How To Revitalise Old Potting Mixes
There comes a time when the potting mix is no longer providing the plant with the nutrients it needs. While it might seem like it is unusable and should be thrown away, this is usually not the case. Old potting mixes can be and should be reused. Here are some tips on how to revitalise old potting mixes.
Why you should reuse old potting mixes
Overtime the stuff we put into our pots and containers sinks below the lip of our pots, compacts, loses nutrients and can become hydrophobic, meaning it repels water. When these things happen we might think that their life has come to an end and it is time to replace them. This isn't always the case however because our old soils most often just need to be revitalised.We should all be doing our best to reduce our waste. Reusing what we already have is the simplest way to do this and that includes our old growing mediums. All gardeners should be looking to reinvigorate soil so it is never wasted.
When you should discard old potting mixes
Reusing your old potting mixes should be the priority but sometimes it is necessary to start fresh. Throw away any soils that have been attacked by pests and/or diseases. Reusing these may spread the diseases and pests to other areas of your garden and cause further damage.
How To Revitalise Old Potting Mixes
There are two very easy ways to improve your old soils. I would recommend these methods, I do them myself because they are both super easy and are guaranteed to work. There are some other ways but I find that these are the best, especially for beginners and those that also don't want to spend any money or very little.
1. Add fresh organic material
The first way to reinvigorate your old potting mixes is to mix in more organic materials. Adding brand new potting mix or homemade compost is a great way to add those nutrients the plant so desperately needs.Step 1: Tip your old potting mixes into a large tub, onto a tarp, or a wheelbarrow.2: Sort through and remove any old root systems and break apart any large clumps.3: Add the fresh compost, either homemade or store-bought, and mix well. The ratio should be about 50% of the new compost and 50% of the older stuff.This will drastically improve your soil and the plants will love you for it.
2. Compost
Another method to reuse old potting mix is to compost it and start fresh. This is a great way to use what you have already and cut down on your waste.Step 1: Add the depleted soil to your compost pile or bin or even place some of it into your worm farm with your food scraps and brown material like dead leaves.Step 2: Aerate your compost bin with a pitchfork or compost aerator tool and water it regularly.The end product is a nutrient-rich humus perfect for all your plants and gardens. These methods may take a few months as the entire composting system breaks down or the worms consume the organic waste.If you want to know more about composting or worm farming check out these other great articles:
I hope you have enjoyed reading this article on how to revitalise old potting mixes. It's important that we mend our spent soils. If you have any more ideas then let me know, I would love to hear them. Until next time, look after your potted plants and give them some fresh compost.