Can the substrate be reused?

Surely you have heard someone say or have read that the used substrate cannot be reused, especially if a diseased plant previously had it. Well, this, although it has some truth, is something that should not worry you . In fact, most of the time no problem occurs.

You can use old substrate for a prettier yard and garden . Although that is only 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:

Index

  • 1 Soil for potted plants
  • 2 padding
  • 3 Compost

Soil for potted plants

potted plant

Although an old substrate is soil that has been able to lose 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 part of old soil in the pots .

Of course, before that, 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%), organic ones being highly recommended, such as earthworm humus or horse manure . You can easily find these fertilizers in nurseries at very cheap prices: a 5l sack of humus costs about 2-3 euros, and it is enough for many pots.

Padded

floor padding

When autumn arrives and especially winter, recently acquired plants usually have a hard time. The tips of the leaves turn brown, yellow spots appear on Cycas and other types of plant life, and the garden or patio can look sad.

To avoid this, it is highly advisable to mulch these new plants , and what better way to do it than with an old substrate.

Compost

Compost

One of the best fertilizers that there is is the one that we can make directly in our garden or orchard: compost. It contains the essential nutrients for the good growth of plants, and in addition, it can be mixed with old substrates in order to strengthen the flowers and trees that we like so much.

It is not necessary to put it in the microwave first. It will be enough to throw it into the compost pile and wait for it to be ready. 

Can the substrate be reused?

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