Hello Friends!
We will start this topic with few simple questions - How Long Does Potting Soil Last?
Does the garden soil we use in our containers has an expiry.
Does it need to be changed often?
So, Today we will learn on this topic and use 5 simple steps to revive or rejuvenate
expired or old garden soil.
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The soil is the most important growth medium for plants which provides them the necessary
nutrients and moisture for proper growth.
The useful life of a potting soil depends on whether or not it is currently in use.
Todays focus is mainly on unused potting soil and how to recharge it with few simple steps.
The regular or the used potting soil with plants growing in it has the necessary activities
in it like the beneficial microbial activity and you feeding the plants regularly with
fertilizers and so on.
So what happens with Unused potting soil.
It actually lasts roughly about six months before it degrades in quality with depletion
of nutrients and the beneficial microorganisms go into dormancy that is a state of inactivity.
But one point to remember: the used soil with plants growing in it should be replaced every
one or two years for best results in container gardening.
Now the 5 Important Steps to Reuse old potting soil and revitalize it:
1.
Remove old plant matter like the roots, twigs or leaves.
Pull out any dead plants and weeds and other garden debris.
2.
Fluff and till the soil, make a layer of about 3 to 4 inches.
Break up any large clods as you loosen the soil.
And sprinkle some water on the top and Dry it in sunlight for atleast a week.
You can cover with a polythene sheet after 2 days so that weeds do not invade this layer
and also this protects from rains if any.
One Simple Hack here to check whether the soil is ready for further processing.
Squeeze a handful of the soil into a tight ball.
Flick the ball with your fingers.
If it falls apart, the soil is dry enough to work.
If the ball retains its shape or only develops a slight dent, the soil is too wet and must
dry for some more time before you can proceed to revitalize it.
3.
Soil PH Test � This step is Optional.
You can do a soil ph test before and after the process of adding nutrients.
Based on this you can adjust the nutrients to properly adjust the soil ph to your desired
level.
You can check related videos on this like wood ash in gardening, and also Vinegar or
Alum in gardening to make it more acidic or alkaline and many other similar videos at
my channel.
4.
Adding nutrients to the soil - Mix it with fresh compost like decomposed cowdung powder
or any Compost at a 1 :1 ratio or atleast 30 percent.
To combat fungus and other harmful pathogens organically you can add about 10 percent Neem
cake powder if available.
Optionally you can add some gypsum and lime dust and other nutrients or components like
bone meal powder, little Epsom salt, and other stuff, like how we make our all purpose or
the universal potting soil.
You can check out my video on this topic from a card linked at top right corner of this
video.
5.
Mixing: Mix it thoroughly � this is also an important step so that your containers
get everything right in proper proportions � neither too less nor too much.
6.
Then lastly, If you do not plan to use it right away, Always store the soil covered
and in dry areas with low humidity and away from dampness.
So there we have it folks, that was todays episode on recharging old unused garden soil.
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Happy Gardening!