Why should you put indoor potting soil in the oven?

Spring begins and many people also want to fill their house with green. In this age it is common to bring home and transplant potted plants with land that has been saved. It’s fine, but you have to take some precautions.

What potting soil should I buy?

It is a true science to hit the most suitable soil for each species. In specialized centers many different types of land can be found at very different prices:

Potting soil or farmland: it is a mixture of different materials including peat, perlite, vermiculite and compost. This soil is commonly used for indoor and outdoor plants in pots, containers, and window boxes.

Soil for cacti and succulents: it is a mixture of sandy soil and other materials such as perlite, to provide rapid drainage and good air circulation around the roots. This soil is suitable for cacti, succulents, and other plants that require dry, well-drained soil.

Soil for acidophilic plants: It is a mixture that contains peat and other materials that lower the pH of the soil to meet the needs of plants such as azaleas, camellias and rhododendrons, which prefer acid soils.

Soil for indoor plants: is a mixture specially formulated for plants grown indoors, which often require a soil with fast drainage and a light texture to avoid stagnant water.

Land for gardens: is a soil mix that contains additional nutrients to support the growth of vegetable, herb and fruit crops. This soil can contain organic matter and other nutrients to improve soil fertility.

Most of these lands may contain peat,

a type of soil that is extracted from swampy areas and that consists mainly of mosses, lichens and other partially decomposed plant material. The problem is that excessive peat extraction can degrade wildlife habitats, release carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, and contribute to the loss of biodiversity.

Therefore, it is recommended to acquire land without peat and suitable for organic farming, containing organic fertilizer (compost) instead of mineral fertilizers.

In this video you will discover a curious trick to know if you are watering well:

Homemade potting soil mix

If you already have soil at home, you can prepare the soil for your new plants yourself:

garden soil or remains of old potting soil or planters will be half of the composition of the reconditioned land. He compost, that you can have made yourself or that you can buy in gardening and composting centers, will be 30% of the new soil. bark humus will constitute the remaining 20%. You can also add wood or coconut fiber if you want a spongy soil that drains well.

how to sterilize potting soil

Before making your mix, if you use soil scraps, you have to make sure it is free of organisms that can be a problem

for the plants.

In a small pot, grubs, worms and the like can attack plant roots if there is no other food source. AND in a flat, surely you want to have the minimum amount of microorganisms and insects.

Since microorganisms cannot be detected with the naked eye, it is best to sterilize the soil, because it is still a good idea to reuse old soil. This is where the microwave will help you.

how to sterilize soil with a microwave

Place the necessary amount of soil in a microwave-safe container. If you need a lot of soil, you should heat it in several stages.Lightly moisten the soil but when you squeeze the earth between your fingers, no water should come out. The easiest way to moisten it is by spraying it.Turn on the microwave for ten minutes at about 600 wattsOnce the earth begins to smoke, you can take it out of the microwaveLet the newly sterilized soil cool down before mixing it with the rest of the components and using it to fill the pots.

how to sterilize soil in the oven

If you don’t have a microwave, you can also sterilize the soil in the oven, but it will take more time and you will spend more energy.

Spread the soil evenly on a tray for baking and moisten it as well.Cover it loosely with baking paper.Heat the oven to 150 degrees and put the earth in for 30 minutes.let it cool before using it.

If you don’t need the sterilized potting soil right away, store it well in an airtight container and use it when you need it.