recommend getting a RapidTest kit. It will show you the soil's balance and has recommendations for amendment quantities based on test results. It only tests NPK and pH, but is cheap and done at home.

The test kit helps establish a baseline, but the plants themselves are the best indicators. I opted to use the test kit because the plants I grow and mother have significantly different nutritional needs. It may not be necessary for your needs.

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weedstoner420 said:

You can definitely reuse it. I would not bother trying to sterilize it unless you had some bacterial or fungal pathogen that affected your last crop (not just fungus gnats).

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amneziaHaze said:

No idea how it would work with hydrogen but i guess if you trow some mycos at the end it should populate the soil.

I usually fill my flower pots with trim and fanleafs after harvest.and next year its all dirt.dont know how fast root would go.

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GenericEnigma said:

I've recycled my soil for years so far. It's home-built. I have never sterilized or done anything unusual, just dumped, broke up the root ball, added amendments, and refilled.

I recommend getting a RapidTest kit. It will show you the soil's balance and has recommendations for amendment quantities based on test results. It only tests NPK and pH, but is cheap and done at home.

The test kit helps establish a baseline, but the plants themselves are the best indicators. I opted to use the test kit because the plants I grow and mother have significantly different nutritional needs. It may not be necessary for your needs.

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FatBoyVik said:

Thank you, I will see if I can get this kit in my area as if seems like a good idea. Do you just amend so you can water only or do you add some fertiliser?

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Tolerance Break said:

Is there a brand you would reccomend?

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FatBoyVik said:

When you say trim do you mean trim from harvest leaves or just normal ones?

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