A gardening expert has shared some helpful advice for those needing a hand outdoors
March has arrived and with spring on the horizon, garden enthusiasts will now begin to head outside to tend to their outdoor spaces. But some green-fingered enthusiasts might still be pondering over the best course of action for their garden.
A TikTok gardening guru, known as Ish or gardening.with.ish, has offered with some invaluable advice regarding the reuse of old compost.
In one of his most recent videos, Ish shares an essential tip that will benefit many gardeners. He advises gardeners never to throw their old compost away, and to instead prepare it for future use.
Compost can indeed be repurposed, but it requires certain steps to ensure it’s ready for another round of planting, reports the Express.
Demonstrating the process, Ish explains: “To make life easier, don’t hesitate – just take this and put it in a big tub like that first. That will help us see what’s actually going on in the soil.
“Now you can see from the bottom of the pot I’ve added in some gravel, and that’s ok – that will work as additional drainage. We have got quite a bit of a root base, but that has actually broken down over the course of the winter, so it’s not actually looking too bad at all.
“What I’m going to do is just mix this up, just look for stems and bigger bits of roots and I’m going to get those out first. Little bits of green weeds as well – weed them out too.”
After inspecting the compost, he determines it lacks sufficient nutrients, so he adds 25-75 percent of freshly rotted compost to the old soil.
He also incorporates failed seedlings and old compost from other pots into the mixture. This process creates a new blend that can be used to make fresh compost for the following year.
The method is extremely simple and cost-effective. The video has garnered over 1,000 views, prompting a flurry of comments and questions from viewers.
One commenter wrote: “Perfect timing. I’m feeling down about my aubergine seeds that haven’t germinated. I’m wondering if I should just wait a little longer or just toss them and use the soil in the garden.”
Another added: “I always do this, but usually find a vine weevil or two, so feel like I have to throw it or setting up to fail, even though in a short time they’ll probably find their way back in new compost.”
A third commenter shared: “I use old compost in the bottom of pots and add new on top,” as a fourth said: “Ah brill. I’ve chucked so much used compost away.”
