Quote:
Originally Posted by peebee
A lot of folks here will refresh half of the potting mix each season, if they are reusing it at all. I've done so with mixed results. Since it's so wasteful to throw it all out, what I do is keep all the used mix in a designated big container, and I use that as the very bottom layer of all my new pots. But only a few inches worth. Then I put some chicken manure as the next layer and then add all new potting mix. I put the manure close to the bottom so the roots will have something to look forward to.
I also use the old mix to cover fresh stuff I throw in my compost bin, to ward off the flies and any smells. Another use for it would be in my garden beds; the perlite in it fluffs up the dirt and my flowers seem to like it. And my cacti and succulents seem to like it just fine with some pumice or more perlite added in.
Of course, the stuff tends to dry out so I keep it moist by either covering it most days and uncovering during the rare rainy days. And now I am growing more in Earth Boxes which requires new potting mix only every 2-3 years so I won't have much extra used mix pretty soon.  |
I haven't changed the whole Earthbox potting mix yet, been about 8 years now. I do remove the old fertilizer strip,add a new cup of dolomite, mix well, add a fresh fertilizer strip, top off with some new mix every year. This seems to add up to replacing about 1/5 per year.
I solarize them every summer because it's so hot that it's perfect and we grow in fall,spring winter.