You may be wondering what the best way is to store potting soil, grass seed, and fertilizer because leaving the bags open is not ideal since air contamination is quite possible.
There are many tips and tricks you can employ to ensure your materials stay protected against the external environment so you can use them months later.
Fold The Bags
Seeds, fertilizers, and soil can be purchased in plastic bags, which need to be neatly folded to ensure there is no external contamination that could ruin the materials.
The best way to fold the bags is to use the paper airplane method, where you fold the top corners like a paper airplane, ensuring that you roll up to 3 times before tucking and rolling to secure the bag carefully. If any air gets trapped in the bag, you should squeeze it out until there’s none left, reducing the risk of contamination, and keeping your materials safe and secure to use later.
You may want to store these materials in your shed instead of leaving them outdoors, protecting them from sun exposure and rain. Make sure the bag is secured tightly and roll it down as far as possible while squeezing the last remnants of air out of the bag.
This method is highly useful because you can knock the bag over, and the content will not spill out, which means you don’t have to worry about cleaning up any spills.
Keep it stored in a corner in your shed and use it when the need arrives. You can also look up pictures of the airplane method online if you’re having trouble understanding the instructions, which will make it easy for you to mimic the method for optimal results.
Tips For Storing Potting Soil
Many garden lovers find it enjoyable to plant garden seeds year-round and store potting soil and fertilizer in their garden shed. Storing these materials properly ensures that you avoid wasting money due to external contamination from moisture, insects, and mold.
As an alternative method, you can use tape, zip-top plastic bags, airtight storage bins, disinfecting wipes, and flat trays.
If you’ve noticed that your storage bags have become damp, you can replace them with zip-top plastic bags and put the soil and fertilizer together in a large container.
It is also important that you clean the container thoroughly before storing the materials inside, which gets rid of any mold or fungi growth that could jeopardize your storing process.
Dry out the container and place the materials inside the zip-top plastic bags and seal it off completely using tape. You will notice that the materials stay well protected if you follow these protocols each time.
Final Verdict
You may want to check the soil for contamination by emptying it out into a mesh tray and checking for larvae, eggs, seeds, and fungi growth. Ensure that your bags are airtight and the containers you store these materials in are also protected from the external environment.