How to sterilize large amounts of soil in Best 4 Ways
Contents
How to sterilize large amounts of soil
How to sterilize large amounts of soil in the seedbed is an essential question from the gardener. We sow seed in a seedbed/growing bed of our garden, and some seeds do not germinate at once. After sowing, some seeds collapse and die because there are billions of germs on the seedbed soil. Some of these microbes are beneficial to plants. Some of these are harmful to plants. Among them, fungus such as Fusarium, Rhizoctonia, Pythium, Cercospora, etc., damage the seedling.
Moreover, some pathogens are attached to the body of the seed. When they germinate, then they become active and attack the seedling. As a result, the seedlings collapse or burnt and finally die. Many insects in the soil, for example, termite, ant, caterpillar, field cricket, mole cricket, etc., damage and cut the root of seedlings. Seed Borne pathogen, many fungi, insects damage the seedlings that remain in the seedbed soil. Destroy these pathogens, fungi, and insects and making a suitable condition for growing healthy seedlings is called seedbed sterilization or soil sterilization.
Methods of seedbed soil sterilization
There are various methods of seedbed soil sterilization. Among these, some are pricey, and some are cheap. Some practices are responsible for environmental pollution, and some are safe for the environment. Seedbed/growing bed soil sterilization methods are four types, for example (1) mechanical, (2) biological, (3) chemical, and (4) Tilling and cultivation.
Mechanical method
Firstly pick out the upper layer of soil of the seedbed into 10-15cm in-depth and then heat the soil on a big saucepan, which works to sterilize the soil. It takes one hour to sterilize the soil. Besides, you can use the porous pipe for partial sterilization. You should apply the porous tubes with heated vapor in the soil.
Biological method
You should not sow the same vegetable or crop seeds on the same land or under the same seedbed/growing bed every year. Some seed germs can occasionally be released by planting marigold flowers and mixing them on the ground, such as nematodes. Besides incorporating the neem leaves, and powder of tobacco with the seedbed soil release some seed germs such as termite, ant, etc.
Chemical method
There are different chemicals for seedbed sterilization by chemical products. For example,
- Formaldehyde
- Methyl bromide
- Chloropicrin
- Vyapam
- Daofume
- Amazon
Formaldehyde: Generally, you should mix 1-liter commercial formaldehyde with 50 liters of water. Each 1 square meter of seedbed needs 12 liters of the mixture of formaldehyde and water.
Tilling method
Tilling of seedbed/growing bed soil sterilized by sunlight is the cheapest and most effective method to sterilize a large soil amount. In this method, the seedbed should be well tilled and exposed to intense sunlight for sterilization, and you should continue a few times. After 2-3 times of plowing, you should cover the entire seedbed with a white and transparent polythene sheet.
After two or three weeks, the sun gives light directly into the covered seedbed's soil. Sunlight created heat into the seedbed soil and killed the harmful germs of soil. In this soil sterilization method, the seed should not be sewn into the seedbed instantly because the covered area creates ammonia gas for the rising of heat into the soil. The ammonia gas should be removed, and that's why the seedbed soil should be tilled well by a spade. Then the seedbed will be good for sowing seed and And it won't be harmful.
I believe this article will help the gardeners who are facing the problem of seedbed soil sterilization.
