Surely you have heard someone say or have read that the used substrate cannot be reused, and less if a diseased plant had it before. Well, this, although it has some truth, it's something you shouldn't worry about. In fact, most of the time no problem occurs.
You can use an old substrate to have a more beautiful patio and garden. Although that is just one of the many uses you can give it. Discover the others .
There are several uses that we can give to the old substrate, such as these:
Potted plant soil
Although an old substrate is a soil that has lost more or less nutrients depending on how long it was used and whether it was fertilized or not, we can always put a part of new soil and another of old soil in the pots.
Of course, before doing so, it is important that you put it in a black garbage bag and leave it in the sun for a few days. This will eliminate most of the fungi, bacteria and viruses that may be in it.
We will not be able to use this soil directly, since in order for it to be useful to the plants, it must first be mixed with fertilizers (30%), with organic ones being highly recommended, such as earthworm humus or horse manureThese fertilizers can be easily found in nurseries at very affordable prices: a 5L bag of humus costs about 2-3 euros, and is enough for many pots. Also, if you'd like to learn more about how to improve the soil you're using, you can check out the article on How to reuse old potting soil and improve it.
Padding
When autumn arrives and especially winter, recently acquired plants tend to have a bit of a hard time. The tips of the leaves turn brown, yellow spots appear on the Cycas and other types of plant life, and the garden or patio can look sad.
To avoid it, it is highly advisable to mulch these new plants, and what better way to do it than with old substrate. It is also advisable to review other methods of reusing substrate for better health of your plants, such as reusing tea bags to make compost that can enrich the soil.
Compost
One of the best fertilizers there is is the one that we can make directly in our garden or orchard: compost. It contains essential nutrients for the proper growth of plants, and in addition, can be mixed with old substrates in order to strengthen the flowers and trees that we love so much.
It is not necessary to put it in the microwave first. Just throw it in the compost pile and wait for it to be ready. On this article You have more information about this excellent homemade fertilizer. If you are interested in creating compost and its relationship with the substrate, you can see how reuse tea bags for plants.
Do you know other uses of the old substrate?