Sterilizing containers

bower · April 23, 2014

I do pretty much like Karen: hot soapy water with a dab of bleach for seed starting trays and pots. We had a really blighty year one year, and the bleach cleanup made a big difference in my greenhouse - hardly any disease the year after. It is different when you grow in an enclosed space, disease spreads really rapidly and pests as well, with none of the beneficials and the better air circulation that you get outdoors, so the extra precautions are worth it, IMO. Hot water and bleach will kill eggs of tiny insect pests too, given the pots get a bit of a soak in it. I use plastic pots for the reason, they are easy to clean and re-use.

April 23, 2014	#18
bower Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Newfoundland, Canada Posts: 6,794	I do pretty much like Karen: hot soapy water with a dab of bleach for seed starting trays and pots. We had a really blighty year one year, and the bleach cleanup made a big difference in my greenhouse - hardly any disease the year after. It is different when you grow in an enclosed space, disease spreads really rapidly and pests as well, with none of the beneficials and the better air circulation that you get outdoors, so the extra precautions are worth it, IMO. Hot water and bleach will kill eggs of tiny insect pests too, given the pots get a bit of a soak in it. I use plastic pots for the reason, they are easy to clean and re-use.