Drying sand in the oven- anyone try it?

Hi Jeff... new monitors, eh? I filled my Atlantis stands with dry construction sand from Rona. (Sugarbrie's price quote is about right IIRC.) That was maybe seven years ago and the pillars are still dry inside. I didn't have to bake it. I was glad about that, because even more years ago I had attempted to sterilize a small batch of potting soil in the oven. It stunk up the house and didn't dry the soil out completely even after many hours at high heat. ATB, Toby

Thank you Swampwalker. It is always fascinating to have the scoop from one whose moniker knows :o)

I take it that Hack's sand, if he were allowed to oven-bake it, probably wouldn't smell as bad as my potting soil did, since it could well be lower in organics.

I remember the hours we considered fleeing the house or ending the experiment prematurely. It's a slow process. Deserts take time.