Is there a way of rejuvenating a tub of peat?

Question

I have grown peas in one pot, broccoli in another and roses and clematis in another. I should think the soil is just about spent so do I have to buy new or can I re-fertilize it some way?

Answer 1

Yeah, a small bag of "ericacious" compost seems to re-vitalise old soil

Answer 2

The soil has not only lost nutrients which can be replaced, but you may also be having salt increases which will affect how nutrients are taken up into the soil.  Also the water degrades the soil's texture.  Microorganisms are the living contingent of the soil often ignored but they are responsible for aiding in drainage and nutrient uptake.  Container gardening is murder on the micros.

The clematis will be the tricky part since it resents transplanting.  For it I'd scrape away the top layer (when dormant) and replace with compost which will bring in those microorganisms who can start gluing together soil particles again.  

The rose can be knocked out of the pot when fully dormant and repotted with fresh soil.  If you live in the desert, this might be mid summer in the heat when the roses go to sleep.  For moderate climates, it's winter.

The veggie pot, just replace the old soil with good fresh stuff after this crop is finished.  You can keep this crop going with the kelp mentioned above, it's good stuff.

Answer 3

You can mix the soil from the different pots so if one is low in some nutrient, it may get it from the other soils.  Also, I'd use a slow release type fertilizer instead of a water soluble type.  Kelp meal or liquid extract has about 60 elements in it as well as vitamins and growth hormones.  My plants like it.  Find it at garden stores or online.  There are many other things you can do too, but these are the easiest.

Answer 4

I've seen a new-er product out by Miracle Grow and its a potting soil specifically balanced for either veggies or other plants I would suggest getting something along those lines to just mix in with what you have. The slow release fertilizer might not be a bad idea for either. I use Osmocote on all my plantings.

http://www.scotts.com/smg/brand/osmocote...

Thats just a site that will give you information on the fertilizer if you wanted to know about it.

Good luck ^^

Answer 5

Peas "fix" nitrogen in the soil.  That's one of the things that plants need.  I'd just top dress the existing soil with Black Kow, Milorganite,  or another good organic fertilizer.  You could also mix the fertilizer in with the peat.