I was only talking about pots not metal stakes. Calcium chloride is very soluble on the acid side. With the mix you used it is possible you were close to a neutral solution that could of caused it to precipitate that could give you problems. I never had a problem using the hydrochloric acid method. I have been doing it for 30 years. The rinse afterward is important and if your water is hard a double rinse may be necessary. The pots generally come out looking new. Your method will sterilize but not clean the pots. The energy cost and effect of the fumes in your house may be a different story.
Wayne _____ From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, August 31, 2004 8:47 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: Sterilizing Pots In a message dated 8/31/04 4:05:46 AM, Roberts Flower Supply writes: I would suggest rather than firing your pot over again at 900 F that a soak in 20% hydrochloric acid (muriatic acid) will kill all your bugs but also remove all the salt out of your clay pot. Sorry to differ with you, and here I think I am on firmer ground than with 8 foot tubes. I used to sterilize all my pots with bleach solution. The past ten years or so I have been sterilizing the clay pots and metal stakes in the self cleaning oven, which I believe gets to 700 deg. F. Sterilizing metal in bleach solution was too corrosive. Unfortunately, high heat destroys galvanizing and stainless steel rust resistance, but the alternative is worse. I found that in a hard water area, the sodium hypochlorite in bleach combined with calcium in the water to saturate the pot with calcium chloride or something similar, which is poisonous to plants. It killed the roots wherever they touched the pot. I may not be exactly right about the chemistry, but I could see the results. Cleaning the pots in the self cleaning oven is harmless and efficient. The oven doesn't care in the least. Iris
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