Growing in used soil.

What is it about reusing soil the next year?
I'v experiment with it and compared by using identical clones.One with fresh soil,other with used.
New fresh potting soil or pro gro (same as promix) will almost double the older used soil.
I've gotten the PH back up by mixing dolomite lime the fall before.I believe the PH isn't the problem.

To all you expert growers,Is it the mineral salts buildup from fertilizing that causes somewhat of a nutrient lockout.That's the only thing I can think of.

I'm currently using 60 large holes(used soil) I grew in last year and am going to be disappionted with the reasults. I'm thinkin a quarter to half LB plants.Some of those were close to 2 feet when I put them out in early june.

Anyone have similar stories?

There are all kinds of micro bacterial and other processes going on. I know some guys reuse their soil, but all in all it's a bad idea. Every time I've tried it it results in stunted slow growing weird looking, low yielding plants.

i had the same thing happen indoors. i guess you cant leach the salts out by water flushing because i flushed like crazy and it still affected health and yield.

It's just so much work to drag soil for holes.I done 80 last year.Each hole can hold a compressed bail(About 8 sq. ft.)
I done 16 new ones this year.
I was thinkin on spending a few hundred dollars on clearex to leach the salts out this fall after the plants are out along with dolomite lime.
Then this spring adding mycorrhyzai.I'd do this if I knew this would work.It would be alot easier than redragging soil back,digging up the holes and adding new the new soil.

I forgot to mention.About 3 years ago I dug two 8 foot long trenches and grew that year.Added lots of lime that fall but never used them for 2 season.Put 12 really small left over clones I had this year that were only 6 inches high in the treches at the end of june.They've basically caught up to the 2 footers I put out about a month earlier.i'm guessing over a few years,the salts naturally leached out of the soil and bacteria built up in the soil.

soils cheap why reuse it.

good soil aint cheap around here

You ever try haul 80 fuckin bales over your shoulder through the forest.If it was just a few holes to fill then yeah no problem.
Then there's the possibilaty that someone will spot you hauling soil into the woods.
If I could get clearex to leach the salts,the right PH level with lime,and get the good bacteria back,I'm hoping that might solve the problem.
Then I wouldn't need a Chiropractor if I go with the other alternative.

No robdogg Soil ain't cheap.
But I wouldn't mind paying the money(about 12 bucks a hole).That'd be the easy part.
It's the work dragging those bastards around.Tear the fawkin spine right outta ya.

muaythaibanger said:

You ever try haul 80 fuckin bales over your shoulder through the forest.

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What about digging out half of the grow hole and mixing in new soil with the old soil? I bet that would do it.

That's excactly what I was thinking.Save me about half the work anyway.
I'm definitely going to try experiment with the clearex to leach the salts with a few of the holes though.

Check out volume #16, " Tek Mike " ...he speaks on reusing soil. Good luck.

Link >>> http://www.urbangrower.com/

trichlone fiend said:

Check out volume #16, " Tek Mike " ...he speaks on reusing soil. Good luck.

Link >>> http://www.urbangrower.com/

Click to expand...

That's a great site that I've saved as a favorite.
Thanks dude.

muaythaibanger said:

You ever try haul 80 fuckin bales over your shoulder through the forest.If it was just a few holes to fill then yeah no problem.
Then there's the possibilaty that someone will spot you hauling soil into the woods.
If I could get clearex to leach the salts,the right PH level with lime,and get the good bacteria back,I'm hoping that might solve the problem.
Then I wouldn't need a Chiropractor if I go with the other alternative.

Click to expand...

I could not agree more.

I grow in raised beds and only add new soil about every five years.

Waste products from previous years will be a problem in holes in the ground.

It amounts to the same problems farmers have if they grow the same crop in a field, several years in a row.

The plant depletes its required nutes and leaves its waste.

You can solve the problem by rotating crops. Unfortunately bush beans don't inspire a lot of interest.

I take great care to include everything a plant needs in my nutrient mixes, and the raised beds allow waste products to be flushed from the soil.

I'd suggest you remove about 25% of your old soil, and replace it.

You can take that 25% and use it to help fill new holes.

Do your holes attract a lot of earth worms?(They're a good indicator of soil health. They'll avoid salt build up.)

veggiegardener said:

I grow in raised beds and only add new soil about every five years.

Waste products from previous years will be a problem in holes in the ground.

It amounts to the same problems farmers have if they grow the same crop in a field, several years in a row.

The plant depletes its required nutes and leaves its waste.

You can solve the problem by rotating crops. Unfortunately bush beans don't inspire a lot of interest.

I take great care to include everything a plant needs in my nutrient mixes, and the raised beds allow waste products to be flushed from the soil.

I'd suggest you remove about 25% of your old soil, and replace it.

You can take that 25% and use it to help fill new holes.

Do your holes attract a lot of earth worms?(They're a good indicator of soil health. They'll avoid salt build up.)

Click to expand...

Yeah ,I had been thinking about the crop rotation thing and nutrients,but thought if I feed them enough it would be alright(considering I PH balanced the soil).The soil I used for some plants were never used for a couple of years and they seem to be doing good this year.The salts were probably taken naturally out of the soil.

I will most likely be adding new soil for next season as you said.That was thought about last year when I hauled all that stuff back to the holes.It was one hell of a job.

About the earthworm question.It makes sense now that I think back.They wetter holes(lower lying areas) seemed to have earthworms,but the drier holes in other areas,I didn't see an earthworm when I losened the holes and added a little water crystals.
I think the wetter holes seemed to naturally get flushed(salts) unlike the drier areas.