Can i keep my old soil and revitalize it?

[Coubob]

I have went through 3 grows with the same fox farms ocean forest soil. and each time got better yield, only cause i`m learning more and have better lights and whatnot. i would guess. i just got me some new happy frog soil enough for 6 5gallon buckets, but I throw my old soil in a old truckbed toolbox, and had added things to it,i added whitney and farms seed starting soil, peat. manure, and a plain bag of potting mix along with the old ocean forest soil i had in hopes i might try making a super soil or something good out of the old stuff. but the soil Ph dropped to 4.7, so i added some hydrated lime, i think 3 cups were to much for 25 gallons of soil, cause it went up to a ph of 10 after watering it a bit. Is that normal, will it average out and down to 7ph over time like for next spring. what should i have done to the old soil. Should i have just added some nector of the gods one shot granules soil amendment,.Or is it better to just go buy a new couple of bags of happyfrog for $34,seems like a waste.

[crucialbunny]

I recycle my soil every season in much the same way. I empty my containers and screen out the old dead roots over a 50 gallon trashcan. I do this only because roots seem to take a long time to break down. I will add worm compost from my bins as I work, along with powdered kelp meal, azomite, some bagged retail compost mix, and adding water in stages so it will be moist. I don't add any manure to mine because when the new season starts I use this mixture to make my seedling potting mix for solo cups and don't want it to be overly hot. My growing season usually begins in early April so I start the process in Nov. Dec. to give it time to mature. The key is using the worm castings to provide beneficial bacteria that keeps everything else in balance as it develops. My soil seems to be getting better with each passing year.

[Coubob]

Thank you.

[SoOrbudgal]

Ditto as above. I flush out at the end with water/molasses then just plain water till runoff so i use it maybe 2x till i make new.

[Going2fast]

Before adding anything to it I put it in a 55 gallon trash can with drain holes and give it a real good flushing. Even if you don't use chemicals grey's bad stuff will build up over time. Them I test pH afterwards. My formula is as such. For 15 gallons of soil 1/2 cup of lime will bring the pH up 1 point. I like to start with soil at around 7 as my well water is at 5.5

[Coubob]

Thank you

[Rwise]

Whats in the well water that makes it acidic? Reason is I just fired up an old well, PH was 5.4 and not what I expected from a well in lime rock.

[Coubob]

I need to get me some worm casting,I had forgot that about our local feed & farm center,and here i was goin to lowes and atwoods and places around here.Shit i go out there and they have all the foxfarms , promix, and advance nutuients.so i guess i dont have to go far or even order stuff on line anymore.Just need to learn SOIL & what to get. Might get rid of this old soil But...if i could get right than i`ll use it for an outdoor attempt ..the ph of my ol soil is at 8.2 now. so do i need to add some aluminum sulfate? and how much would i add for 25lb`s?. Or unless something else would be better to bring it down, or stabilize it where i need it.

[Going2fast]

Don't know why it's acidic always been that way. I had it tested years ago and other than an abundance of Flouride everything else was good. I mix it 50/50 with creek water from behind my house for watering my veggies. The creek water tests at 8.

[Rwise]

Are there injection wells near you? I have had one within a mile of me, and another within 3 miles, as far as I know Fluoride is not natural, I could be wrong. IDK of it being harmful to plants, but IF I use my well I would have to test at least twice a year. I have been using the water from the spring which PHs around 7.4. I do need to get that test done so maybe I could use the well (inactive for 50 years or so since city water came)

[Rwise]

Fluoride is a mineral that occurs naturally and is released from rocks into the soil, water, and air. Almost all water contains some fluoride

I was wrong,

[Coubob]

I added a big bag of worm castings to old soil im trying to make living soil. See how it works out. Its at 7. Ph. Looks and feels great.. I have some hapoy frog and strawberry fields gor this grow. I just started germanating 6 seeds. 2 Blueberry. 2 Night terror a Flo and a sana gelo

[Coubob]

I went out and got me some happy frog and strawberry field potting soil for my latest grow, I tested both and the happy frog had a 5.8PH and 5400 EC. and the strawberry field had a 4.8PH and 5300EC. Is that Normal? the ocean forest i used last stayed steady at 6.5 the whole grow. so i filled 4 2g pots and 4 5g buckets and mixed it 1/2HF and 1/2SF. Measured them, 5.4ph.Than added a tablespoon of hydrated lime to the 4 2g pots. they were 6.3-6.7ph ranges yesterday , today i measured them and they were 7.4-7.8ph, so i added some a little new with it and put it back in the pots and tested it again and it went up more. ugh. On with the the 5g buckets i flushed the hell out them than i added tablespoon and a half to each 5g bucket.yesterday and are at 6.3- 6.8 Ph , &1500ec today.Hopefully they`ll stay like that. i`m hesitant on even using any of it. Hell my soil from last grow is now ready and has a 7ph, just need perlite. I had issues with soil ph at the time of switch during my last grow cause of one of them 3 way soil probe (moist/light/ph) messed me all up, now this new soil is like WTF. seen somewhere were they got a bad batch and some had been distributed out, and if you get any it has a high salt buildup that needed flushed real good and it would stablize to normal.????anyhow the new plants i have in the new happy frog straight out of bag are 2 blueberry in the back and a flo front left, and a san angelo front right , that seem just fine so far except for a bit of wavy leave. So what should i have done with the new soil? I still have another full bag of each, i assume their the same way.the happy frogs 5.8ph i can use but strawberry fields 4.8ph ??

[SoOrbudgal]

I think you did right washing it prior to use. I been putting my older potting mix back into the tub with my fresh mixed soil an keep turning it. But i don't use FF soils so other than washing it out several times an adding more perilite of just plain coco coir or peat and turning that over together is about all one can do. At least your doing the right thing by testing Ph.

[PRIMO]

I used some of my used soil to repot and nurse back to life a near death hibiscus for my wife. Oops.

[Coubob]

Today i retested my soil i plan on using for my new grow. the 2 g pots i threw on a crape myrtle and a eastern redbud in the front yard it was still at 7.6ph The soil in the 5 g buckets were between 6.1 and 6.4 ph. so i dumped it all out on my storm shelter to dry a bit , mixed it up.think i`m all ready to transplant, gonna give em a couple of weeks in those pots while i keep ckecking the fresh soil ph. if it starts getting wanky i`m just goin to go get ocean forest like i had my last grows , JEEZ. Going to get a good soil tester any ideas?? something along the lines of the Gain Express Soil Ph & Moisture Meter 295mm Long Electrode oh and the extra bag of strawberry feild i had i dumped in my toolbox with the soil i was revitalizing. its ph was 7, the strawberrys ph was 4.8. what will that do? am i fucking up please tell me if i am. its just shit and dirt to me