Sterilising soil

[sanyzo]

Hi all, we have a new huge indoor enclosure for a leopard tortoise that we will fill with over 400l of soil and bark. I would like to sterilise the soil but don't know how with such a huge amount. Do you have any tips? Many thanks!

 

[dmmj]

cooking it in an oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes should solve any problems. the biggest concern with soil is whether it's fertilizer free and additive-free

 

[sanyzo]

Hello, thx for your reply, but the thing is my oven is tiny and it would take me a month to divide the soil into little bags and put it in there individually... that's why I was asking for a tip when you have a big amount of it. And yes, I buy only free additive soil etc.

 

[Tom]

There is no need to sterilize your soil. That would be a pointless waste of time because, as soon as the sterilization process is finished, your soil will be re-contaminated and re-infected from a wide variety of sources in your environment.

I would not use any soil as part of your substrate, unless you composted and made the soil yourself. There is no way to know what is in the soil-in-a-bag that you buy from the store. It could be harmless stuff or it could be competed oleander leaves, or grass clippings sprayed with who knows what.

Best substrate for a leopard is fine grade orchid bark. I buy it in bulk at a local garden center for $10 for a 2.0 cubic foot bag. Cut the bag open and dump it in. One bag will do two 400L tanks easily.

 

[JoesMum]

I agree. Sterilisation is futile. Don't bother!

 

[dmmj]

may I ask then why are you concerned about sterilizing the soil?

 

[sanyzo]

Hi all. Thanks Tom for the clear answer. I will check our local garden shops, I was just afraid if they will have some that is fertiliser free (live in Czech Republic). I do use orchid bark which I just put as the top layer though, but I buy it from pet stores here and it's really expensive.

I wanted to sterilise the soil because I was afraid there might be eggs, larvae and insects in it that could mess up the whole enclosure and I would have to replace it soon (and it could also harm the tortoise as for now it lives only indoors). But as I hear here, that hopefully shouldn't be a harm..