Not only do delicious cakes turn out in the oven, the heat there is also good for the potting soil if it is infested with pests and germs. Heat treatment in the oven is a simple method to prevent the infestation of fungi, larvae, etc.
Can you sterilize potting soil in the oven?
To sterilize potting soil in the oven, heat the oven to 70 degrees, spread the slightly moist soil on a tray and bake it for 30 minutes. This kills weed seeds, fungi and pests to create a he althy environment for plants.
Potting soil from a discount store or from your own compost
Both variants are possible, although using your own compost requires a little more work, as this soil has to be sieved additionally.
Both soils should be free of weed seeds, larvae, mold and so on Pathogens so that seeds and young plants get off to a good start. All of these “soil additives” are not visible to the human eye and you might think that expensive or self-produced potting soil is optimal. Most of the time this is not the case. Germs, fungi, etc. can withstand little heat and should die in the compost container during hot rotting (60 to 80 degrees). Unfortunately, such high temperatures cannot be achieved in private compost.
Sanitizing potting soil in the oven
Heat treatment in the oven is a good method to combat soil organisms that are harmful to plants. Always carry out the treatment just before using the soil. If you want to stock up, store the germ-free soil in an airtight bag so that it stays germ-free.
- First heat the oven to 200°C.
- Add some water to the soil, but not so much that it drips.
- Put the potting soil (€6.00 on Amazon) in a fireproof container or spread it flat on a tray.
- Place the tray/container in the oven for 30 minutes.
- For larger quantities, you should stir once.
- The sterilized soil must cool thoroughly before it is used.
- If you need a larger amount of soil, you should sterilize several portions.
Optimum temperatures for pest control
Very high temperatures are not always necessary in the oven. Most viruses are killed at 90 degrees, while fungi are destroyed at 70 degrees. Most insects and their larvae cannot survive 60 degrees. If you sterilize your soil in the oven at 70 degrees for about 30 minutes, most weeds, fungi and pests should be killed.
