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soil

Reuse potting soil

Dennis Bangham

pollinator

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Location: Huntsville Alabama (North Alabama), Zone 7B

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posted 5 years ago

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How to sterilize old potting soil and peat pots for use in future gardens?
Is heat treating recommended or place out in the sun? or should I try compost tea?

Other people may reject you but if you lie in the forest floor for long enough the moss and fungi will accept you as one of their own!

Tj Jefferson

pollinator

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Location: Virginia USDA 7a/b

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posted 5 years ago

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Dennis, why are you sterilizing it? for seed sprouting or upsizing. I don't sterilize for upsizing. I really don't sterilize per se, just collect the old potting soil in a wheelbarrow and keep it really wet and turn it several times. My best best potting soil for tree pots has been this nasty rancid mix of wood chips and coco hulls I forgot about that I aerated a few times with a pitchfork in the garage while it dried out over a few weeks. There were fruiting bodies all over the place. I let it get pretty dry, reconstituted it and planted. These were honeylocust seeds though. Little seeds might have competition, there was some crabgrass that didn't compost entirely but only a few.

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Bryant RedHawk

gardener

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Location: Arkansas - Zone 7B/8A stoney, sandy loam soil pH 6.5

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Unless you are going to reuse soil that had an infection problem (in which case it is best to incinerate it) I have to agree with Tj, there isn't any need to sterilize potting soils.
The exception would be if you are going to use it for growing mushrooms, in that case steam sterilization in an autoclave or pressure cooker would be the way to go.

Redhawk

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Dennis Bangham

pollinator

Posts: 926

Location: Huntsville Alabama (North Alabama), Zone 7B

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posted 5 years ago

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Thanks Dr. Redhawk and TJ.

Other people may reject you but if you lie in the forest floor for long enough the moss and fungi will accept you as one of their own!

Bryant RedHawk

gardener

Posts: 6814

Location: Arkansas - Zone 7B/8A stoney, sandy loam soil pH 6.5

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you are most welcome Dennis

Hayley Stewart

Posts: 68

Location: Zone 5ish, Ontario, CA

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posted 3 years ago

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Tacking on a question onto this thread - I recently moved into a place and there are two massive bags of potting mix in a storage room off from a greenhouse that are both open. Looks like a mouse dug a hole into the side of one but - I was wondering if this would be okay to use for some winter sowing? As far as I know they are anywhere from one to ten years old (they belonged to an elderly lady).

I work for the man but plant for the pollinators~

Bryant RedHawk

gardener

Posts: 6814

Location: Arkansas - Zone 7B/8A stoney, sandy loam soil pH 6.5

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posted 3 years ago

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I can't think of any reason to not use tbat medium. I would add some mushroom slury to add moisture, some milk would add lactobacilus too so the potting medium is bioactively started.

(Let milk sit out in a bowl until it has warmed to ambient (room or outdoor) temp, longer is better since that allows airborn bacteria to settle onto the surface too).

Redhawk

Hayley Stewart

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Location: Zone 5ish, Ontario, CA

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posted 3 years ago

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Bryant RedHawk wrote:I can't think of any reason to not use tbat medium. I would add some mushroom slury to add moisture, some milk would add lactobacilus too so the potting medium is bioactively started.

(Let milk sit out in a bowl until it has warmed to ambient (room or outdoor) temp, longer is better since that allows airborn bacteria to settle onto the surface too).

Redhawk

Wow thanks Bryant! This prompted me to look into mushroom slurry - holy crap that is COOL. Apologies for my unbridled newbie excitement.

I work for the man but plant for the pollinators~

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