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lean means green, and green means go, in the
garden. Whether you’re growing indoors or
outdoors, adopting good sanitation and sterilization
practices will save you headaches. That’s doubly true if
you’re trying to save a dollar by recycling, repurposing,
or reusing supplies that are sometimes considered
consumable rather than durable in nature. Take media
for example. If your set-up uses media of one kind
or another, it won’t take long to realize you can save
money by reusing soilless potting mix, expanded
clay, and other options. In fact, the prospect can be
downright tempting from an economic standpoint.
There are risks, though. Not all types of media are
compatible with reuse strategies, and those that are
need more than a quick dunk in a bucket of water. Still,
if you’re game, read on.
SANITATION
You’re probably familiar with good sanitation practices.
In the garden, they help keep your tools clean and offer
some valuable peace of mind. Sanitizing doesn’t kill all
types of bacteria, viruses, fungus, and spores, though.
When reusing media, sterilization is the only foolproof
option for killing microorganisms. Depending on your
goals and objectives, you may want to use a less extreme
solution, but when doing so, there’s always a risk that
persistent, dangerous microorganisms might resurface.
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grow cycle