Soil storage

[Raymond]

So I live a couple of hours south of Perth. I get all my supplies from Peter @ The Bonsai Emporium. I have been storing my soil in a 55L black plastic bin, with lid. I haven't had any dramams, but was wanting some expert opinion, seeing as I do have to repot ALL of my trees this season, I will probably need to get 2 bins worth...
Thanks in advance

[Josh]

So what is the actual question you are asking

[Raymond]

So what is the actual question you are asking

Is it ok to store it like this? And for how long

[Josh]

So what is the actual question you are asking

Is it ok to store it like this? And for how long

Ahhhh, now I see
I don't really see any issues storing it this way. A couple of things to be aware of. Storing like this will allow it to dry out.
-The fine dust from potting mix can cause serious respiratory issues so avoid breathing it in.
-Before repotting wet the mix first. Potting plants into a dry mix can suck huge amounts of moisture out of the root system, also makes it harder to fully wet the soil after repotting and may leave dry pockets.

Apart from that can't think of any other problems. Probably better than the way I store mine, in it's bag laying where I last used it

Some more experienced more have other ideas.

Josh

[cre8ivbonsai]

Ahh Josh you beat me to it, but coming from another angle ... Depending on the moisture content of the soil, and if your plastic container is seeled, over time (months) you will get condensation, which can manifest into mould. I mix my own which is fairly dry, and the diatomite probably helps but esp with my containers of pre mix pine bark, I try to store mine in a dry, sheltered environment (shed) with the lids adjar.

[Jason]

Ahh Josh you beat me to it, but coming from another angle ... Depending on the moisture content of the soil, and if your plastic container is seeled, you will get condensation, which can manifest into mould. I mix my own which is fairly dry, and the diatomite probably helps but esp with my containers of pre mix pine bark, I try to store mine in a dry, sheltered environment (shed) with the lids adjar.

Exactly what I was about to say Wamrth, moisture and lack of air will mean mould, and you don't want that

[cre8ivbonsai]

Especially if there's organic fertiliser in the mix

[Dario]

Hi Raymond, what sort of "soil" are you using?
Cheers, Dario.

[squizzy]

The other issue may be that inorganic ferts will likely dump nutrient in the soil if it gets warm giving you a mix with high salt levels. If it doesn't have these ferts in the mix its obviously not an issue.

Squizz

[Vicki003]

So what is the actual question you are asking

Is it ok to store it like this? And for how long

While storing soil in a bag - Keep it dry rather than wet and it must be away from heat or any other harmful chemicals etc. You may also use soil moisture meter to examine moisture level in a soil.