Before I repot plants in soil that has been sitting in a bag in the garage or outdoors, I sterilize it and kill any hidden bugs by putting it in the oven at 200 degrees F for about an hour. In a pinch, I'll wet soil throughly and microwave covered for a few minutes or until steaming. Cool before use, of course.
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Done it too! Boy, does the house smell after, like you have added boiling water to dirt!
Do it outdoors because it makes the house reek!
I can't imagine how time consuming it would be to microwave a bag of dirt by microwaving it! To me it would be much easier to buy a new bag of soil.
I don't sterilize my garden soil. That would be impractical. I do sterilize soil for some 'important' potted plants and for all my seedlings I start indoors. I use a microwave oven, also. I use sweet smelling woods dirt and leaf mold. When doing this, my home doesn't smell like L'Air Du Temps, but it doesn't 'reek', either.
I realize many people do not have access to sweet smelling woods dirt, but if I purchased a bag of potting soil and it caused the house to reek when sterilized, I would be switching brands. A good potting soil should not stink when heated.
House does not wreak from potting soil I sterilize enough for a couple of plants in an old roasting pan. For 1 pot at a time i use micro and altho I can only do 1 at a time sometimes I am only potting one plant that I notice needs it. When soil is cool I also mix in slow release fertilizer
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