Preparation and use of a casing layer.
- Why case? Why not?
The casing layer serves 4 purpose
- What does "crumble and case" mean?
The term "crumble and case" is just that -crumbling the substrate into smaller, more manageable pieces, and casing the pieces by laying a casing layer over the crumbled substrate.
- How should I crumble the substrate?
There are several ways, all of which are similar.
- What different casing layer ingredients are there?
Peat (=Sphagnum Peat Moss) Unconsolidated soil material consisting largely of undecomposed, or only slightly decomposed, organic matter accumulated under conditions of excessive moisture.
- Can I use hydrated lime in my casing mixture?
You can, but you have to be very carefull how much you add.
- Casing material pH and why it is important.
"pH", is a measure to describe the acidity of a medium.
- How moist should the casing mixture be?
The casing layer should me moist, but not wet.
- How should I prepare the casing layer?
The casing ingredients should be mixed in a bowl, then the water should be added.
- Should I use a bottom casing Layer?
There is a very popular debate in the OMC (online mushroom community) about whether or not to add a bottom casing layer to a casing (usually a vermiculite or sometimes coir layer, notwithstanding what you used to case the top layer with).
- What do I do after applying the casing layer?
Once the casing has been created it should be left at colonization conditions to allow the mycelium to permeate the casing layer.
- When should I put the casing into the fruiting chamber?
Once the mycelium appears in the valleys of the casing layer, meaning you can see mycelium strands beginning to poke through the casing layer, but the surface of the casing is not yet colonized, you should initiate pinning.
- What is "cold shocking"?
Exposing the cakes or casings to cold temperatures for around 24 hours is supposed to trigger pinning.
- What is "deep scratching"?
Deep scratching is a recovery tool used to recover damaged casings from OVERLAY.
- Is misting a casing going to cause pins to abort ?
No, gently misting the casing won't make pins abort.
- Why is my casing pulling away from the sides?
Casings will oftentimes "shrink" during the course of colonization, and will often do so towards the end of a flush.
- Why are there mushrooms only growing from the side of the casing?
This usually happens for 2 reasons: 1.
- suck it
Fill the colonized substrate in a opaque casing container, level it with a clean spoon or fork and spoon the casing material on the top of it as even as possible, without pressing it down.
- What is the difference between limestone, lime and quick lime?
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- The Importance of a Great Casing
A great document by ShroomGod discusses the various aspects of casing.
- How to apply an even casing layer?
An even casing depth is important to achieving maximum yield and performance from all cased substrates.
- Can I case different strains in the same casing container?
Yes, you can in theory.
- Does a casing require a fruiting chamber?
The casing layer is what provides the moisture for the mycelium, but the humidity around the casing needs to be high, otherwise it will simply dry out.
- How should I treat the casing after harvest?
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- What is "overlay"?
Overlay is a term that refers to the condition which can occur to an overly colonized casing layer.
- What is "casing"?
The term "casing" as it is used in the mushroom cultivation is the method by which substrate (either PF style cakes or colonized grain or colonized compost or dung or straw.
