If a bag of potting soil is opened, an unappetizing smell may come out of it. The question arises whether this smelly soil can be used to cultivate plants.
Why does my potting soil stink and what can I do about it?
If potting soil is accompanied by an unpleasant smell when you open the bag, this is due to the ingredients it contains, such as horn shavings, horn meal, phytoseed or guano. Allow the soil to loosen and air out to reduce the smell. Spoiled soil smells strongly of musty and rot and should be replaced.
Potting soil stinks
Fresh earth smells pleasantly of the forest, of musty, just earthy. This is often not the case with potting soil, regardless of whether it is expensive soil or soil from a discount store. If you tear the bag open, it smells like manure, manure or rot.
Such smells are quite unpleasant for sensitive noses. The smell, however, says nothing about the quality of the potting soil, it is on the ingredients of the earth.
The various additives
Depending on which and how many substances are contained, odors may occur. Planting substrates contain, among others, the following additives:
- Horn shavings, from horns and hooves
- Horn meal, from horns and hooves
- Phytosemolina, made from residues of corn, grain and potato processing, was fermented
- Guano, a natural fertilizer made from concentrated feces of various seabirds
If you know the origin of the additives, a smell of manure or manure is not surprising. It's best to loosen the soil after opening the bag and let it air out for a while.
If the potting soil consists of compost and bark humus, it will contain microorganisms. These are important so that nutrients for plants are created from the organic substances. The decomposition processes are associated with unpleasant odors that quickly evaporate in the fresh air.
Potting soil is spoiled
If the potting soil smells strongly of mold and decay, something has gone wrong. The unpleasant smells often appear in house or container plants. They are a sign that too much has been watered and the required water drainage is not working. The resulting waterlogging caused a rotting process to begin in the soil, which often irreparably damaged the plant's roots.
The only thing that helps here is a complete replacement of the earth. It is possible that the plant will heal again in the fresh soil. Before filling in the fresh soil, it is important to add a drainage layer made of expanded clay (€19.00 on Amazon) or clay shards to the pot or bucket. With this layer, waterlogging can no longer occur.
The watering behavior should also be reconsidered. A plant only needs water when the top layer of soil is already dry.
