Problematic fungi, viruses, and plant-parasitic nematodes are known to be detrimental to plant growth.
And soil sterilization is one of the most effective ways to bring these damaging creatures under control for a healthy and productive crop.
If you don’t know how to sterilize dirt to prepare for a new garden bed, you have come to the right place! In this article, we have covered why you should and how to sterilize the soil.
What Is Soil Sterilization?
It has been heated or chemically treated. It aims to kill off any bacteria or virus and increase the quality of soil for seeds.
If you don’t want to deal with bugs, fungus, bacteria, viruses, soil sterilization will be your best option. It’s a control method to eliminate all the causes of soil-borne diseases before sowing.
Soil sterilization plays an essential role in the gardening process. Many greenhouse operators, experienced gardeners, and farmers use this technique to cut down on treating costs.
Soil sterilization can help you eliminate:
Why Should We Sterilize Soil?
The intention of soil sterilizing is to lower the threat of common diseases and eliminate other pathogens. If you know how to sterilize the soil properly, it will create an ideal condition for healthier plants.
Moreover, several bacteria and insects can remain in the untreated soil. Thus, you might want to consider sterilizing garden soil if you reuse them for the next crop.
There are some highlighted benefits of soil sterilizing:
- Creates a safe seedbed for plant growth
- Reduces the pathogens and fungi amount in the soil, thus bringing diseases under
- Helps to produce essential nutrients for plants
- Generates high-quality products
- Reduces cycle time
This free video clip shows you how to sterilize soil in the garden with the help of a gardening professional.
How To Sterilize Large Amounts Of Soil
Chemical Treatments
Sterilization using chemical treatment is not complicated and doesn’t take much time. You can use these chemical products to sterilize soil:
- Formaldehyde
- Methyl bromide
- Hydrogen Peroxide
- Ethylene Oxide
- Phthalaldehyde
To bring out the best effect, make sure that the soil sterilization chemicals you use must emit sufficiently toxic gas. It means that it can kill pests and weeds without harming the potting soil.
The application is also very straightforward. All you have to do is mix an appropriate amount of chemicals with a few cups of water to spray thoroughly onto each square meter of the seedbed.
We recommend using more than a single chemical to eliminate damaging pathogens, bacteria, or fungus in the soil.
Since chemicals can be dangerous to those applying them, it is more frequently used in professional labs and greenhouses.
Solarization
If you are dealing with a large amount of potting soil, solarization will be an effective method. It means that you use solar energy to sterilize soil instead of using other indoor treatments.
The main advantage of the solarization method is that it is environmentally friendly. It uses direct sunlight to reduce harmful pests and bacteria in the soil.
- Step 1: Prepare your potting soil by cleaning up the area. Make sure there are no stones, pebbles, or debris left.
- Step 2: Water the soil until it is thoroughly moistened.
- Step 3: Cover the soil surface with a layer of plastic wraps. You can use either black or clear plastic in strong sunlight to trap heat better and secure the soil temperature.
- Step 4: Bury the plastic edges down tightly in layers of soil to prevent any air bubbles.
- Step 5: Leave the soil in the plastic for at least 4 weeks before using it.
Solarization works best on a large amount of heavy soil for mature plants. However, you still need to add water regularly to enhance the effect.
This method can take up to 6 to 8 weeks for your soil to be ready for sowing. So if you want to start your spring growing season, make sure to prepare your background soil when it’s cold out.
Tillage Method
The tillage method or tilling is to cultivate the seedbed about 8 to 10 inches of soil deep. This preparation for untreated soil can be done in various types, such as digging, stirring, or overturning.
Using a tilling method to prepare your background soil can control weeds and help remove surface rutting and compaction. It is a perfect option for large farms with the proper equipment.
Some factors, such as bad weather, can cause soil to compact over time. That’s why we need to create more air pockets in the moist soil that allow plants to take advantage of air and water.
The best time to try the tilling method is at the beginning of spring.
- Step 1: Mark out the area where you want to sterilize garden soil.
- Step 2: Wet your tilling area thoroughly.
- Step 3: You can use a tiller or a garden fork to start at one end and slowly create your rows to loosen the soil structure.
- Step 4: Repeat until you have covered the entire garden with the same inches deep.
After that, you can let the natural conditions do their work. Keep in mind that you can only till the dirt one time. Over-tilling can break up the soil structure rather than creating air pockets.
Conclusion
Soil sterilization is an essential step for both beginners and experienced gardeners. If you know how to sterilize large amounts of soil, it can help your plants grow and flourish for healthy yields.
The best way to deal with any plant disease is to sterilize the soil. We have rounded up the best sterilization methods above along with step-by-step guides for you to do it at home.
Let’s give it a try and have an enjoyable experience while starting your garden!
