New Grower Reusing Potting Soil

[demsone]

Howdy

I am growing some autos and about 5 weeks in flowering. Was just wondering cause autos grow in such a short time could you reuse the soil?

I use a mix called yates professional and it has slow releasing nutes. I have feeding my girls nutes once every week.

Thoughts.

 

[BigBuddha]

Hey demsone, welcome to the forum.


I can't speak for all soils.. but biobizz actively suggest that you reuse their soils. All that really needs to happen is for you to sift through and remove all the old roots.. wash it through thoroughly and let it dry. Add a little bacterially-active compost to it to re-activate it and hey presto.

If you don't wash it through properly and just replant into it, you could be looking at many plant-heath problems as she grows.

 

[Muddy]

Welcome to the forum. Personally I don't reuse soil but some here do. But that's mostly mixes like Pro Mix or Sunshine #4 that are basically just sphagnum peat moss and perlite. Sift and wash as BigBuddha advised. When nutrients are broken down they produce a bi product of salts. It's important that those salts be removed from the soil before reusing. Salt buildup can cause nutrient lock out issues.

Also, generally speaking soils with slow release nutrients are not advised for growing weed. They can interfere with the proper nutrient schedule, sometimes providing too high a level when the plants are young.

 

[TshirtNinja]

As a fox farm soil lover i can tell you that organic soils only get better with time. As for your soil im not entirely sure since the nutes are included in the soil. I would honestly be careful with that but if you get good results out of it why not reuse it for another grow and see how its goes. Report back if you see issues vs the first time so other can learn from your situation.

 

[DrFever]

IMO and for the cost its not worth re useing soil you could transfer disease , pests you name it always good practice to re sterilize your room and all pots upon re starting a grow

 

[HomieHogleg]

IMO and for the cost its not worth re useing soil you could transfer disease , pests you name it always good practice to re sterilize your room and all pots upon re starting a grow

Personally, I have had no problem reusing soil, but I bake the used soil, using a washtub, and my smoker. This will kill any pests, or diseases. I then, amend it, compost it for awhile, and inoculate with great white, before using.

HomieHogleg

 

[Mr Piggy]

I reuse my outdoor potting soil always and the inside stuff sometimes. Just like when I mix it up the first time I mix in my amendments and set it aside to cook for a few weeks. I do a thorough pest inspection before I reuse it, if there were no pest when I was growing with it the first time they won't magically appear the second time. The way I make sure of this with the indoor is I keep everything thing involved in the process inside. All the amendments, the soil, the containers, the bins I cook the soil in, all of it. I like remixing the soil because of the already established micro herd and the fact I am poor as..... poor as dirt

I should mention I am on a strict organics regimen, I wouldn't re-use soil with inorganic products.

 

[DrFever]

Personally, I have had no problem reusing soil, but I bake the used soil, using a washtub, and my smoker. This will kill any pests, or diseases. I then, amend it, compost it for awhile, and inoculate with great white, before using.

HomieHogleg

i found massive loss in yield and nothing but plant issues i also own a botanic garden center and advise not to ever reuse soil specially with most salt build ups from nutrients being used to the max specially growing marijuana
i could start a complete new thread on micro biology and how so many growers are being concerned when they really shouldn't be
micro organisms are literally non exsistent in peat based soils being its to acidic

 

[Mr Piggy]

I'm afraid you're going to have to post some links with those claims for me to even take them seriously. I've been gardening for a long time now and know for a fact my micro herd is sound in my peat and humus based mediums. I don't get yield loss and do just dandy with organic recycled soil, so I don't know what you're doing wrong but if you're running a garden center you might want to figure it out. Most organic growers i know re-use soil, but re-amend it with more peat/coco/humus and all the rest every time. We have proof many times over on this site and others with vibrant micro herds in peat based soil so please do open a thread about it if you wish to contest that point.

 

[DrFever]

I reuse my outdoor potting soil always and the inside stuff sometimes. Just like when I mix it up the first time I mix in my amendments and set it aside to cook for a few weeks. I do a thorough pest inspection before I reuse it, if there were no pest when I was growing with it the first time they won't magically appear the second time. The way I make sure of this with the indoor is I keep everything thing involved in the process inside. All the amendments, the soil, the containers, the bins I cook the soil in, all of it. I like remixing the soil because of the already established micro herd and the fact I am poor as..... poor as dirt

I should mention I am on a strict organics regimen, I wouldn't re-use soil with inorganic products.

Yes when your dead set and want to re-use your soil in organic it should be re used after supplements are added like more dolomite, wormcasting , bone / blood meal and other composts allowing ample time for new colonies to get settled in
and set aside to fermintate occasionally stiriing it up and re used on 3rd grow not right after you finished a grow