Healthy soil and sustainable growing

[Pete Vukovich <pvukovic1@yahoo.com>]

In general I'd agree, but it depends on where you're getting the soil for starting from. If its growing healthy plants no point in wasting energy sterilizing it, if anything sterilization will require recolonization of beneficials and make for weaker starts.

However there are some cases to consider, if its boggy/low oxygen soil (green algae or has a lot of bad nematodes) or you had verticillium or fusarium its better to sterilize it. Lacking on autoclave the old adage was to cook it in your oven at around 300 degrees F , for something like half an hour to an hour. Also some seeds (mostly exotics) seem to favor more sterile media,  things like non native poppies seem to be susceptible to damping off (no idea why). Also most if not many mushrooms like a sterile media to start with (probably to reduce competition - if your growing ones that like to start in soil). I'm tempted to try a sterile starter layer on my next attempt at morels because my last batch produced lots of mushrooms none of which were morels. 

Interesting. Speaking only for myself, I see no point in sterile potting mixes. I've never seen any evidence it avoids disease or other problems. And I don't spend money on heating pads and lights. I tell myself KISS - keep it simple stupid ...

I just use some commercial coir-based mix, with small amounts of the things that go in the beds, soil, alfalfa meal, screened manure, bonemeal, greensand, maybe some vermicompost. Hardly sterile! And I germinate in 4" pots in flats indoors, then move to get some light soon as stuff sprouts. Never had a problem with disease or damping off.

I can relate to the vehicle thing ........

paul tradingpost@lobo.net


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On 1/29/2010 at 9:34 AM Debbie Mcdonald wrote:

>I've always directly sowed my seeds and have not alot of experience with
>vegetable gardening. In starting our own seeds, must we use potting soil
>and if the world gets uglier;), then what would we do, sterilize the dirt
>somehow?? Nature does not do these things:). Do all of you have rooms with
>lights and heat pads and all that. I'm going to make next week time to
>start looking for abandoned greenhouses too:) Well, I have to get a new
>used vehicle first, don't want to put new tires on this one.   
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