A suggestion from one of our readers:

I have around 40 pots… and I change the soil in all but my three big whiskey barrels. For them, I weed out the roots and all the “junk” that accumulates in them through the winter, “stir it all up,” and then add as much “new” potting soil as is necessary to fill them.

The others (smaller containers) get all new soil. The roots of the prior season’s plantings are just too compacted to make it good for new plants. [Don’t forget to add all the old planting soil to your compost piles!]

…. Thanks to “Sunny, East Coast” for sharing. (June 22, 1998)

[Editor’s Note: We must admit that we are very lazy and hardly ever replace the potting soil in our containers.]