Freezing the substrate

[Oak]

Does freezing the substrate kill all the beneficial bacteria in the sub?

[Bill Myers]

Never thought about it, but I would imagine that it wouldn't kill the beneficial bacteria.

 

http://www.berkeleywellness.com/healthy-eating/food-safety/article/freezing-food

 

"Freezing does not kill most microorganisms, but puts them in a dormant state."

 

Cheers

[Ratmosphere]

I do not think that freezing kills all of the beneficial micro bacteria in the substrate. I say this only because I have talked to many breeders about the freezing technique to kill pests/bacteria. They say that even after freezing for long periods of time, bugs like centipedes and various Dermestidae have been crawling away in their live forms. I also have tried to freeze substrate and still notice fungus gnats inside my containers in the dead of winter. I'm not sure where they come from but I can assume they have lived inside the substrate as eggs/larvae and came alive when at room temperature (If i am wrong please correct me.) Micro Bacteria can live in freezing conditions (becoming temporarily inactive) but die when they become extreme.

[Shade of Eclipse]

Freezing would kill some, but not all microorganisms, just as heating would. You can count on some macroorganisms to survive as well if you live in an area that experiences freezing temperatures--it tends to depend on what the organisms present have adapted to deal with. You're more likely to kill more by freezing a sample from a tropical location than a sample from a subarctic location.