Bananas.org - View Single Post - Hello! Is sterilizing compost for potted bananas a must?

AaronTT · 12-22-2020, 08:22 AM

Actually it would be bad to sterilize the compost. The reason is soil has many forms of bacteria and yeast in it, and is considered "living". These microorganisms are very important to the soil, as they help liberate the minerals from an unusable state that plants cannot uptake to a form that they can then use. If you sterilize the soil, the plant will use up all water soluble forms, and then that cycle will stop, and the plant will develop deficiencies.
If your growing with pure chemicals it might not matter, but if your like me and grow completely natural, you actually want soil rich in microbes. Its a good thing.

12-22-2020, 08:22 AM	#8 (permalink)
AaronTT Location: Geneva, Florida Zone: 9B, 10 Name: Aaron Join Date: Jul 2020 Posts: 329 BananaBucks : 19,574 Feedback: 3 / 100% Said "Thanks" 232 Times Was Thanked 334 Times in 167 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 46 Times	Re: Hello! Is sterilizing compost for potted bananas a must? Actually it would be bad to sterilize the compost. The reason is soil has many forms of bacteria and yeast in it, and is considered "living". These microorganisms are very important to the soil, as they help liberate the minerals from an unusable state that plants cannot uptake to a form that they can then use. If you sterilize the soil, the plant will use up all water soluble forms, and then that cycle will stop, and the plant will develop deficiencies. If your growing with pure chemicals it might not matter, but if your like me and grow completely natural, you actually want soil rich in microbes. Its a good thing.