Discararded pot plants used as a pot filler?

When the local council have pulled out all the 'finished' plants they have put out in flower beds, they throw them on a big unsightly heap in a remote corner of the cemetery.

After a while it ends up being a very sandy type of compost. It doesnt look like there is much loam in it.

Would this be good to throw into garden pots mixed with some additional soil? I guess the dead plants would just rot down and add some nutrition to the mix?

It also has a lot of small bits of chopped tree bark in it. Would this tree bark help with moisture retention, or would it be a waste of time from that point of view? Would I be better picking out the tree bark and throwing it away? Thanks.

Reply to
john hamilton
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Except for the sand the organics in a gallon of potting soil will in a few short years compost down to perhaps a tablespoonful of dust... for instance an entire bale of peat moss will compost down to one fistful. The litter that accumulates on a forest floor creates perhaps one inch of topsoil in 100 years... it's best to use new potting soil. A corner of a cemetery is a great place for laying to rest old potting soil.

Reply to
brooklyn1

"john hamilton" wrote

If it's all rotted down then I can't see a problem. Presumably it's the original compost mixed with rotted plants and a bit of bark, sounds good to me. Try some and see. I often use bark chippings in compost, aids drainage without adding weight, and it's not only orchids and citrus that appreciate it.

Reply to
Bob Hobden

I would think that stuff would be ok. Why not experiment? Plant some with it and some with an alternative, and see what results?

Reply to
Wallace

One thing you might find is the plants growing short, most of the pot Mums will have been treated with a growth retardant chemical which can stay in the soil for quite a time

Reply to
Dave Hill

I sift spent potting mix through a 1/2" hardware cloth and use it around herbs (thyme, rosemary, sage).

Reply to
Phisherman

Honestly, I'd use it too - use it to lighten heavy soil or mix in with good compost. Waste not, want not

Reply to
Cheryl Isaak

...

same here! i'm trying to talk a greenhouse person to call me when they are going to throw out old plants as i would love all that lightener to throw on top of (and to mix in) with this clay. even if it takes a few years for the roots to fall apart it would still work great.

songbird

Reply to
songbird

And it will work - over time with patience. Good luck

C
Reply to
Cheryl Isaak

Just be carefull if you are geting old pots of compost from someones glasshouse, the plants may have just given up the ghost or them may have been killed by something, what comes to mind is vine weevil, something you don't want to bring in to your garden. David Hill

Reply to
Dave Hill

And you can speed up the process by keeping the beds mulched. As with composting, the Carbon/Nitrogen ratio should be about 25/1. Occasionally, you may want to pull back the mulch to warm the soil, but in general, keep it covered in mulch, and the earthworms will do wonders for your soil. This gives you great soil, and no digging.

Reply to
Billy

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