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I fear I often too enthusiastically water my plant trays, resulting in some damped off seedlings. I re-sterilize the trays and cell packs and put the used potting mix in a container, which over time has accumulated a couple of cubic feet. Now I'm not going to plant any more seeds in it as it is, and I don't want to take the trouble to run it through the oven or microwave to sterilize it, but it offends my latent ecoconscience to just dump it in the garbage.
My question is, could I put this potting mix in the mulch pile, when in the year or two it takes to create compost, the recycled fungi might not hurt the plants I spread it on? Or should I dump it in the adjacent woodland or just contribute it to the garbage container where it will grace our town's trash?
I'd like to know the answer to this also. My feeling is the fungi that cause bacteria is present everywhere. We don't have it when I buy seedling mix, but it is always a risk. I figure that even if a seedling has died from damp off, the mix/soil can still be used. What I've done so far, is to only reuse that soil outside (more air circulation than inside) and let the seedlings almost dry out. I think it works. Am I wrong?
I re-use soil from damping off in containers outside, mixed with potting soil and whatever's already there. I figure healthy plants ready for outside won't be affected, and so far, so good. Whatever is left over I put in the compost. Only I'd something looks really gross do I put it in the trash.
