"Kay Lancaster" wrote in message
...

Steamed? Why and how? What if he needs an quantity we might describe as
"five bath tubs full"?

Steamed to reduce pathogens and eliminate weed seed. Could be solarized
at
home.

And we steamed the material by putting a pipe fitted for a low pressure
steam connection into a spreader plate cut to fit the bottom of a metal
trash can. Insert steam pipe, fill with mixture (we used a manual cement
mixer to mix soil), cover the can with a metal two-piece collar that
was cut to fit around the pipe, and steam to an internal temperature of
160oF. Cooled for at least a week before using.

And yes, it was a large research university.


Since the vast majority of us don't have steam connections handy, we can
discount this method. And since solarization is capable of killing the
beneficial microorganisms as well as the evil ones, it makes more sense to
use a potting medium that's relatively clean to begin with. There are lots
of recipes. The OP is advised to use a protective mask while mixing stuff
like perlite & vermiculite. That will be mentioned on the packages, but who
reads packages these days?


http://www.backyardgardener.com/soil/soil10.html

http://counties.cce.cornell.edu/suff...n/vegcontn.htm