Miracle Grow is not bad

[DasBhut]

Miracle-Blo is how I refer to it.

 
sounds like a good time

 

[armac]

sexual relations with a soil mix? A good time.....think I will pass, but enjoy.

 

[Proud Marine Dad]

sexual relations with a soil mix? A good time.....think I will pass, but enjoy.

Don't mind these kids armac.

 

[Pepper-Guru]

lil blowie for the guru? hahaha wow
at least we made a miracle gro thread into something enjoyable

 

[Noah Yates]

Past 180-190f is when is when potting soil becomes toxic, you cut it close at 200f imho. At least that's what i've read in some online publications.

Next time i'd advise something closer down to 170-180f (?) You can also turn the soil a little bit after 20 minutes so it heats the middle more thoroughly.

Thanks for the actual temps Jet. My stove goes from "warm" to "200" as the first setting. I havne't gotten complete sterilization with anything below 200. This may be a variance within my oven, but it's still good to know the exact numbers.

Thanks

 
You do not want to sterilize your media.  What you want to do is pasteurize your soil.  Temperatures above 160F approach sterilization temps.  In order to pasteurize your substrate raise it to 140 degrees and maintain that temp for a minimum of 2 hours.  Technically the range is between 140 and 160F, but when your thermometer reads 160F at the top of your kettle it could very well be reaching sterilization tempos at the bottom close to the heat source.  Pasteurization kills unwanted seeds and "bad" microbes, but preserves the good microbes.  However, sterilization kils everything.  And what happens at that point is you have basically "cooked" a feast, nay, a smorgasbord for the bad bacteria, which are the most agressive colonizers of "unoccupied" resources.  So, in fact, sterilization will acheive the opposite of what you mean for it to.  Pasteurization, on the other hand not only kills the 'baddies,' but promotes the 'good guys.'