How long is soil good for?

[bludmangrow]

Hey guys, so winter is comming and that means tent is going up I am unable to grow during summer due to temperatures getting to high in the tent. I got a bag of potting soil that has been stored in a cool dark area for atleast 2 years. I used the soil last winter without problems (1 year old that time). I am curious what you think of using 2 year old soil? It does not look or smell bad.

Peace!

 

[Greenlizard]

When it comes to soil, and compost I would think of it as a fine wine. The longer it sits the better it gets. I'm sure commercially packaged soil doesn't get much better but I really can't see it going bad.

 

[Billotto]

I'm not certain but I think it would be fine. I would guess it's the water leeching and the plant's uptake that depletes the soil.

Again, I'm no expert.

 

[TorturedSoul]

The partial bag of Fox Farm Ocean Forest that I bought (full) several years ago appears to be just fine, although it's dry as a bone and requires rehydrating. And the same for some Happy Frog (same brand). A mixture of the two grew several "food plants" in SMALL containers this year, and those plants produced almost as well as plants in previous years did with different brands of soil in larger five-gallon buckets did. I can't say that anything living in it would still be alive - although that's from lack of knowledge, not any specific doubt - and living soil might require some sort of rejuvenation, IDK.

The above should not be taken as a blanket statement, merely one person's limited observations with one brand of soil.

 

[Emilya Green]

I don't see any reason why a soil that had been kept dry and stored in a bag would not be viable for decades. It is also amazing how long microbes and fungi can stay in a hibernation mode. Nature will amaze you just how stubborn this thing called life is on this planet. Simply add water and rehydrate this soil, and life will continue. Add an AACT or a dose of recharge to get the microlife population up, and this soil should take off again right where it left off with all of its goodness still intact.

 

[Nunyabiz]

Soil could sit in a bag for a billion years and probably just get slightly better.
The nutrients are depleted by plants and to a degree fungus. (Can also be replenished by plants)
And even then you just need to reammend the soil to replenish nutrients.
And if you're using bottled nutrients then it really doesn't matter at all, the soil is nothing but a medium for the roots to grow into to support the plant.
It's like coco, it's got basically nothing in it, you feed it from a bottle.

If you grow 100% organic living soil then it needs to be amended, which can largely be done naturally right inside the pot by growing cover crops and adding worms, introducing fungus and various bugs like Rove Beetles.
Then a cup of various amendments like kelp meal, oyster shell flour, alfalfa meal, malted barley, basalt, fish meal, etc. Added before each grow and allow the worms to eat it and turn into Unicorn Poop.

 

[Billotto]

Unicorn Poop

Never heard that b4...that's a good one.

 

[bludmangrow]

I truely love this forum. Thank you all for answers!

 

[Canuckush]

I truely love this forum. Thank you all for answers!

Same here, it answed my question on soil too, I have half a bag of promix drying out until further use.

 

[BigD13]

Never heard that b4...that's a good one.

And if you water with angel tears, you'll grow some premo weed.

 

[TorturedSoul]

Never heard that b4...that's a good one.

I think I stepped in a pile of that, last time I ate... non-Epicurean fungi .