Don't throw away the old soil after repotting; add this and it will be even more fertile than potting mix

Soil disinfection methods

1. First, the old soil left over from repotting must be sun-dried for a few days. If there are leftover roots from the previous plant in the soil, or weed roots, pick them all out and throw them away.

2. Turn the soil over with a small shovel. If there are pests like small centipedes or snails, you can pick them out by hand and destroy them, to prevent them from harming the next plant.

3. You can spray some insecticide meant for plants onto the soil to get rid of the insect eggs in it.

4. You can also scald it with boiling water; the scalding hot water can kill bacteria, small insects and so on in the old soil.

5. If the amount of old soil is not very large, you can put it in a container and heat it in the microwave for 3~5 minutes. This method is convenient and quick, and the effect is also very good.

6. You can also put the sun-dried soil into a plastic bag, seal the bag tightly and let it sit for a few days. Most insects and insect eggs will suffocate and die in an oxygen-free environment.

Add this to old soil and it beats potting mix!

After sterilization and disinfection, the old soil is already fairly clean, but it has almost no nutrients, and it has already compacted, with very poor air permeability. You can add some things to compost the soil and make it fertile!

1. There are many things that can be used to compost soil: soaked soybeans, coffee grounds, rotten vegetable leaves and so on all work.

2. Various fruit peels left over from everyday eating can also be used to compost soil. If you have a small yard or an open-air balcony at home, you can also compost fish entrails, chicken manure and other strong-smelling nutrient-rich soil.

3. First spread a layer of old soil at the bottom of the flower pot, then spread a layer of the prepared composting material, then spread more soil, repeating this until the pot is full. Then pour some water into the soil.

4. Seal the mouth of the flower pot with plastic wrap or a plastic bag; it's best not to leave any gaps.

5. Composting takes a relatively long time; if the weather is warm it takes about 2~3 months, and in winter about 4 months.

6. When you remove the bag, if the soil has already turned black, it is fully rotted and ready.

7. If the freshly composted soil is rather moist, you can leave it in the sun to dry a bit before using it; this way the soil will be more air-permeable.

8. Finally, Huahua wants to remind everyone that if the old soil was once used for a sick plant, then it cannot be used again, otherwise if there are residual pathogens, they will make the next plant sick too!

That's all for the method of turning old soil into new soil.

If you have leftover old soil from repotting, you might as well give it a try.

You can save quite a bit of money on buying soil!