I've got some nicely sifted, non-magnetic (yes, I tested it), soil for my dirt roads. But I want to sterilize it before I use it.
I've seen articles about using an oven, but has anyone used a microwave? Seems it'd be a lot easier.
The microwave should do just as well but you may have difficulties with having a good porportion of water to soil to insure that the soil is well sterilized. I'll note that sterilization only kills off the seeds and bacteria in the soil and doesn't provide a continous sterility of that soil after you install it on the layout.
-- Bob May Losing weight is easy! If you ever want to lose weight, eat and drink less. Works every time it is tried!
Hmmm. You're saying that there needs to be water in the soil? I've had it drying for several days.
I was thinking more of killing any little beasties - whose protoplasm would of course have its own water.
I'm not too concerned with seeds after sifting the soil. But the picture of me weeding my layout gives me the chuckles :-).
LB> In article , LB> snipped-for-privacy@nethere.com says... LB> > The microwave should do just as well but you may have difficulties with LB> > having a good porportion of water to soil to insure that the soil is well LB> > sterilized. LB> > LB> Hmmm. You're saying that there needs to be water in the soil? LB> I've had it drying for several days.
The water is needed because of the way a microwave works. Have you ever wondered how a microwave can, for example, boil water in a baggy? Or heat coffee in a coffee mug, without heating up the mug excessively?
Dry soil in a microwave won't get hot. This is because microwave's don't directly heat anything. The microwave vibrates certain things (like water) and the vibration causes the vibrating substance (eg water) to become hot. Some materials, like ceramics, plastics, etc. don't vibrate as much and don't get as hot. *Other* materials, like metals behave in other (really bad) ways when subjected to microwaves.
Note: the microwave *might* kill the organics (seeds, bacteria, protozoans, etc.), even without actually heating them.
LB> LB> I was thinking more of killing any little beasties - whose LB> protoplasm would of course have its own water. LB> LB> I'm not too concerned with seeds after sifting the soil. But LB> the picture of me weeding my layout gives me the chuckles :-).
Some seeds are really, really small. They will get past your sifter.
LB> LB> -- LB> Where ARE those Iraqi WMDs? LB>
\/ Robert Heller ||InterNet: snipped-for-privacy@cs.umass.edu
As the previous poster mentioned, metal, or any conductive material acts very badly in a nuker. While silica sand and varieties of quartz are non-conductive, any pyrites or metal sulphides in the mix are conductive. They will decompose to metal oxides and sulfur dioxide gas, which is what makes sulfuric acid with water.
Your soil may be just fine, but try a very small sample first. I really would recommend the oven instead.
John H.
I've done this out in the backyard over a camping stove, with the soil in a coffee can. You could smell it all the way to the street! Not a job to do indoors.
OK, you've all convinced me. Out to the backyard it is :-).
PolyTech Forum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.