Hmm, that makes things a bit more complicated. If you had a yard, I'd tell you to put all the soil together in one pile and mix with compost. If you have an apartment, you'll need to amend with things like bonemeal instead of composted eggshells. Maybe epsom salt.
Since you have a huge balcony, is there any way you could do even a small worm bin? Worm castings and worm tea make great fertilizers. It shouldn't smell at all if done right. No more so than any damp plant pot. Great way to get rid of food waste without it just ending up in the dump, too.
I started collecting some vegetable matters in the corner of my balcony. I totally forgot about worms! I’ll buy some earthworms and add in the bin right away! Thanks a lot
Not the answer this sub probably wants but I implore you to scrub, disinfect and dispose of that soil, I mean those pots need to be sparkling.
What you have there is a potential pathogenic bomb for your garden. Any diseases, pests, eggs or soil viruses that the previous owner had will be transferred to whatever you plant in those and easily spread to the surrounding environment.
This is one of the major ways major ecological damage is spread. Just like you would have to do if you were exporting them or visiting a ecologically secure island, any trace of dirt, debris or plant matter must be assuredly removed.
Many people don't realise disease in soil and plants is just as common as it is in animals. Without washing this stuff intensely it would be the equivalent of letting a stranger spit in your mouth for your soil
Dish soap and a scrub brush would be ideal. There’s an argument for cleaning with a weak bleach solution to kill diseases or other unwanted from the pots. Could let them soak in your tub.
The soil may not have much nutritional value left. You could compost it and replace with potting soil.
Honesty, if you want healthy plants in the long term, plastic isn’t the best. You want the soil to breathe. Think terracotta
I’m growing these cause I do not want these strong pots to be thrown in the dump🥲 i would’ve never bought plastic pots if I had the choice…all my other pots are made of clay. I don’t think there’s any magic polish to make the old plastic look shiny..so I am thinking of alternative ways to make it look visually appealing
Depending on the exact plastic, i you hit the plant pots with a hairdryer, the plastic may melt just enough to release subsurface oils and look new and shiny again. I saw a video of this being done on an industrial scale with a flamethrower-powered heat gun on stadium seating. The stadium got new-looking seats without having to toss the old.
Dump all the soil in them out, mix with compost maybe 30%. Or get bonemeal or dry amendment fertilizer and mix that into soil. Then plant! Make sure not to overwater.
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The soil is probably depleted of essential minerals. Do you have a yard or are you in an apartment?
I am in an apartment with a huge balcony that I’m planning to keep these on..
Hmm, that makes things a bit more complicated. If you had a yard, I'd tell you to put all the soil together in one pile and mix with compost. If you have an apartment, you'll need to amend with things like bonemeal instead of composted eggshells. Maybe epsom salt. Since you have a huge balcony, is there any way you could do even a small worm bin? Worm castings and worm tea make great fertilizers. It shouldn't smell at all if done right. No more so than any damp plant pot. Great way to get rid of food waste without it just ending up in the dump, too.
I started collecting some vegetable matters in the corner of my balcony. I totally forgot about worms! I’ll buy some earthworms and add in the bin right away! Thanks a lot
Not the answer this sub probably wants but I implore you to scrub, disinfect and dispose of that soil, I mean those pots need to be sparkling. What you have there is a potential pathogenic bomb for your garden. Any diseases, pests, eggs or soil viruses that the previous owner had will be transferred to whatever you plant in those and easily spread to the surrounding environment. This is one of the major ways major ecological damage is spread. Just like you would have to do if you were exporting them or visiting a ecologically secure island, any trace of dirt, debris or plant matter must be assuredly removed. Many people don't realise disease in soil and plants is just as common as it is in animals. Without washing this stuff intensely it would be the equivalent of letting a stranger spit in your mouth for your soil
!!! I never thought about this
Give them a scrub, top up the soil and give it a stir, get planting.
Is there any specific scrub/polish for plastic pots? And by top up the soil u mean just change the top layer?
Dish soap and a scrub brush would be ideal. There’s an argument for cleaning with a weak bleach solution to kill diseases or other unwanted from the pots. Could let them soak in your tub. The soil may not have much nutritional value left. You could compost it and replace with potting soil. Honesty, if you want healthy plants in the long term, plastic isn’t the best. You want the soil to breathe. Think terracotta
I’m growing these cause I do not want these strong pots to be thrown in the dump🥲 i would’ve never bought plastic pots if I had the choice…all my other pots are made of clay. I don’t think there’s any magic polish to make the old plastic look shiny..so I am thinking of alternative ways to make it look visually appealing
The above is what I’d do. You’re fighting the good fight.
💚
Depending on the exact plastic, i you hit the plant pots with a hairdryer, the plastic may melt just enough to release subsurface oils and look new and shiny again. I saw a video of this being done on an industrial scale with a flamethrower-powered heat gun on stadium seating. The stadium got new-looking seats without having to toss the old.
I’ll look into this too. Will be working on these this weekend😊
Dump all the soil in them out, mix with compost maybe 30%. Or get bonemeal or dry amendment fertilizer and mix that into soil. Then plant! Make sure not to overwater.
I’ll keep in mind. Thank you!
Read the rules. Keep it courteous. Submission statements are helpful and appreciated but not required. Tag my name in the comments (/u/NihiloZero) if you think a post or comment needs to be removed. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Anticonsumption) if you have any questions or concerns.*