Sterilizing potting soil

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lolly_braine Brooklyn, NY(Zone 7a) Jan 20, 2006

Has anyone sterilized potting soil in a microwave? I can find instructions for doing this in the oven - but it seems like it would save a lot of time to use the microwave. The question is how long is long enough?

Thanks

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RainGazer Jan 22, 2006

I sterilize mine in the microwave. I put it in a microwave safe glass bowl, add water, if needed, but not too much, to create plenty of steam, put a lid over the bowl, but leave a bit of space for steam to escape. Then I microwave it for 10 minutes, stir it around well (careful it's really hot and watch out for the steam) and microwave it 5 minutes more. Some people snap the lid down after that to keep the steam in and keep it hot for a while. I'm usually in a hurry, so I don't do that.
If you need it to cool quickly, put some ice cubes and water in a metal baking dish and set the bowl in it (let it cool for a few minutes first, though, so the glass bowl doesn't shatter when it touches the ice water) and stir the soil around. This cools it down quite quickly. Hope that helps!

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