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Tue, Sep 25, 12 at 13:28
| I just saved a couple buckets of prime sifted compost for use in seed flats. Before I mix it (with peat moss and perlite) I'd like to kill any weed seeds by heating it in my electric smoker, but am not sure what temperature to heat it to.
What temperature (measured in the middle of a metal bucket of compost) should I be trying to get to in order not to have a subsequent weed problem? |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by gardengal48 PNW zone 8 (My Page) on Tue, Sep 25, 12 at 15:16
| 140-160F for an extended period - 3-4 days is usual. This is for a typical composting operation, not an electric smoker, but I'd assume the theory still holds :-) |
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| I think keeping the smoker going for multiple days is not realistic. I'm looking for a temperature I can maintain up to an hour or so which would kill most weed seeds. |
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| For years we have been told to sterilize potting soil in our oven with the temperature of the oven set at 250 degrees for an hour or by covering the soil with a double layer of plastic out in the sun for at least 6 weeks, solarizing. Many sources do indicate that some "weed" seeds need at least 3 to 4 days at 160 degrees to be killed while others indicate it can take a week or more. I have used my compost for seed starting for a number of years with very little evidence of "weed" seeds growing from that compost so you may well be looking to do something that does not need to be done. |
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