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26 Comments
Ok but, doesn't baking the soil or adding boiling water also kill all the good stuff in the mix???I buy promix with the mycorrhiza in it. Sterilize it and it will kill it. I am also confused because, last year you were singing promix praises for seed starting and did not say to sterilize it. I feel like the recommendations change with the wind these days. Not just with you but, other gardening channels also.
I do something similar but do use my own soil mix with fungus and bacteria once I seed the seeds are germinating.
1) Use only perlite in closed deli cups to germinate seeds.
2) once I see the first roots then transfer over to seed starter flat using a very airy mix of potting soil and perlite (extra perlite 50/50 ratio).
At this point don’t use a humidity dome.
Again everyone has their own method but this one seems to work the best for me. No damping off and no fungal gnats
This is helpful to me because I reuse potting mix that has been outside to start my seeds indoors. This causes an abundance of gnats indoors. Thank you.
This is new to me, never thought about sterilizing soil!!
I'm a senior citizen. When I was young, I wanted to have houseplants, but I was on a tight budget a couldn't afford to buy soil. My grandmother (who was born more than 100 years ago) told me I could use soil from outside, but I would have to put it in the oven first to kill any bugs. This method has been known for a long time. Your video brought back this memory for me. I haven't thought of this method in a long time, but now I will keep it in mind.
I don’t want to kill the good elements contained in the soil (like Mycorrhizae) so personally, I’ll pass with the soil baking. I just use a decent layer of sand or perlite on top of the soil to mitigate the gnat populations, try to avoid overwatering (I know, it’s hard!) & also make sure to hang multiple gnat traps near my growing trays for good measure 👍
I appreciate that this is a method that can work, but it's really not necessary. Most organic growers DON'T sterilize. Best is to make your own mix with high quality finished compost as a base, but don't use "black box" commercial mixes that could in fact be heavily contaminated.
Thank you Luke!
I use native soil to start seeds. Will the baking method kill wild seeds as well as microbes?
I just baked mine yesterday. Tired of those fungus gnats I’ve had the last three years.
I put mine in a tub & soak with boiling water & close it up for 24 hours before using. Works well for me
I watch a channel called kate and eli. They are in Scotland. Eli sterilizes her used compost in the microwave. She double zip locs it in case of an explosion, she sterilizes a couple of bags at a time.
Cool.
I get around it by planting more than I need, then I take the good seedlings, only the strong survive 💪
Bottom watering is essential
I poured boiling water onto a seed tray last year to sterilise it and melted it slightly. If I sterilise soil that way this year I'll need to use a different container.
Great information!
I mix my own
Great reminder for me after not being able to garden for a couple years.
OMG! 500 babies each! Thanks for sharing the 3 methods.
I use misquito bits mixed into the soil. Works for me.
oven!
I knew about baking soil, and now know the temp and time, thanks for this! Also a little dirt won’t hurt you, just wash the pan.
Absolutely going to try the baking method this year… I do OK using the store bought stuff right out of the bag, but damping off and those fungus gnats are more than enough reason to give this a whirl. Thanks Luke!
I'd go so far as to say not to bake or boil, but to pressure pot your starting soil. Second year into dealing with some sort of herculean mite species. They've survived EVERYTHING else I've thrown at them, and I still have no idea what they are. Thanks, Miracle Grow. Boiling, baking, freezing, alcohol, neem/pesticide soaks take out the adults, but their eggs seem to be next to impossible to annihilate. Even tried predatory mites and beneficial nematodes. NOPE.
Try making it while playing Indonesian songs, Indonesian songs will definitely go viral, bro. Make songs while making content too, but it's also good, but Indonesian songs too, but
I use Espoma organic seed starting mix and have had great luck with it. Never had fungus gnats or mold/other problems.
Sizing this up would be a plywood box on a cement floor with heat tape in the bottom. I've seen it in action