What I do is at the end of the season I dump all my potting soil into a giant bin and put some composting worms in there. I then feed them all my food scraps over winter and they put nutrients back in the potting soil. Then in the spring I throw in some slow release fertilizer and rock dust and voila!
@@sohnegirlnot a stupid question 😊 What I use for composting worms, which live in a bin and eat my garbage and produce lovely worm castings, are "red wigglers," eisenia foetida. I don't know about using earthworms. Good luck!
Just a note: i use a mask and gloves when mixing any potting mix, soil, fertilizer, perlite etc since i had a nasty fungal growth in my sinuses years ago. I need surgery to remove it. There's a lot of nasties that you can breathe. Better safe than sorry.
@@TowardGardenoh and I just sift out the old roots from the potting mix and throw it in my garden and dig it in. It's mostly small pots. Is there any problem with that which I haven't considered?
Deep dark composts are full of nutrition, but buying them from the garden center is a little expensive, so I prefer to make my own compost. Simply leave the dead vines, branches, and leaves in the raised beds during the winter and when the temperature warms up, they should become nice and fresh compost. LOL
I saw in another video here in UA-cam that the old rootballs can be reused as filling material in the bottom of large pots. I’ll be doing that soon this week.
I’ve been using the same soil in the same pots for 10+ years for tomatoes. I break up the soil and add a cup of 10-10-10 into the planting hole area. Then fertilize 1/2 strength miracle grow for tomatoes after a few weeks and continue fertilizer through summer. My tomatoes do very well, currently 4’-5’ tall. So yes you can reuse old potting soil.
good stuff my friend i use MG shake n feed when i reuse mine just add 10-15ml of it i also dont remove roots just the big root ball and it works great for my pots
That works. I break the roots up and leave them in the soil, they break down extremely fast into compost and feed the soil;plants. Used potting soil can always be recharged. Also, watering with liquid fertilizer helps.
Great video. I guess I've been doing it right..?! Once the rootball and most roots are out, I add 1-2 gallon of Worm Castings, and 2 gallons of Perlite, along with some BAS Craft Blend plant food, Insect Frass, and Dolomite lime, per 10 gallons of reused Peat/Coco/Perlite soilless mix. Then re-amend the same way as above. Saving money, and having better soil each run, is what most will experience, from all I've learned.👍
This is something worth doing...most of the potting soil I have come across recently is mostly wood chips, and thats from well known companies... same with mulch, all lumber wood from saw mills! Cheap and nasty stuff. They say its organic, will break down. Yea in a few years maybe.
For the bagged mulch, you are completely right. On the potting soil, although they will have wood chips, most of the materials should be composted and broken down. If not, then as you say it is not worth using them. Thank you for your comment!
Nice video. I just add my old potting soil to our composter, we have a tumbler type. I add it a bit at a time, usually when the compost is almost ready to use. I do use your basic method when replanting our GreenStalk. I just remove old roots and maybe the first inch or so of soil to the composter, and add chicken manure pellets and a bit of fresh potting soil. Cheers
The visual videos are so helpful! Do you make your potting soil the same way when starting new bags? I know you have listed the recipes but seeing what “1 part to 3 parts” etc is so nice! Thank you
Basically yes, the same way. "parts" just mean portions, you can replace it with like 1 shovel to 3 shovel, or 1 scoop to 3 scoop, etc.. Maybe I will try to make a short video on making the new potting soil (thanks for the idea). So glad you found the videos helpful and thank you very much for your comment!
@@TowardGarden That video will be so helpful if you can ! I have those small carrots growing, radishes, Swiss chard, cabbage and turnips based on your videos. Next will be planting squash,eggplants and the mini love watermelons. I will attempt to make that trellis you made as well with the bamboo sticks !
@@TowardGarden your welcome! I live in the desert and the dirt looks like a light gray no nutrients, so I add the coffee grounds with manure and store bought compost and also fallen leaves work it all in and by spring the soil sould be nice and rich ,
Cheaper to buy new compost. I place my old compost in a spare green 'Wheelie bin'. Adding regular green waste as i go. Throw in some worms that pop up when gardening. Add torn paper, cardboard, saw dust, grass clippings for the correct nutrient balance. Costs nothing and can be used the following year. Rinse and repeat every year. I wheel the bin to where i want the compost when i come to use it.
The method I showed is good if you want to reuse the soil immediately. For soil with blight, it is better to compost the soil so the high temperature kills the blight, and reuse it after the composting process is complete (usually after few months). Hope this helps and thank you for visiting!
Thank you for the video. Should this be done in the spring or fall? I have been removing the plants in the fall and leave the soil in a garbage can in the garage over the winter. Can I add the additives in the spring? What is the best way?
There is no specific rules for this. I have done both, add material and used right away, or add fresh material and keep it in container to be used months later. Both will work. Thanks for visiting.
Peat moss doesn't have any nutrient valve and cannot be replace for manure. For the fertilizer, if you check the direction on the Gia Green, it says 3 Tbsp per gallon, so for 10 gallon would be 30 Tbsp or 1.9 cups. For organic fertilizers being a bit off is not a problem. Happy gardening and thank you for visiting.
Had a giant bucket i used for a small plant that eventually took over the whole bucket. Sometime later, when i needed that soil the roots were all mixed in. But the bug diversity was somehow on point, maybe from the draining holes id made. But still rolly pollies should be a beneficial bug for the soil right?
Rolly pollies are fine for breaking down the compost material. But be careful not to add them to the potting soil, once they run out of compost material, they will start chewing on the roots. Thanks for visiting.
I cut down the stem of peppers and let it stay in pot over winter so most of the roots break down naturally... this way you dont need to remove so much stuff from the soil when reusing it in spring.
If your fertilizer dosen't contain any calcium, then yes, you can add garden lime for calcium deficiency and to adjust soil ph if acidic. Thank you very much for your comment!
I reuse the soil and add amenities a little water but I mix the soil in an electric cement mixer the amenities are for what ever variety of plants that I will be growing it works absolutely well. And I don't have to go out and purchase potting soils.
I’m clueless on all things gardening and need some help. I have a couple bags of topsoil still sealed and one opened but still half is in the bag. I have these all together in the bags in a plastic bin with lid on my back porch. I’m in the Southeast so it’s starting to get warmer now. I use the soil and mix it with other stuff for my reptile terrariums and add isopods to my terrariums. Should I open the soil up and let it breath…will mold grow? Should I add anything to it? I’m so lost. Thanks :)
I don't know exactly what condition is best for terrariums but if you don't use the top soil for gardening, then I don't think storage should be a problem. The only issue is the infestation by fungus gnat. If you don't see any fly or gnat activity, then it is ok. I would remove the soil from the plastic bag and keep soil in the container directly. It will let you to mix the soil once in a while for aeration and mold control. Not sure if this was helpful, but thank you for getting in touch!
@@sohnegirl Depending on the weather, the moisture level of the soil will change with lid on or off. I prefer to have a garden netting cover amzn.to/3JUWZgJ and a loose lid. It protects against pests and keeps the soil somewhat moist. Thanks.
It is just to protect my hands. I noticed when mixing my skin is rubbed more against the soil with more scratches/scrapes . So I use gloves when I mix, vs showing the results is just picking a handful of soil. Thank you for getting in touch!
Thanks for your video! Regarding the measurements - do you just eyeball it and if I'm off with my measurements - it's not a big deal? I'm not good at eyeballing, unfortunately.
For the measurements, you can use any units that suits you . It can be a bucket, a shovel, a handful,.... And no, it doesn't have to be exact, even eyeballing is ok. I have a video on how to make potting soil where I show how to do the mixing parts, You can check it for reference: ua-cam.com/video/Xdi9kwEA_X0/v-deo.htmlsi=6Mr0pfh1Fw_0j6Bi . Hope this helps and thank you so much for your comment!
Used potting soil is almost out of any organics and there is nothing there for it to cook. If you add fresh organic material like compost, then yes you can leave it for a while to decompose/cook. The idea here is to reuse it almost immediately. I have practiced this method for years with great results, but definitely you can find many other gardening solutions that work too. Just sharing what works for me best. Happy gardening and thank you getting in touch!
I have a question: Why remove the old roots? Can't you leave as organic material that will give nutrients to the soil? Maybe just cut it into small pieces?
Leave them in small pieces? Sure you can, but unless they are fully composted, which will take a long time, it won't provide any benefit to plants. Otherwise you can use them as a filling material like coir or peat moss. Thanks for visiting.
I do the lazy thing. I throw them onto the pile of rabbit poop, straw, wood chips and other animal waste. We move the hutches a couple times a year, so we have a few mounds in various stages of composting. After about six months the various garden and container plant waste (like the rootball & dirt combo) is about half broken down. The large wood chips are still chips shaped, but have turned dark brown and break up easily in the hand. I use this as organic filler and as a bottom layer for plants I want a porous water reserve with anaerobic decomposition. This is my long winded way of saying that if you want to use it all and not be too bothered with extra work, you can find your own niche use for it. Like you could just remove the root ball and dirt combos, throw them all in a plastic tote a couple drain holes, add some water and just forget about them for six months or until they break down to the level you desire. There are even some plants that grow well as pioneers on the top of said compost piles. I recently tried some potatoes and they did pretty well. I also had the blackest dirt by the time I harvested them.
I am so glad you posted this video. I do the same thing.. I subscribed as well a few weeks back. I just love your videos very educational.. thank you..
@@TowardGarden you're welcome.. you're most welcome to sub as well if you want. I send thank you's to my new subscribers and would love ALL the advice I can get as well..
I have reused my pots for years...I do exactally what it shows on the bideo..the only thing I do different is pull out the old plants in the fall and refresh soil in the spring
I guess its a topic for a vid... but who gardens or farms, for that matter... that doesn't refresh their soil. potting soil is no different. Sometimes I use compost or put the old potting soil in my compost for later or just steer manure, lots of ways. I one time used the same potting soil in a 5 gal bucket for 3 years for my cayenne peppers. they did just fine - So hot and delicious.
The idea is to reuse the soil quickly. Not everyone has compost pile and it will take months for the compost to be ready. So, not that simple. thanks for leaving a comment.
While warm casting is good for soil and provide plenty of microorganism, plants will benefit from them if the soil already has some organic nutrients and the worm casting will help plants to absorb them. The problem with just relying on worm casting is that it is not a great source of nitrogen which is needed for greens and herbs. If you just want to use worm casting, I think your plants need to be fed by something like fish fertilizer which is nigh in nitrogen. Hope this helps and thank you for visiting!
Premium products demand premium prices. At Nature's Way Resources leaf mold compost, 1 bag = 1 cu.ft = $15 {screened fine} OR $10.80 {screen coarse}. The Kellogg Fruit Flower and Vegetable Organic Garden Soil 3 cu.ft {$11.45} is currently out of stock at Home Depot and Lowes, but the 2 cu. ft {$8.97} is available. Now, for those who have are on a tight budget, would the The Kellogg Fruit Flower and Vegetable Organic Garden Soil 2 cu.ft have the same results in production on your channel instead of buy the premium products?
Gardeners Chicken Manure 1-cu ft Organic Compost and Manure Provides Organic Nutrients is also out of stock. I wonder if it's still too early in the season for the stores to carry chicken manure.
If any sterilizing, I would do it only for seed starting mix, and not for potting mix. You want as much as good bacteria and fungi for a heathy soil. Hope this helps and thank you so much for getting in touch!
I loved your video, I am just a bit confused about the part where you say organic fertilizer "with calcium". It's nightime here, SO, maybe my ferts, (as in the slow release kind) that are in my greenhouse DO contain calcium, BUT, I am not sure, and I don't like to go outside in the dark here since we have bears and coyotes. SO, IF maybe they do NOT contain calcium, I DO have some lime, and also a sort of soil additive that has calcium AND sulfer in it for adding calcium to soil that a person does NOT want to be alkaline, since adding LIME can make the PH of the soil you add it to become more alkaline. Sorry that I can't just go out and look at the bags of my soil ammendments right now, but, bears....etc. I also DO have a marine based organic fertilizer and MAYBE it has a good bit of calcium from the shells of sea creatures? ANYHOW, can you maybe tell me a type of calcium rich fert? I will be growing tomatoes in my "newly replenished" soil btw. I do hope it's something I already have since even in winter, I'd been buying soil ammendments galore. Well, I guess that's my problem, BUT, maybe give me a suggestion of a high calcium soil ammendment that won't affect PH? Maybe I'm asking for the impossible?
Yes, garden lime is great source of calcium. usually if the fertilizer contains calcium, it would say on the packaging. And most of the tomato fertilizers do have calcium. Glad you love my videos and thank you for your comment!
@@DeveronLong Thank you for the info, but, now my problem with my tomatoes is critters eating my plants. They do not just eat the tomatoes, they are eating the plants. I will be using fencing next year to protect them. I am not sure which critters are doing it. The deer have a ton of acorns to eat off of my Chestnut oak, it is so laden with acorns that the branches are bent over. I also see the adults eating some stuff amongst the grass. And, the babies are the ones eating the acorns. I can only guess that momma is leaving the acorns for the babies since the acorns may be more nutritious. Sorry, i went off topic. We do have powdered milk. I should put it away for next year. I have used tomato fertilizer too, but, critters have been munchin. I will be likely to only grow cherry tomatoes next year because they seem to grow and produce much better. Less cracks and splits in them too. And, really with bigger tomatoes, I will just have to cut them up into small pieces vs having cherry tomatoes already being bite size. Plus, cherry tomatoes do better in containers.
don't do it by "saving" money you might not have a crop the current year. I've got blight on all the tomatoes that I've used "revive" soil. for god damn 20£ I have to start all over again
I am always reusing my potting soil and haven't experienced this problem. But unfortunately it can happen. And no matter what you use, blight is a very common issue for tomatoes which may or may not happen from the old soil. I am just sharing what works for me but you choose whatever method suits you best. Thanks for sharing.
It is not about to be easier, but to reuse the soil and save some money. Otherwise it is much easier to get your vegetables from store rather than growing them. Thanks for visiting though.
@@TowardGarden I understand. I meant no malice or invective by my comment. Just an observation that after purchasing the additives you mentioned as well as the time consumption, it no longer appeared less expensive to go the route you described. Time comes at a cost, no different than materials. Using your reply, if I were growing a vegetable garden for pleasure, I wouldn't count the cost. Fiscal or chronology. Similar to my flower garden. I derive pleasure planting flowers from seed and going through the birthing to maturation process. But on a cost analysis, which is the point of your video [I thought], it's not less expensive to grow from seed than purchasing from the nursery. Factoring in the materials I need from start to finish as well as time, attendance and accounting for the failure rate. I apologize for being loquacious in my reply and thank you for tolerating my comments.
@@Wubby805 No need to apologize 😊 We all have our preferences and priorities. There are many many ways of gardening and I wish you best of luck in any choice you make. Thank you.
YES, you CAN use old potting soil but it is not advised. WHY? -The soil is now contaminated with last years roots & leaves -You have washed most of the nutrients out & the plants have sucked a bunch out too. -New fresh potting soil is dirt cheap. Why bother? !
- So the roots contaminate the soil, what? And the video says remove old roots, not for contamination but to have a loose soil and because they take time to compost. - It is clearly mentioned in the video that you need to amend the old soil for new plants. Almost half of the video is about that, which you apparently ignored it. - I have reused my old soil for many years without any problem, and where I live (California) reusing old soil as I showed IS cheaper than fresh potting soil. You definitely can and should, to save money and to not waste resources. thanks for watching anyway.
I usually keep my soil mix in 27 Gal. Storage Totes (the black ones with yellow lid available in Home depot or Lowes). I add few very tiny holes at the bottom and put the lid on to keep soil dry and safe from pests. Thanks for visiting.
I also find bugs and grubs from time to time in my containers too, but certainly not always as you said. But I always try to control them so they don't damage the roots. If you see them too often, try using food grade Diatomaceous Earth powder in your potting soil. It is organic and effective on many soil pests. Hope this helps and thank you for your comment!
@judithjimenez8636 I wouldn't recommend it. Cause of the possibility of the disease still being in the soil, there may be a possibility to save the soil by sterilization, but I don't know if it'll work
So nice to see a video on this topic that isn't long with a lot of talking. Thanks.
Glad you liked it! Thank you so much for your comment!😊
I agree. … just show me what u do
If only they get rid of the music
@@kathycallahan6810 just hit the mute button. 😄
What I do is at the end of the season I dump all my potting soil into a giant bin and put some composting worms in there. I then feed them all my food scraps over winter and they put nutrients back in the potting soil. Then in the spring I throw in some slow release fertilizer and rock dust and voila!
Sounds great! Thank you for sharing!
Stupid question probably but are composting worms the same as earth worms….or are they a specific kind of worm. Thanks :)
@@sohnegirlnot a stupid question 😊 What I use for composting worms, which live in a bin and eat my garbage and produce lovely worm castings, are "red wigglers," eisenia foetida. I don't know about using earthworms. Good luck!
What a good system! 😊
Same, works well. Mix the dead roots in.
Just a note: i use a mask and gloves when mixing any potting mix, soil, fertilizer, perlite etc since i had a nasty fungal growth in my sinuses years ago. I need surgery to remove it. There's a lot of nasties that you can breathe. Better safe than sorry.
Thank you for sharing!
@@TowardGardenoh and I just sift out the old roots from the potting mix and throw it in my garden and dig it in. It's mostly small pots. Is there any problem with that which I haven't considered?
@@nancydegeorge1143 I don't think so. They will compost in the soil.
@@TowardGarden thank you 😊
Excellent video! I have always thought it was such a waste to throw away old potting mix.
It really is! Glad you liked it and thank you very much for your comment!
Deep dark composts are full of nutrition, but buying them from the garden center is a little expensive, so I prefer to make my own compost. Simply leave the dead vines, branches, and leaves in the raised beds during the winter and when the temperature warms up, they should become nice and fresh compost. LOL
Thank you for sharing.
I saw in another video here in UA-cam that the old rootballs can be reused as filling material in the bottom of large pots. I’ll be doing that soon this week.
Yes, I think for large pots you can do it. Thank you very much for sharing!
I’ve been using the same soil in the same pots for 10+ years for tomatoes. I break up the soil and add a cup of 10-10-10 into the planting hole area. Then fertilize 1/2 strength miracle grow for tomatoes after a few weeks and continue fertilizer through summer. My tomatoes do very well, currently 4’-5’ tall. So yes you can reuse old potting soil.
I forgot I also add some Pete moss to keep weeds down and water retention after a month or so.
Sounds great. Thank you for sharing!
good stuff my friend i use MG shake n feed when i reuse mine just add 10-15ml of it i also dont remove roots just the big root ball and it works great for my pots
That works. I break the roots up and leave them in the soil, they break down extremely fast into compost and feed the soil;plants. Used potting soil can always be recharged. Also, watering with liquid fertilizer helps.
Sounds great. Thank you for sharing!
Due to concise and precise nature of the information as well as the value contained therein and pleasant music, I have subscribed!
Wonderful. So glad you enjoyed it. Welcome to the channel and thank you so much for your comment!
Excellent video!! Thank you for this well put together information!
Glad you enjoyed it! Thank you so much for your comment!
WOW! this video was REALLY helpful! and just in time!
Delighted to hear it. Thank you so much for your support!
Legendary video! Thanks 🙏
Thank you so much for your comment!🙌
quick and easy to the point, very helpful👍
Glad you found it helpful. Thank you so much for your comment!
Thanks for the very useful and practical video
Glad it was helpful! Thank you so much for your comment!😊
Thank you for this video . Its really helpful.
So glad it was helpful! Thank you so much for your comment and your support!😊
Very good happy gardening
So glad you liked it. Thank you so much for your comment!
Great video. I guess I've been doing it right..?! Once the rootball and most roots are out, I add 1-2 gallon of Worm Castings, and 2 gallons of Perlite, along with some BAS Craft Blend plant food, Insect Frass, and Dolomite lime, per 10 gallons of reused Peat/Coco/Perlite soilless mix.
Then re-amend the same way as above. Saving money, and having better soil each run, is what most will experience, from all I've learned.👍
Thank you for sharing, that's a nice mix!
I'm chucking mine in the compost bin. Mercifully not too many dead plants.😂
Sounds good. Thank you for sharing!
This is something worth doing...most of the potting soil I have come across recently is mostly wood chips, and thats from well known companies... same with mulch, all lumber wood from saw mills! Cheap and nasty stuff. They say its organic, will break down. Yea in a few years maybe.
For the bagged mulch, you are completely right. On the potting soil, although they will have wood chips, most of the materials should be composted and broken down. If not, then as you say it is not worth using them. Thank you for your comment!
Excellent…just what I needed to know
So glad you found it helpful. Thank you so much for your comment!😊
Thanks for this I was only today wondering about recycling
Glad you liked it. Thank you so much for your comment!
Good my friend I like very much
Thank you so much for your comment!
Thanks, I've been wondering how I could revive and reuse my old potting soil.
Glad I could help! Thank you very much for your comment!
Nice video. I just add my old potting soil to our composter, we have a tumbler type. I add it a bit at a time, usually when the compost is almost ready to use. I do use your basic method when replanting our GreenStalk. I just remove old roots and maybe the first inch or so of soil to the composter, and add chicken manure pellets and a bit of fresh potting soil. Cheers
Sounds great. Thank you very much for sharing!
Thanks. That’s what I need to know.
Glad to be of any help. Thank you so much for your comment!
Great info
Glad you found it helpful. Thank you so much!
The visual videos are so helpful! Do you make your potting soil the same way when starting new bags? I know you have listed the recipes but seeing what “1 part to 3 parts” etc is so nice! Thank you
Basically yes, the same way. "parts" just mean portions, you can replace it with like 1 shovel to 3 shovel, or 1 scoop to 3 scoop, etc.. Maybe I will try to make a short video on making the new potting soil (thanks for the idea). So glad you found the videos helpful and thank you very much for your comment!
@@TowardGarden That video will be so helpful if you can ! I have those small carrots growing, radishes, Swiss chard, cabbage and turnips based on your videos. Next will be planting squash,eggplants and the mini love watermelons. I will attempt to make that trellis you made as well with the bamboo sticks !
@@HealthyGemini 👏👏Wonderful. Keep up the great work.
I do the same in every spring. I also keep them under the sunlight in a thin layer to dry up for a day or two.
That's a great idea! Thank you very much for sharing!
I also do the same. Heat them under hot sun.
@@salehinfahim4818 Sounds great 👍
Tanks to share how to reuse compost
Thank you very much for the comment!!
I put coffee grounds in and give it a good mix and it works just as good ,☕☕
wow, looks like your coffee grounds have a lot of nutrients, for sure our coffee grounds won't be like that. Thanks for sharing.
@@TowardGarden your welcome! I live in the desert and the dirt looks like a light gray no nutrients, so I add the coffee grounds with manure and store bought compost and also fallen leaves work it all in and by spring the soil sould be nice and rich ,
@rosemarymurray8256 ok now makes sense. Manure, compost, leaves,.. those are the important ingredients you missed in your first comment😆
@@rosemarymurray8256ahhh...more info
What a scoop!!!
Thank you !
Cheaper to buy new compost. I place my old compost in a spare green 'Wheelie bin'. Adding regular green waste as i go. Throw in some worms that pop up when gardening. Add torn paper, cardboard, saw dust, grass clippings for the correct nutrient balance. Costs nothing and can be used the following year. Rinse and repeat every year. I wheel the bin to where i want the compost when i come to use it.
yes, what you do is called composting. But this video is about reusing the potting soil quickly. Thanks for visiting anyway!
What’s the white powdery from the organic fertilizer that clouds up?
The white dust is from the perlite and not from the fertilizer. Thanks for visiting.
Nice and succinct.
Thank you very much for your comment!
Dried out potting compost can be difficult to wet again - I would water this mix repeatedly and stir until there were no dry spots before using it.
Agree. Thank you for sharing!
Using very warm water and a drop of of dish soap in it really helps to rehydrate completely dry soil .
@@kathypfeiffer1196 Thank you for sharing!
Do any of these methods work for soil that had potatoes with blight in it as i would love to use my compost again. Thanks
The method I showed is good if you want to reuse the soil immediately. For soil with blight, it is better to compost the soil so the high temperature kills the blight, and reuse it after the composting process is complete (usually after few months). Hope this helps and thank you for visiting!
@@TowardGarden thanks so much this us great.
Thank you, very informative in a novice gardener way 😊🌿
Glad it was helpful! Thank you very much for your comment!
Thank you for the video. Should this be done in the spring or fall? I have been removing the plants in the fall and leave the soil in a garbage can in the garage over the winter. Can I add the additives in the spring? What is the best way?
There is no specific rules for this. I have done both, add material and used right away, or add fresh material and keep it in container to be used months later. Both will work. Thanks for visiting.
Can I use peat moss instead of manure? How much Gaia Green 4-4-4 would you advice me to use? 2 cups per 10-gal as well? It seems a lot.
Peat moss doesn't have any nutrient valve and cannot be replace for manure. For the fertilizer, if you check the direction on the Gia Green, it says 3 Tbsp per gallon, so for 10 gallon would be 30 Tbsp or 1.9 cups. For organic fertilizers being a bit off is not a problem. Happy gardening and thank you for visiting.
Thx for sharing
Thank you so much for your comment!
Had a giant bucket i used for a small plant that eventually took over the whole bucket. Sometime later, when i needed that soil the roots were all mixed in. But the bug diversity was somehow on point, maybe from the draining holes id made. But still rolly pollies should be a beneficial bug for the soil right?
Rolly pollies are fine for breaking down the compost material. But be careful not to add them to the potting soil, once they run out of compost material, they will start chewing on the roots. Thanks for visiting.
@@TowardGarden yup thanks for the warning, made sure to look up traps and tips for em, so time to catch and feed to the birds lol
@alaxaryeeter2301 sounds good! Happy gardening.
I cut down the stem of peppers and let it stay in pot over winter so most of the roots break down naturally... this way you dont need to remove so much stuff from the soil when reusing it in spring.
Yes, that is an option if you want to get soil by next winter. The video is intended to have mix ready almost right away. Thank you for sharing!
When done, I'd let it rest for a few months. Especially the manure amendment. Give it time to cure. Over-winter optimally. Ready for Spring.
This is to use the soil immediately not in few months. Thanks for visiting.
Is it possible for ginger and reuse the mix for ginger?
You can use this method for all kind of vegetables. For ginger, you can amend it with bone meal too. Thanks for visiting.
so after every plant run i simply could repeat this process every time to continue to use it for multiple grow runs ?
If the soil remains disease free, yes you can use them multiple times. I have been doing it for many years and it works. thanks for visiting.
Great video! Should I had any garden lime. Thanks
If your fertilizer dosen't contain any calcium, then yes, you can add garden lime for calcium deficiency and to adjust soil ph if acidic. Thank you very much for your comment!
Good 👍😊
Thank you very much for your comment!😊
I reuse the soil and add amenities a little water but I mix the soil in an electric cement mixer the amenities are for what ever variety of plants that I will be growing it works absolutely well. And I don't have to go out and purchase potting soils.
Thanks for sharing!
Nice tips ❤
Thank you so much for your comment!😊
I’m clueless on all things gardening and need some help. I have a couple bags of topsoil still sealed and one opened but still half is in the bag. I have these all together in the bags in a plastic bin with lid on my back porch. I’m in the Southeast so it’s starting to get warmer now. I use the soil and mix it with other stuff for my reptile terrariums and add isopods to my terrariums. Should I open the soil up and let it breath…will mold grow? Should I add anything to it? I’m so lost. Thanks :)
I don't know exactly what condition is best for terrariums but if you don't use the top soil for gardening, then I don't think storage should be a problem. The only issue is the infestation by fungus gnat. If you don't see any fly or gnat activity, then it is ok. I would remove the soil from the plastic bag and keep soil in the container directly. It will let you to mix the soil once in a while for aeration and mold control. Not sure if this was helpful, but thank you for getting in touch!
@@TowardGarden that was very helpful thank you. Is it best to keep the lid on or off between soil mixing?
@@sohnegirl Depending on the weather, the moisture level of the soil will change with lid on or off. I prefer to have a garden netting cover amzn.to/3JUWZgJ and a loose lid. It protects against pests and keeps the soil somewhat moist. Thanks.
After a month or two there’s nothing left in the soil so I usually throw in some homemade compost and after a month I use Miracle grow.
Thanks for sharing.
Why use gloves when mixing but not at the end when showing the results? I’m learning, is an honest question. Thank you
It is just to protect my hands. I noticed when mixing my skin is rubbed more against the soil with more scratches/scrapes . So I use gloves when I mix, vs showing the results is just picking a handful of soil. Thank you for getting in touch!
Gets micro particles under the nails yet there nutrients ❤
Thanks so much for sharing this information 👍🏾
Glad to hear it. Thank you so much for your support!😊
Great video though thanks 😊
Thank you so much for your comment!
My roots never come out that perfectly 😂!
Let the soil dry out and roots will be easier to break from soil. Thank you for visiting!
I am already recycling my used soil by throwing away the old root systems and adding nutrients but will after this also add calcium.
Sounds great. Thank you so much for your comment!
Thanks for your video! Regarding the measurements - do you just eyeball it and if I'm off with my measurements - it's not a big deal? I'm not good at eyeballing, unfortunately.
For the measurements, you can use any units that suits you . It can be a bucket, a shovel, a handful,.... And no, it doesn't have to be exact, even eyeballing is ok. I have a video on how to make potting soil where I show how to do the mixing parts, You can check it for reference: ua-cam.com/video/Xdi9kwEA_X0/v-deo.htmlsi=6Mr0pfh1Fw_0j6Bi . Hope this helps and thank you so much for your comment!
Is there any benefit of leaving the reused soil covered to let it "cook" for 2 weeks before use? Or is it a myth?
Used potting soil is almost out of any organics and there is nothing there for it to cook. If you add fresh organic material like compost, then yes you can leave it for a while to decompose/cook. The idea here is to reuse it almost immediately. I have practiced this method for years with great results, but definitely you can find many other gardening solutions that work too. Just sharing what works for me best. Happy gardening and thank you getting in touch!
I just add it to my compost bin, particularly when there are a lot of grass clippings.
The idea is to reuse the soil quickly. Not everyone has compost pile and it will take months for the compost to be ready. Thanks for visiting.
I use composted cow manure. Is chicken better?
Any composted manure is fine. Cow manure will work too. Thanks for visiting.
I add compost, diluted fish emulsion and mycorhizal spores.
Thank you for sharing!
thx
Thank you so much for your comment!
Would you share how you make your compost?
I have it on my to do list. hopefully will be able to post it in near future. Thank you so much of your feedback!
I have a question: Why remove the old roots? Can't you leave as organic material that will give nutrients to the soil? Maybe just cut it into small pieces?
Leave them in small pieces? Sure you can, but unless they are fully composted, which will take a long time, it won't provide any benefit to plants. Otherwise you can use them as a filling material like coir or peat moss. Thanks for visiting.
I do the lazy thing. I throw them onto the pile of rabbit poop, straw, wood chips and other animal waste. We move the hutches a couple times a year, so we have a few mounds in various stages of composting. After about six months the various garden and container plant waste (like the rootball & dirt combo) is about half broken down. The large wood chips are still chips shaped, but have turned dark brown and break up easily in the hand. I use this as organic filler and as a bottom layer for plants I want a porous water reserve with anaerobic decomposition.
This is my long winded way of saying that if you want to use it all and not be too bothered with extra work, you can find your own niche use for it. Like you could just remove the root ball and dirt combos, throw them all in a plastic tote a couple drain holes, add some water and just forget about them for six months or until they break down to the level you desire. There are even some plants that grow well as pioneers on the top of said compost piles. I recently tried some potatoes and they did pretty well. I also had the blackest dirt by the time I harvested them.
Thank you for sharing!@@krisspkriss
I am so glad you posted this video. I do the same thing.. I subscribed as well a few weeks back. I just love your videos very educational.. thank you..
So glad to hear. Welcome to the channel and thank you so much for your comment!😊
@@TowardGarden You're welcome.. and thank you too, we use the same seeds as well lol.. what zone are you in? I am in zone 7
@@landlhoneycombhomestead3174 I am in zone 9b. Thank you very much for your support.
@@TowardGarden you're welcome.. you're most welcome to sub as well if you want. I send thank you's to my new subscribers and would love ALL the advice I can get as well..
@@landlhoneycombhomestead3174 what is peat moss
I have reused my pots for years...I do exactally what it shows on the bideo..the only thing I do different is pull out the old plants in the fall and refresh soil in the spring
That is wonderful.👌 Thank you so much for sharing!
Refresh does that mean add some new soil?
I doing this and I like you shoes…Lol🌱
Thank you so much for your comment!😊
I guess its a topic for a vid... but who gardens or farms, for that matter... that doesn't refresh their soil. potting soil is no different. Sometimes I use compost or put the old potting soil in my compost for later or just steer manure, lots of ways. I one time used the same potting soil in a 5 gal bucket for 3 years for my cayenne peppers. they did just fine - So hot and delicious.
The idea is to reuse the soil quickly. But I guess you found different ways to reuse it. Thanks for visiting.
So good 🪴🌷
Thank you so much for your comment!😊
Simply spread it on the compost pile
The idea is to reuse the soil quickly. Not everyone has compost pile and it will take months for the compost to be ready. So, not that simple. thanks for leaving a comment.
Would adding 1/3 worm castings be the same as adding in the chicken manure that you put in?
While warm casting is good for soil and provide plenty of microorganism, plants will benefit from them if the soil already has some organic nutrients and the worm casting will help plants to absorb them. The problem with just relying on worm casting is that it is not a great source of nitrogen which is needed for greens and herbs. If you just want to use worm casting, I think your plants need to be fed by something like fish fertilizer which is nigh in nitrogen. Hope this helps and thank you for visiting!
Premium products demand premium prices. At Nature's Way Resources leaf mold compost, 1 bag = 1 cu.ft = $15 {screened fine} OR $10.80 {screen coarse}. The Kellogg Fruit Flower and Vegetable Organic Garden Soil 3 cu.ft {$11.45} is currently out of stock at Home Depot and Lowes, but the 2 cu. ft {$8.97} is available. Now, for those who have are on a tight budget, would the The Kellogg Fruit Flower and Vegetable Organic Garden Soil 2 cu.ft have the same results in production on your channel instead of buy the premium products?
Yes, Kellogg Garden products are great option and you can use them for organic gardening. happy growing!
Очень полезное видео, спасибо.
Glad it was helpful. Thank you very much!💚
Gardeners Chicken Manure 1-cu ft Organic Compost and Manure Provides Organic Nutrients is also out of stock. I wonder if it's still too early in the season for the stores to carry chicken manure.
Chicken manures are usually restocked fast and you should be able to get them soon. Any bagged manure will work too. Good luck!
Thank you ! After doing this is it necessary to sterilize it (add boiling water, bake ,etc...)??
If any sterilizing, I would do it only for seed starting mix, and not for potting mix. You want as much as good bacteria and fungi for a heathy soil. Hope this helps and thank you so much for getting in touch!
0:25 Use a spade or claw.
Thanks for sharing.
Actually you can leave all but the biggest stem root in but break them up...they will compost in place and add nutrients. 😊
Composting with take time but that is a great option too. Thank you for sharing!😊
Cheaper to by a fresh bag of compo.
Not for me, I save a lot by reusing my mix. Thanks for visiting though.
I try to reuse all my soil
Wonderful, thank you so much for sharing!
I loved your video, I am just a bit confused about the part where you say organic fertilizer "with calcium". It's nightime here, SO, maybe my ferts, (as in the slow release kind) that are in my greenhouse DO contain calcium, BUT, I am not sure, and I don't like to go outside in the dark here since we have bears and coyotes. SO, IF maybe they do NOT contain calcium, I DO have some lime, and also a sort of soil additive that has calcium AND sulfer in it for adding calcium to soil that a person does NOT want to be alkaline, since adding LIME can make the PH of the soil you add it to become more alkaline.
Sorry that I can't just go out and look at the bags of my soil ammendments right now, but, bears....etc. I also DO have a marine based organic fertilizer and MAYBE it has a good bit of calcium from the shells of sea creatures?
ANYHOW, can you maybe tell me a type of calcium rich fert? I will be growing tomatoes in my "newly replenished" soil btw. I do hope it's something I already have since even in winter, I'd been buying soil ammendments galore. Well, I guess that's my problem, BUT, maybe give me a suggestion of a high calcium soil ammendment that won't affect PH? Maybe I'm asking for the impossible?
Yes, garden lime is great source of calcium. usually if the fertilizer contains calcium, it would say on the packaging. And most of the tomato fertilizers do have calcium. Glad you love my videos and thank you for your comment!
Crushed egg shells can be used for calcium; however, they will take a long time to be utilized by the plants. I prefer to mix in powdered milk.
@@DeveronLong Thank you for the info, but, now my problem with my tomatoes is critters eating my plants. They do not just eat the tomatoes, they are eating the plants. I will be using fencing next year to protect them. I am not sure which critters are doing it. The deer have a ton of acorns to eat off of my Chestnut oak, it is so laden with acorns that the branches are bent over. I also see the adults eating some stuff amongst the grass. And, the babies are the ones eating the acorns. I can only guess that momma is leaving the acorns for the babies since the acorns may be more nutritious. Sorry, i went off topic. We do have powdered milk. I should put it away for next year. I have used tomato fertilizer too, but, critters have been munchin.
I will be likely to only grow cherry tomatoes next year because they seem to grow and produce much better. Less cracks and splits in them too. And, really with bigger tomatoes, I will just have to cut them up into small pieces vs having cherry tomatoes already being bite size. Plus, cherry tomatoes do better in containers.
I don't see the point of putting perlite because when water it will float on top anyways
Never had a problem with perlite mixed into soil and floating on top.
I have a crap load of soil I need to sift before the end of Summer.
Good luck!
By the time you've brought all the things your to adding to this old compost might well buy new 😅
By the time you grow some vegetables from your garden, you might as well go get it from the store😅
the potting soil now so expensive
Agree. I will post a video on how to make your own potting soil too. Thank you for visiting!
Wear a mask.
Thanks.
don't do it by "saving" money you might not have a crop the current year. I've got blight on all the tomatoes that I've used "revive" soil. for god damn 20£ I have to start all over again
I am always reusing my potting soil and haven't experienced this problem. But unfortunately it can happen. And no matter what you use, blight is a very common issue for tomatoes which may or may not happen from the old soil. I am just sharing what works for me but you choose whatever method suits you best. Thanks for sharing.
Seems easier to just get a new bag of soil.🤷♂
It is not about to be easier, but to reuse the soil and save some money. Otherwise it is much easier to get your vegetables from store rather than growing them. Thanks for visiting though.
@@TowardGarden I understand.
I meant no malice or invective by my comment. Just an observation that after purchasing the additives you mentioned as well as the time consumption, it no longer appeared less expensive to go the route you described.
Time comes at a cost, no different than materials. Using your reply, if I were growing a vegetable garden for pleasure, I wouldn't count the cost. Fiscal or chronology. Similar to my flower garden.
I derive pleasure planting flowers from seed and going through the birthing to maturation process. But on a cost analysis, which is the point of your video [I thought], it's not less expensive to grow from seed than purchasing from the nursery.
Factoring in the materials I need from start to finish as well as time, attendance and accounting for the failure rate.
I apologize for being loquacious in my reply and thank you for tolerating my comments.
@@Wubby805 No need to apologize 😊 We all have our preferences and priorities. There are many many ways of gardening and I wish you best of luck in any choice you make. Thank you.
YES, you CAN use old potting soil but it is not advised. WHY?
-The soil is now contaminated with last years roots & leaves
-You have washed most of the nutrients out & the plants have sucked a bunch out too.
-New fresh potting soil is dirt cheap. Why bother?
!
- So the roots contaminate the soil, what? And the video says remove old roots, not for contamination but to have a loose soil and because they take time to compost.
- It is clearly mentioned in the video that you need to amend the old soil for new plants. Almost half of the video is about that, which you apparently ignored it.
- I have reused my old soil for many years without any problem, and where I live (California) reusing old soil as I showed IS cheaper than fresh potting soil.
You definitely can and should, to save money and to not waste resources. thanks for watching anyway.
Adding all those mixtures nullifies the whole process. Just throw the potting soil out. A pointless exercise really!!
If you don't get the point, then it is pointless, really!! 😄
I don't see how that save money? might as well just go buy new soil ...
If you check the prices for a bag of potting soil you will see how you would save money. But you can choose as you wish. Thank you for visiting.
Simple just add cow 🐄 💩 to it
Kil ve dolomit eksik
Where do you keep your soil and keep it dry in the container?
I usually keep my soil mix in 27 Gal. Storage Totes (the black ones with yellow lid available in Home depot or Lowes). I add few very tiny holes at the bottom and put the lid on to keep soil dry and safe from pests. Thanks for visiting.
Your potting soil looks so clean?? Whenever I remove old plants from their containers, I will always find white grubs on the bottom of my pots. 🥲
I also find bugs and grubs from time to time in my containers too, but certainly not always as you said. But I always try to control them so they don't damage the roots. If you see them too often, try using food grade Diatomaceous Earth powder in your potting soil. It is organic and effective on many soil pests. Hope this helps and thank you for your comment!
Put your used soil in a black garbage bag and leave it in direct sunlight for a couple days to kill everything inside of it.
What happens if your plan died from a disease? Will it hurt the new plant? What can you do?
@judithjimenez8636 I wouldn't recommend it. Cause of the possibility of the disease still being in the soil, there may be a possibility to save the soil by sterilization, but I don't know if it'll work
@@judithjimenez8636I discard that waaay down in the woods , as most of those plants are immune to "houseplant" oests...where i live, anyhoo