Reuse seed compost?

[tailfish99]

Evening all,
I was wondering, I am about to transplant my Hispi cabbage seedlings into modules to grow on, as seed compost has very little if any nutrition in it is it possible to re-use the compost from the pot that I initially planted these seeds in and just pop some more seeds in to germinate?

[Jimbo148]

Having been involved in germination testing on veg seed in laboratories I would say it isn't worth it. There is a danger of seed bourne disease pathogens being left behind and in the warm humid environment you will inevitably create that is all the encouragement they need to spread onto the new seed.

[Geoff]

I often re-use in the bottom of the pot with fresh on top. All my early sowings get Cheshunt treatment.

[ken]

I don't think I would reuse the compost for seedlings, but we don't throw it away. What usually happens is that I save the old compost during the growing season, and then my wfe uses it for potting up her chrysanthemums to over-winter in the greenhouse.

[Primrose]

I've very occasionally re-used compost for new seeds but on the assumption that all the nutrients have been used up, I very finely crush up some chicken manure pellets and mix them up in the compost. I've found that it's OK for seedlings which only stay in the compost for a short length of time, i.e. in a tray, before they're move on to individual pots.
Last autumn I used the spent compost teazled off the roots of my peppers & aubergines, mixed in some ground up chicken manure pellets and sowed endive to over winter. The seeds came up perfectly ok, survived the winter looking quite healthy and I've just transplanted the seedlings out into a border under the protection of some cloches. But I only re-used this compost because my original peppers and aubergines were pretty healthy.

[Suzie]

....uses it for potting up her chrysanthemums to over-winter in the greenhouse.

That's a good idea