Sterilising soil
 

In article , Stephen
Wolstenholme writes
Most microwaves will not sterilise dry soil. The soil will have to be
wet all the way through. A bit like cooking a mud pie.

Steve


That would be for heating it though Steve wouldn't it? Surely a
microwave would kill many germs/organisms?
--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

Sterilising soil
 

In article ,
Janet Tweedy wrote:
In article , Stephen
Wolstenholme writes

Most microwaves will not sterilise dry soil. The soil will have to be
wet all the way through. A bit like cooking a mud pie.

That would be for heating it though Steve wouldn't it? Surely a
microwave would kill many germs/organisms?

Why and how? They typically kill only by heating. You need at
least blue light to be energetic enough to kill by disrupting the
inter-atomic bonds directly.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Sterilising soil
 

In article , writes
Why and how? They typically kill only by heating. You need at
least blue light to be energetic enough to kill by disrupting the
inter-atomic bonds directly.


Oh right! Sorry didn't know that :)

I know someone who had to steam clean half an acre of veg. nursery soil
back in the 70's when he had tomato blight etc (he now has a nursery on
the site) No idea how he would have done it but I am assuming industrial
sized hoses etc.
--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk