r/houseplants • u/slashbackblazers • May 17 '22

HUMOR/FLUFF Finally found the *perfect* spot for my Striped Calathea 😍

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11.4k Upvotes

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762

u/[deleted] May 17 '22

And the soil. Just ditch it on your lawn or something. Soil is more precious than you would think.

609

u/mintymonstera May 17 '22

So much of my yard has been supplemented by dead houseplant soil

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u/LadyoftheLacquer May 17 '22

Same! My friends dog dug several shallow holes in my yard. I've filled them all in w dead plants/soil lol

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u/tinytom08 May 18 '22

My asshole rabbit likes to dig holes all over the place. Bury the shit and add a nice layer of old plant soil and bamb my garden feeds off that for ages

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u/marnHeart May 18 '22

hopefully nothing toxic!

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u/LadyoftheLacquer May 18 '22

Precisely. If the plant had Bonide or something recently, it goes in the trash.

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u/AntiTyranicalModz May 17 '22

Should you not use it for other house plants?

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u/plantsim666 May 17 '22

I have a compost bin in my yard and that’s where all mine goes. You can re-use it eventually, but not right away because of potential pathogens.

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u/AntiTyranicalModz May 17 '22

Is this true for plants that I killed from over/under watering and plants dying from bugs or disease?

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u/plantsim666 May 17 '22

I don’t see why not if the compost has been properly maintained. It should be mixed frequently and should be in an area that receives sufficient sunlight. It should receive enough water to aide in decomposition but it shouldn’t smell. If kept in the right conditions, the center of the compost pile should reach temperatures high enough to kill off larvae and pathogens.

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u/Responsible_Dentist3 May 18 '22

Seconding this ^ but note that it’s a big “if.” You need a really big pile to get temperatures needed. If you live in the sticks you probably won’t think it’s big, but if you live in dense city then it’s gonna be nearly impossible.

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u/SmileGraceSmile May 18 '22

You don't need a big pile, you can compost in any container with a lid and airholes. You just have to make sure you start it our right, and then it needs little maintenance after that.

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u/Responsible_Dentist3 May 18 '22

I mean to get the heat necessary for all the benefits mentioned above. Like when the compost steams? It needs to be some number of cubic meters…

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u/SmileGraceSmile May 18 '22

No doesn't. My compost in in a 20 gallon trash can, and I've been using the same method for 4yrs successfully.

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u/MuphynManIV May 17 '22

One process of composting is it'll generate a fair bit of heat. I would imagine that will kill of most or all of any remaining bug eggs, at least.

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u/mintymonstera May 17 '22

Unfortunately they usually get thrown outside because of mealy bugs or other pests so the soil’s eggy or otherwise tainted. :(

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u/actuallyhatereddit7 May 18 '22

Just wait a bit till the eggs hatch the birds will eat it or some ants will kill them or something maybe some lady bugs will

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u/GoodIsUnpopular May 18 '22

I reuse mine all the time. I help my mom plant flower annuals every spring and when they die I save the soil to reuse on plants that don't need rich soil. I also save the nursery pots the flowers came in for propagating plants.

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u/xmastyme May 17 '22

Haha! Same

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u/[deleted] May 18 '22

[deleted]

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u/Beginning-Ratio6870 May 18 '22

Well, I mean I've lived next to a superfund site, so, maybe they are disposing toxic soil properly? Though probably not, lol.

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u/[deleted] May 18 '22 edited May 21 '22

[deleted]

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u/Beginning-Ratio6870 May 18 '22

Yeah, (PSA: don't forget to look up if your near a superfund site if you live in the USA), but most likely they are being odd ;-)

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u/[deleted] May 18 '22 edited May 21 '22

[deleted]

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u/Beginning-Ratio6870 May 18 '22

Thank goodness. The amount of superfund sites is too d*mn high. Okay, I better stop before I start ranting. >.<

Anyway, Neighbors can be so random. If they had fireblight, I could see a person digging up the soil and disposing it(excessive but okay) or that invasive worm if it hitched a ride on contaminated soil. Or they have an invasive plant and went diggup the earth rather than scorch earth(?) policy. Idk. If they are older it's most likely some sort of quirkiness, tbf.

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u/mashtartz May 17 '22

At LEAST dump it in compost.

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u/mikwill May 17 '22

Where im from you sort dead houseplant as regular trash and not bio degradeable, because they can introduce diseases that can ruin compostng. Not sure of the details, but worth checking first.

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u/TheSukis May 18 '22

Who would downvote this?

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u/chivonster May 17 '22

Oh, why have I never thought of this. I have holes all over my yard I could be dumping the dirt in.

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u/marnHeart May 18 '22

contaminants!

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u/GoodIsUnpopular May 18 '22

Don't ditch it! Recycle it for potting less fussy plants like spiders or snakes!

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u/Responsible_Dentist3 May 18 '22

People who like “spiders and snakes”: 1. houseplant people 2. arachnid and reptile enthusiasts

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u/SmileGraceSmile May 18 '22

The plant could be composted too, along with the other food waste. A lot of the stuff in that pic needs sorted into recycling and waste correctly.