Good soil will help your plants progress as much as possible.
If good soil exists, bad soil must also exist.
If the soil can be bad, you may be asking how you know if potting soil is bad.
There are several common signs that your potting soil has gone bad. These include bad odor, bugs, mold, and changes to your plant. Bad soil doesn’t mean that you have to throw it away, and in most cases, you are able to fix your soil.
Can Potting Soil Go Bad
It’s just dirt, right? Can soil even go bad?
Potting soil is a combination of:
- dirt
- additives to assist in drainage
- and organic matter
This organic material is typically decomposed or decomposing.
You might even say that in a way, it’s already gone bad. The decomposed organic material is rich in nutrients, and that’s what your plants need.
You can think of soil going bad in a similar way to the way milk or eggs would go bad.
As organic material breaks down, it can mold and you’d throw it away instead of eating it.
The organic matter in soil can also mold if there is moisture in the bag.
So in addition to going bad like milk or eggs would, soil can also “go bad” in that it is just not good for your plants like it once was.
After a While: Those nutrients break down and your potting soil will lose the good it once had.
5 Signs Your Potting Soil Is Bad
If you have maintained your soil in the original bag, the first thing to consider will be the best before date on the bag.
That date is usually one to two years after the date of packaging.
If your bag of soil brings you to a year or more, or you lost the original packaging, here are some signs of dirt that may be bad.
1. Bad Smell
If you were to open the bag of soil that you purchased, and it has a stinky smell like rotten eggs, your soil has gone bad.
What has likely happened is that some moisture was sealed in with the bag of soil and, along with some bacteria in the soil, it went bad and produced the smell.
When this happens, you are able to rescue the soil post bad smell by spreading it out on a tray or tarp in thin layers and drying it outside on the hottest sunniest day.
If the sun dries the soil out you will kill off all the bacteria in the soil, good and bad, so be sure to mix it back in with new potting soil once it is dried before you put any plants in the soil.
2. Insect Infestation
If you open your bag of soil and a ton of insects swarm out, you may have rotten soil.
Bugs like warm, moist, dark conditions. They may have found a nice home in your bag of potting mix.
You can still use this soil. You can use some diluted neem oil or sticky traps to kill the bugs.
These work for a bag of potting soil you have not used yet or for soil that is already in a pot with plants.
3. Mold
That white fuzzy growth seems disgusting, but mold is a part of nature!
It’s what happens when bacteria and moisture are combined with limited air circulation.
So, if you’ve left a bag of potting soil in a hot car, or you are overwatering plants, you could have a mold issue to address.
Mold is a solvable problem. Simply spread your soil out in a thin layer in the sun.
The airflow and the heat will dry the soil out and kill the bacteria. Once it’s fully dry, put it back in a clean airtight container.
Mature plants can handle moldy soil for a while until it start moving to their roots, but seeds and young plants won’t survive in moldy soil.
Check your soil for mold before planting seeds!
4. Compact
Examine the condition of your potting soil. Is there any noticeable compaction?
If you water it, how long does the water pool on top of the soil before being absorbed?
Is your potting soil compacted and becoming hydrophobic? If so, you may have bad potting soil.
To fix this, remove your plant and mix in new potting soil and wetting agents.
The wetting agents will reduce the surface tension of the soil and make it easier for water to penetrate the soil.
You can also add peat, perlite, coco coir, or rice hulls to your soil to prevent it from compacting in the future.
5. Your Plants are Changing
If there has been no change in your surrounding environment or how you are watering your plants but you still notice a change in your plants, then your soil could be bad or used up.
The changes could be:
- leaves changing color
- Foliage dropping off
- or decreased number of fruit or flowers
The problem is usually because your plants are not getting enough nutrients.
Solution: Add fertilizer to your soil. The fertilizer you apply depends on the kind of plant you are growing, but in general you should apply a fertilizer that has a higher nitrogen ratio.
Final Thoughts
You may not be able to save spoilage milk, but you can save spoilage soil.
First, identify what the problem is with your soil, and follow some simple steps to resolve the problem.
Once you have provided adequate care for your soil, it will remain healthy and your plants will grow healthier because of it.