Should the soil be sterilized before growing cannabis?

[mcabdullah82]

Should the soil be sterilized before growing cannabis?

 

[CheapHomeGrown]

Often I reuse my soil and remove the roots, never sterilised the soil.

 

[Ben123456733]

I wouldn't say you need to sterilize it, but be cautious of where you get your soil from.
Soil can hold insects or more commonly, insect eggs.
I had one batch of soil from an iffy store and I had a fungus gnat problem that was impossible to control. Ended up just taking it all the way to harvest and still couldn't get rid of them. Severely stunted the plant.

 

[printer]

I have had issues with root aphids, I don't trust anything now. Have a new bag of soil in the oven right now and am baking it, got to find my meat thermometer though.

 

[90'sStoner]

No, you need life in your soil

 

[PadawanWarrior]

Yes. You need to cook it in the oven at 350 for an hour. Haven't you heard of cooking the soil?

 

[printer]

I had enough of life getting into my soil and their offspring munching on my leaves. I would like the beneficial bacteria but the plants will grow just fine without it. Some nice toasty goodness coming out of the oven.

 

[CheapHomeGrown]

I wouldn't say you need to sterilize it, but be cautious of where you get your soil from.
Soil can hold insects or more commonly, insect eggs.
I had one batch of soil from an iffy store and I had a fungus gnat problem that was impossible to control. Ended up just taking it all the way to harvest and still couldn't get rid of them. Severely stunted the plant.

I grow in a shed and have a constant gnats checking out my plants but have found a way to control them, use containers with a flat base and drill a few holes near the center, 2" of sand on the top of the soil and water from the bottom (drop in a bucket of water)
If they can't get to the dirt they can't survive for long, sharp sand cuts them up

 

[Old_fart_stoner]

The only time I would even consider baking my soil would be if I had to take soil from the yard or garden. But since I buy soil in bags...never done it. Also, I cannot imagine it would smell very good either.

 

[printer]

I grow in a shed and have a constant gnats checking out my plants but have found a way to control them, use containers with a flat base and drill a few holes near the center, 2" of sand on the top of the soil and water from the bottom (drop in a bucket of water)
If they can't get to the dirt they can't survive for long, sharp sand cuts them up

In my current piddly little plants that look like they have been mistreated I noticed when I began my daily routine of picking them off my leaves, the mature ones would crawl out of the drainage holes. I taped them closed and only open them up when watering.

I have a range hood over the stove and I have the air vent for the oven going through a duct to the fan. I can smell it faintly in the house and a bit stronger in the kitchen. Small price to pay. I hope to use some topsoil as a media next grow and am picking up a yard of it. I will for sure be baking that stuff.

 

[PadawanWarrior]

The only time I would even consider baking my soil would be if I had to take soil from the yard or garden. But since I buy soil in bags...never done it. Also, I cannot imagine it would smell very good either.

No shit. I was kidding. It would reek and kill everything. I didn't think people were actually gonna take it seriously, lol.

And that's not where the term letting the soil cook comes from, lol.

 

[Old_fart_stoner]

Oh don't think for a second I thought you were serious...I called BS as soon as I read it.

 

[Dreminen169]

I had enough of life getting into my soil and their offspring munching on my leaves. I would like the beneficial bacteria but the plants will grow just fine without it. Some nice toasty goodness coming out of the oven

How bad does it smell when the oven is on?
Edit* just read post 10

 

[PadawanWarrior]

Oh don't think for a second I thought you were serious...I called BS as soon as I read it.

I know you caught it, but it seems like you're the only one, lol.

 

[Old_fart_stoner]

But I did ask myself...if the OP is actually contemplating either scenario (Baking bagged soil or even using yard dirt)...thought I could help save some good seeds.

 

[Skuxx]

In my current piddly little plants that look like they have been mistreated I noticed when I began my daily routine of picking them off my leaves, the mature ones would crawl out of the drainage holes. I taped them closed and only open them up when watering.

I have a range hood over the stove and I have the air vent for the oven going through a duct to the fan. I can smell it faintly in the house and a bit stronger in the kitchen. Small price to pay. I hope to use some topsoil as a media next grow and am picking up a yard of it. I will for sure be baking that stuff.

Wait till you discover that a few bastards survived somehow.

 

[printer]

Wait till you discover that a few bastards survived somehow.

Bane of my life. But given that it gets up to 200 F I doubt it. Not that there is anything in this 'soil'. It has little nutritional value, think coco.

 

[printer]

No shit. I was kidding. It would reek and kill everything. I didn't think people were actually gonna take it seriously, lol.

And that's not where the term letting the soil cook comes from, lol.

So why should it smell bad? It does smell 'earthy', but so does damp soil.

 

[PadawanWarrior]

So why should it smell bad? It does smell 'earthy', but so does damp soil.

My wife did it once a long time ago trying to kill fungus gnats, lol.

But It's your soil man. Do whatever you want. Personally I don't cook my soil, but to each his own.

I say torch it.

 

[HobbyGrowArtist]

I grow in a shed and have a constant gnats checking out my plants but have found a way to control them, use containers with a flat base and drill a few holes near the center, 2" of sand on the top of the soil and water from the bottom (drop in a bucket of water)
If they can't get to the dirt they can't survive for long, sharp sand cuts them up

i used sand to get rid of those little soil flies. a layer of sand and heat lamp close up shining on the sand. simulated a desert for a bit and they went away.