I have some super soils and compost that I am storing outside and got to wondering if the soils would be damaged if they were to freeze. Would it kill the micro organisms or do they go dormant and come back when the soil warms up? Or, should I store them in the garage so they don't freeze?
Super Soil Winter Storage
- Thread starter The3rdMan
- Start date
SavageBull
Well-Known Member
They do go dormant and you should be just fine
I've been searching the internet to verify whether soil microbes (the mesophiles that thrive in temps 68F - 113F) go dormant and reawaken when the temperature rises or die when temperatures drop.
The statement below states that mesophiles can survive in temps between 50F and 122F. This suggests they would die outside these ranges.
Mesophilic bacteria are those in which optimum growth occurs between 20 and 45 °C (68 and 113 °F), although they usually can survive and grow in temperatures between 10 and 50 °C (50 and 122 °F).
This excerpt from Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesophile) states: Both mesophiles and thermophiles are used in cheesemaking for the same reason; however, they grow, thrive and die at different temperatures
So, if they all die, how do they re-establish themselves?
Last edited:
Kassiopeija
Well-Known Member
some bacteria form endo-spores to survive a hostile surrounding for quite some time