Will this Solarization process work for SWC containers??

Fiishergurl · May 31, 2015

At the very bottom of this UC Davis link there is a section on Solarization of containers. If I'm reading this right, it is saying containers can be solarized in less than a day. Is there any way this can be true? I'm looking for a speedier process of solarizing my SWC's as I grow tomatoes year round.

I don't know anything about this so looking for feedback from those of you that do!

http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74145.html

In case you don't want to click on the link, I've copied and pasted the paragraph that I'm referring to.

SOLARIZING SOIL IN CONTAINERS

Soil solarization has been shown to be effective for disinfesting small amounts of moist, containerized soil and soil in cold frames. Soil can be solarized either in bags, pots, plastic buckets, or flats. These containers are placed on an elevated surface such as wooden pallets and covered with a “double-tent” of transparent plastic. Soil temperatures should be monitored closely in this planting media to assure that temperatures are high enough to control pests. As an example in warmer areas of California, soil inside black plastic bags can reach more than 160°F during solarization. This is equal to target temperatures suggested for commercial soil disinfestation using aerated steam. At these temperatures, all soil pests can be killed within one hour. The double layer of plastic can increase soil temperatures by up to 50°F, and placing containers on pallets allows for heating from all sides of the soil mass. Alternatively, moist soil in pots, or as a mass, may be placed in closed, black trash bags and placed on pallets. Soil temperatures can be monitored using simple soil thermometers inserted into the center of the soil mass, or by using thermocouples and a digital reading logger. Temperatures can be monitored at multiple locations, but the duration should be lengthened to raise the temperature at the coolest location to the desired level. As a guideline, to completely eliminate pests, maintain 158°F or higher for 30 minutes, or 140°F or higher for one hour.

Ginny

May 31, 2015	#1
Fiishergurl Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Oak Hill, Florida Posts: 1,781	Will this Solarization process work for SWC containers?? At the very bottom of this UC Davis link there is a section on Solarization of containers. If I'm reading this right, it is saying containers can be solarized in less than a day. Is there any way this can be true? I'm looking for a speedier process of solarizing my SWC's as I grow tomatoes year round. I don't know anything about this so looking for feedback from those of you that do! http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74145.html In case you don't want to click on the link, I've copied and pasted the paragraph that I'm referring to. SOLARIZING SOIL IN CONTAINERS Soil solarization has been shown to be effective for disinfesting small amounts of moist, containerized soil and soil in cold frames. Soil can be solarized either in bags, pots, plastic buckets, or flats. These containers are placed on an elevated surface such as wooden pallets and covered with a “double-tent” of transparent plastic. Soil temperatures should be monitored closely in this planting media to assure that temperatures are high enough to control pests. As an example in warmer areas of California, soil inside black plastic bags can reach more than 160°F during solarization. This is equal to target temperatures suggested for commercial soil disinfestation using aerated steam. At these temperatures, all soil pests can be killed within one hour. The double layer of plastic can increase soil temperatures by up to 50°F, and placing containers on pallets allows for heating from all sides of the soil mass. Alternatively, moist soil in pots, or as a mass, may be placed in closed, black trash bags and placed on pallets. Soil temperatures can be monitored using simple soil thermometers inserted into the center of the soil mass, or by using thermocouples and a digital reading logger. Temperatures can be monitored at multiple locations, but the duration should be lengthened to raise the temperature at the coolest location to the desired level. As a guideline, to completely eliminate pests, maintain 158°F or higher for 30 minutes, or 140°F or higher for one hour. Ginny