How to Sterilize the Garden Soil

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How to Sterilize the Garden Soil

Organic gardening is the future of the gardening, and people who cultivate gardens, should take it up. For gardeners, interested in organic gardening, the technique of sterilizing the garden soil is very important. Sterilizing the soil will mean that your plants are more healthy. In a sterilized soil there will be less weed or harmful elements that are detrimental to the growth of the plant. This is why people choose to sterilize soil.

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Techniques of Sterilizing the Garden Soil

Sterilizing garden soil is a bit more difficult than sterilizing potting soil. Solarization is the best process to sterilize garden soil. Here is how you do it.

  • In order to sterilize the garden soil, you have to follow a technique called solarization, which means using of the solar heat to sterilize the soil. This can be best done in the summer and specifically on a dry and sunny day.
  • Generally, the organism beneficial for the soil survives the process of solarization as it only affects the harmful elements in the soil, so you do not have to worry about diminishing quality of the soil.
  • Planning to do solarization during the summer means you have to plan right from the winter before. In winter, you have to cover the area with a black plastic or you can also plant some plants to increase the fertility of the soil. In spring you can plant new saplings. Do remember to remove the black plastic before you start planting.
  • It is easier to sterilize top soil or plotting soil than garden soil. In the case of top soil, you can use a conventional oven or a microwave oven to sterilize the soil. You need to set the temperature of the oven at 210-250, and then put the soil in it, in a container that is safe to be used in the oven. Keep the soil in the oven for 30 minutes. Alternatively, you can also use microwave oven for this purpose, and you have to heat the soil for 30 seconds in full power.
  • You can also sterilize the soil with steam. This is considered the best possible method for sterilization of soil. You can use a pressure cooker for this purpose too.

These are the main techniques of sterilization of the soil. However, in general soil doesn’t need sterilization, and you should only sterilize if you have harmful fungi and such other things causing harm to your plants.