Damp-off

Hi all, long time follower of Uncle Ben and he writes: to prevent damp-off put soil in an oven at 200 degrees, let soil get to 170 or 180 degrees for 20 minutes. My question is: will the heat kill all the microbes that I have in my soil. Thanks in advance

PopTop said:

Hi all, long time follower of Uncle Ben and he writes: to prevent damp-off put soil in an oven at 200 degrees, let soil get to 170 or 180 degrees for 20 minutes. My question is: will the heat kill all the microbes that I have in my soil. Thanks in advance

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what?
no need to ever do that to soil
damp-off is caused by too big of container, and/or too much watering/ and/or wrong type of soil

PopTop said:

Hi all, long time follower of Uncle Ben and he writes: to prevent damp-off put soil in an oven at 200 degrees, let soil get to 170 or 180 degrees for 20 minutes. My question is: will the heat kill all the microbes that I have in my soil. Thanks in advance

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best thing for seedlings is half compost, and half old soil
or even better half compost and half vermiculite.
vermiculite is vastly undervalued in the cannabis industry, in my opinion.

It will kill the good microbes. Damping off is caused by a bacteria that loves damp warm conditions. The same as a seedling.

Holding moisture or poor drainage is usually the culprit.

Also plant straight to medium. Using paper towels and extra steps can damage root hairs. That damage can allow bacteria or pathogens in.

whitebb2727 said:

Also plant straight to medium. Using paper towels and extra steps can damage root hairs. That damage can allow bacteria or pathogens in.

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yup, also can damage the taproot...
heh...
ya see what I did there, white?
hahahah
(apologies to the confused, inside joke...)

greasemonkeymann said:

yup, also can damage the taproot...
heh...
ya see what I did there, white?
hahahah
(apologies to the confused, inside joke...)
View attachment 3820268

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Lol. I almost put tap root in parenthesis.

I can admit that I am a stubborn man. It is a strength but at times can be a weakness.

whitebb2727 said:

I can admit that I am a stubborn man. It is a strength but at times can be a weakness.

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me too my friend, a good attribute to have but on occasion can be a curse

greasemonkeymann said:

best thing for seedlings is half compost, and half old soil
or even better half compost and half vermiculite.
vermiculite is vastly undervalued in the cannabis industry, in my opinion.

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I love vermiculite but ever since I read about it having trace amounts of asbestos I get paranoid about using it. My newest clone mix was made from compost, mushroom compost (the kind I get always comes filled with baby red wigglers!), and vermiculite though. Couldn't help myself.

Rasta Roy said:

I love vermiculite but ever since I read about it having trace amounts of asbestos I get paranoid about using it. My newest clone mix was made from compost, mushroom compost (the kind I get always comes filled with baby red wigglers!), and vermiculite though. Couldn't help myself.

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good point regarding the vermiculite
but that's sorta been addressed (kinda)
and if you are picky and buy the "pure" vermiculite it in theory won't have asbestos in it
in other words it's not naturally in it
I swear, from the aluminum in azomite, to radioactive granite dust, to bovine bone meals, to UV rays....
almost a hazardous industry we work in