Reusing my soil from last grow

[Canachris]

I'm trying to reuse my container of Coast of Maine soil, it was the cheep stuff not their premium shite. I used mostly organic nutes in it with just one feeding of miracle grow before flowering. It's dried out since March. I've gotten most of the rootball picked out, do I need to get all the old roots out? It has a nice earthy smell to it so I'm feeling OK with it. I have no funds to buy any new nutes , I have some roots organics terp tea grow 7-1-1 some key to kelp 1-0-13 and some seabird guano not sure the npk. I'm in a bit of a bind and this is my only option, I don't expect to grow a world beater I just need to grow. Any an all help appreciated

 

[HappyHazmat88]

Hey Chris good morning my friend.... So yes it is possible to reuse soil....I do it here and there for trial plants.

For it to be safe you must bake it in the oven to kill any pest, eggs, or mold/bacteria..... Baking soil will also destroy good bacteria as well, so you will need to amend the soil by giving it some kind nutritional value....like banana peals, ashes, Epsom salt, egg shells, and coffee....

But if your plant wasn't culled due to pest...or a disease/bacteria I would say your soil should be more than ok to use .. maybe a bit of perlite or some coco strands to keep the soil from turning into a mud pile when watered.

 

[SmokingWings]

I reuse my soil mixes many times over. As for the root mass, I leave the stem and roots in the container.

Every now and then I pour some water over the surface to keep all the soil moist. Within about a month I can start tugging on the stem, which most of the time look just like yours in the first photo, and before long I can pull it out and very few roots come with it. The rest of the root ball has started to break down and return to the soil which it came from. "Ashes to ashes, dust to dust and 'the circle of life'" and all that.

My belief is that all the nutrients, minerals, etc that the previous plant absorbed and then used to grow those roots are still there in the dead roots. The decomposition returns them to the soil where they will be part of that micro environment. They are water soluble so they will be among the first nutrients the plant absorbs while the micro-organisms are working on making the non-soluble nutrients available. The next plant will be able to absorb them along with any new nutrients it needs.

As for the Terp Tea Grow, keep using it if you were happy with it the first time around. Same with the Key To Kelp and most likely the SeaBird Guano (what is the brand). I have started to switch over to the Terp Tea Grow for the vegetative stage and into the first week of the flowering cycle. And then the Terp Tea Bloom for the rest of the time. Those two combined will cover all of the anticipated Calcium, Magnesium, Sulfur needs and several other of the minor & trace nutrients that are needed. If you can find a way to get the Bloom it will make life much simpler, at least that is what I have found.

I have dried Kelp and a Kelp extract and during the entire life cycle of the plant I will give a feeding of one or the other. I also give a dose of my high Phosphorous bird or bat guano about 10-14 days before the plant goes into the flowering tent. I let the Terp Tea Bloom take over the heavy lifting as far as nutrients go and that has been allowing me more time for other chores dealing with the indoor growing.

Fill the containers up to within a 1/4 or 1/2 inch of the rim. That will give the plants as much of the soil as possible. The more soil in the container the larger the world is for the plant and the root system. It will make a difference.

Every now and then buy a new bag of soil. When prepping for the next grow add it into the used soil to help give a boost to it.

 

[Canachris]

Well I broke up the roots and layered in some terp tea an kelp and watered it. It was all very dry and broke down nicely,it's not really wet yet I'm letting it absorb the water slowly. I know ya can't go by looks ... but it looks like it came right out of the bag

 

[SmokingWings]

I know ya can't go by looks ... but it looks like it came right out of the bag

Looking good. It does seem like it is working so you are on the way.

 

[garybo]

came right out of the bag

Canachris , put me down for 4 bags....lol.

 

[Swampdawg006]

I'm trying to reuse my container of Coast of Maine soil, it was the cheep stuff not their premium shite. I used mostly organic nutes in it with just one feeding of miracle grow before flowering. It's dried out since March. I've gotten most of the rootball picked out, do I need to get all the old roots out? It has a nice earthy smell to it so I'm feeling OK with it. I have no funds to buy any new nutes , I have some roots organics terp tea grow 7-1-1 some key to kelp 1-0-13 and some seabird guano not sure the npk. I'm in a bit of a bind and this is my only option, I don't expect to grow a world beater I just need to grow. Any an all help appreciated

I haven't been growing long, but I put the used soul into mulch bin. Let it cool for a couple months, I do add molasses to the bin once a week. Over the past few years I've added bat boxes to my yard and have about 50 bats in 7 boxes . I collect their shit and use it in mulch bin as well.

 

[Phytoplankton]

I re-use FFOF all the time, never had an issue. I pull out the main root/stem and leave the fine roots, just break ‘‘em up. Sounds like you’ve got it covered.

 

[Sativa1970]

Commercial greenhouses always grow more than they can sell of something. All of the unsold plants go in what looks like a giant tumbler. Separates most of the root balls stems and leaves and aerates the soil. Plant matter is composted for next season. The soil that falls out the bottom is dumped into a "concrete mixer" with some compost to be reused. Unless there is an uncontrollable pest problem, soil is never thrown away.

 

[SmokingWings]

Commercial greenhouses always grow more than they can sell of something. All of the unsold plants go in what looks like a giant tumbler. Separates most of the root balls stems and leaves and aerates the soil. Plant matter is composted for next season. The soil that falls out the bottom is dumped into a "concrete mixer" with some compost to be reused. Unless there is an uncontrollable pest problem, soil is never thrown away.

Throwing it away would be throwing money away. There are labor costs paying to mix up soil and do the planting, sometimes some transplanting, and feeding and watering over the late winter just so they can have have enough for the spring rush. And, the costs for the soil, amendments, etc. It all adds up.

 

[Savvage61]

I have a friend that uses recharge and never has an issue I buy FFOF in bulk so I start with a fresh batch at least for now I put m,y old OF in the wifeys garden she gets kick buTT maters (THATS REDNECK HILLBILLY FOR TOMATOES) SRY CAP LOCK MESSING UP i DO PLAN ON STARTING TO REUSE IT FDOR MY PLANTS AGAIAN SRY CAPS this key board is going tro be my new target for my gun range

 

[cbdhemp808]

I just did this yesterday... took an old smart pot full of homemade soil that was sitting in the greenhouse, and collected it all into a wheelbarrow... probably about 15 gal worth. Then I proceeded to get it ready for 3 new plants that needed up potting from 1 gal to 5 gal pots. This was old soil from maybe 2 years ago. I mixed it around and removed a bunch of small stones. I removed a little bit of old root clumps. Then I added Down to Earth nutes... oyster shell powder, dolomite lime, seabird guano (P), bat guano (N), greensand, and gypsum. Then I added about 3 gallons of coco coir, and a bunch more perlite. Then I added about a gallon of pure water, and mixed thoroughly by hand. After that I added 2 gallons of fresh worm compost from our worm bins, and blended that in well. When I up potted, I put some Mykos in the hole. Once in the new pots, I watered well with pure water, mainly around the 1 gal root mass zone, and a bit outside the zone. Happy plants!

 

[HopHead]

I've recycled soil for many years. I use a plastic garbage can in the basement as my compost bin. Used soil, leaves, chopped up stalks all go in the composter. I add water and mix the contents occasionally. When ready to use I add nutrients to boost the soil. I add blood meal (nitrogen), bone meal or bat guano (phosphorus), wood ashes (potash), sea kelp and worm casings. I also add a dry peat based growing medium with lots of perlite in it. When mixed with the wet compost I end up with a soil with just the right amount of moisture. The added nutrients break down over time and don't pose a problem of being too hot. If pest show up in the soil then the soil should be heated to kill them. Before adding the blood meal, etc. I put the soil in an old metal pot and stick in an oven thermometer. I put the pot in the oven and heat the soil to 180 F. Let it cool down, add the nutrients and it's ready to use. More perlite can be added if the soil gets too compact. I've found with this soil mix I don't have to add any nutrients during the grow.

 

[Sativa1970]

The biggest problem with reusing soil is over amending too much and burning plants. If a little is good then a lot must be great, mentality. Depleted soil will under perform and slow growth but hot soil kills plants. For perspective compare hydro numbers. My filtered tap water is .2 EC. The plants grow fine with no deficiencies at just .4EC. At .7EC They can begin PH drift and lock out. Use a light hand when amending, you can always top dress more but you can't pull it back out.

 

[Canachris]

This is what it looks like 10 days later. I know you can't go by looks, but it also has that walk in the forest smell

 

[Sueet]

Needs perlite

 

[Canachris]

It's like you red my mind