Here’s The Best Use For Your Old Potting Soil

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Here’s The Best Use For Your Old Potting Soil

We are preparing our gardens and pots for winter now. It seems a waste to throw out depleted potting soil, but is it safe to reuse it? And if so, how? There are a variety of answers and ideas out there, so let’s get started.
First of all, yes, you can reuse old potting soil. But, and this is a big BUT, you need to approach the potting soil reuse knowledgeably. Not all potting soils are created equally, but even those higher quality ones will most likely be nutrient depleted at the end (if not before) of the growing season. Organic potting soils especially may suffer.

“In conventional potting soil, synthetic fertilizer can provide most of the food a plant will need for a while, but organic growers must rely on compost, which often doesn’t provide enough nutrients to last long in a pot” writes gardening expert Craig Idlebrook.
If you hope to reuse potting soil for your next growing season, you will need to choose a way to replenish nutrients. One way is to compost. Dump your old potting soil into a bin or pile and add manure (chicken manure in moderation is perhaps one of the best), leaves, grass clippings, coffee grounds and old vegetables. Composting doesn’t work as well over the winter, since decomposition slows down when the temperatures chill. Plan to leave the bin or pile composting over the coming summer…..more here