dirt disposal

[BobBong]

I suggest avoiding anything illegal.. like illegally dumping it in a garbage bin outside the back of some store... Most places now have camera setup to catch anyone illegally dumping into patron garbage bins... I'd avoid that if i were you cause the last thing you want is to be caught red handed with bags of soil.

In all honesty it's not a huge problem.. If you have a balcony or a back porch simply bag the soil up in a black garbage bag and put it outside.. Like Stinky says, come spring time... break it up and use it in your yard.

Keep it away from your plants though as dead material is a feeding ground for pests... that's why i say outside.

Cheers,
bob.

[Mr. Clandestine]

there are waay to many paranoid people afraid that a 4 plant closet, a few gallons of dirt, a 400w power usage increase, etc will bring the feds immediately to your doors or alert government helicopters....

There are way too many people giving bad advice, like "just dump it in your back yard...the snow will cover it up."

At the end of every grow, I'm left with a minimum of 10 5-gallon buckets that contain roughly 50 gallons of used soil. It's not paranoia that's keeping me from dumping it in my back yard, it's common sense. I'd have to be an idiot to be as careless as you suggest and just leave a huge pile of it sitting around for anyone to see.

Bob and Stinky showed up to give sound advice, different from the other recommendations, based on what's worked for them. You just show up to call people paranoid for covering their tracks. Whose advice would you follow...theirs, or yours?

P.S. - Keep growing 3' tall plants in plain view in your window. We'll wait and see how long that works out for you...

[PharmaCan]

There are way too many people giving bad advice, like "just dump it in your back yard...the snow will cover it up."

At the end of every grow, I'm left with a minimum of 10 5-gallon buckets that contain roughly 50 gallons of used soil. It's not paranoia that's keeping me from dumping it in my back yard, it's common sense. I'd have to be an idiot to be as careless as you suggest and just leave a huge pile of it sitting around for anyone to see.

Bob and Stinky showed up to give sound advice, different from the other recommendations, based on what's worked for them. You just show up to call people paranoid for covering their tracks. Whose advice would you follow...theirs, or yours?

P.S. - Keep growing 3' tall plants in plain view in your window. We'll wait and see how long that works out for you...

And have you noticed that the more posts the trolls make, the fewer posts the experienced growers make?

PC :smokin:

[Mr. Clandestine]

And have you noticed that the more posts the trolls make, the fewer posts the experienced growers make?

PC :smokin:

It's great having the opportunity to discuss these things with you and Stinky, along with all the other moderators and experienced growers who really know their shit. I can't even begin to describe how much I've learned in my short time here, and there's something new to learn every time I sign on. It's like school that adults actually want to attend!

Moderators can't keep tabs on all of the meandering trolls, but concerned forumites can! I'll gladly play the role of voluntary hall-monitor for CannCom.

[hybridlove420]

ok, i see my reply may not have been as useful as i considered. as a small-time grower, i deal with maybe 4-6 plants at one time, and usually only about 3 gallon soil per plant.

in my local, i feel no immediate threat to myself or to growers in general, and find it odd when people get freaked out about spy helicopters searching for thier crops.

if you want the most extreme way to ditch your dirt, why not fill a couple black garbage bags and truck them out to some field 10minutes from home?

[stinkyattic]

Again, when you dump your dirt on someone else's property without permission, this is illegal dumping and calls unnecessary attention to yourself, as well as being pointless when there are safer, easier, and LEGAL ways to do it. Growers get caught by committing other crimes in the process of growing- stealing electricity, unauthorized use of dumpsters, dealing. The local PD might be kinda bored and decide to give those trash bags to their lab to train the new technician how to take prints off plastic sheeting... uh oh, they match this local dude who has a prior for poss of class D... uh oh, the bag was full of used dirt... uh oh, there's a knock at your door... see where this is going?
One of the bonuses of the black garbage bag on the porch is that subjecting it to temperature extremes kills pests and makes it safe for use on your friend's veggie patch. He REALLY doesn't want your thrip infestation!
Growing a plant on a windowsill is just asking for trouble btw! Be careful!

[Treetops]

I grow veggies and I have all my deck plants in my basement. I have a big barrell I use for a composter put all my dirt and food scraps in it ...I roll it around the basement to mix it up and give me a little exercise as well..and no worries about anyone seeing me and my enterprise operations....LOL..

Peace,
Treetops

[mushaboom]

i seriously doubt the police are in cahoots with your local grocery stores to watch all the dumpsters. oh, and i cant believe this guy lets a 3ft plant grow in plain view of the whole neighborhood. what a schmohawk

[stinkyattic]

Since stores have to pay to rent a dumpster, and pay for every time that the waste management company has to come empty it, they definitely DO care about illegal dumping and are likely to report anyone they see filling up the dumpster that THEY have to pay for. I know that if I rented a dumpster for a construction project, and if I saw the schmuck down the street dumping his rubbish in it all sneaky-like after dark, if I knew who he was I'd dump that shit RIGHT back on his lawn (probably with the bags ripped open), or call the cops. I'm not paying for some cheapskate to dump for free!

[Mr. Clandestine]

I live out in the sticks, where there's more construction sites than actual developed areas, and lots of times they keep those extra long dumpsters out there to be filled up with tree stumps, refuse, etc. They generally get loaded on trucks about once a week and dumped into an inert landfill. This is often where I get rid of my soil, and just the soil...I keep the bags. Even still, I can understand how this is an unnecessary risk.

If I kept used soil inside a 55-gallon barrel, what needs to be done to make it suitable for outdoor gardening? I don't grow any vegetables outside, but I've got a lot of area that I use for perennial shrubs and annuals in the spring. I'm sure it would be good for the flowers, but will a low N topsoil be alright for my leafy shrubs? Or should I only use it in areas where there will be flowers?