sterilizing peat?

[nightbreed]

I want to kill any insects in the peat before I transplant my venus fly traps and bring them inside. I want to put them under lights. When I water in new peat, I'm getting all kinds of bugs. I would rather not have any pests.

 

[Nickz123]

I would microwave it or freeze it.

 

[PiranhaPlant]

Isn't sterilizing it bad and is prone to more fungal spores?

 

[Gawd_oOo]

microwave or oven, 161 degree's for 20 minutes is supposed to kill anything...

Quote[/b] ]Isn't sterilizing it bad and is prone to more fungal spores?

Never heard that before.

 

[Alvin Meister]

What kind of bugs? I've never known anyone need to sterilise peat. Springtails and things don't do any harm.

 

[jimscott]

Some people, like Tamlin, microwave their soil media, particularly LFS. I never have, but then again, I have only 2 years experience, as compared to decades worth. Sterilization does reduce unwanted growth, but does it make a significant difference? I think rinsing media well goes a long way toward prevention of undesirables. I often see sedge grass in my LFS, but they are easy to pluck out.

 

[CopcarFC]

I get the grass stuff and some other kind of plant. It kind of looks like cilantro, I just leave it in, I think it looks cool.

-Rail

 

[shokuchuu]

I didn't nuke the recent mix I made and there are now lots of baby centipedes scurrying on the surface of my small Ping collection - they're no bother though, just not pleasant to think there are centipedes in one's room! My peat bag sits outside and exposed to the elements, especially rain, to have it automatically leached. I usually microwave it to get rid of spores, bugs, and other possible pathogens. It seems to work very well so far, however this also eliminates the predatory mites (really cool to watch them hunt springtails!) and Collembola spp. (springtails).