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Offlinelobsideo
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Questions regarding desiccant (silica gel)
    #13144909 - 09/03/10 10:11 PM (13 years, 6 months ago)

Hello. I was reading around the forums and other websites about desiccant. What I'm trying to make sure is that it is safe to use Silica Gel with blue indicator to dry mushrooms with. Would it be good to make little silica gel packs out of paper towel and tape? Is it safe to just pour it on the bottom of the jar I'm using as long as the mushrooms aren't touching the silica? Also, I was wondering how much gel would be appropriate to dry say around a gram of mushrooms?

Any help or tips would be very appreciated.

Thank You


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InvisibleDoc_T
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Re: Questions regarding desiccant (silica gel) [Re: lobsideo]
    #13144918 - 09/03/10 10:13 PM (13 years, 6 months ago)

Are you storing dry mushrooms? Or drying fresh ones?


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Offlinelobsideo
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Re: Questions regarding desiccant (silica gel) [Re: Doc_T]
    #13144930 - 09/03/10 10:16 PM (13 years, 6 months ago)

I want to store fresh ones I just picked. I read it's good to dry them with a fan for 24-36 hours then finish drying them with desiccant. Is that correct?


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Invisibleplurfekt
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Re: Questions regarding desiccant (silica gel) [Re: lobsideo]
    #13145042 - 09/03/10 10:41 PM (13 years, 6 months ago)

Quote:

lobsideo said:
I want to store fresh ones I just picked. I read it's good to dry them with a fan for 24-36 hours then finish drying them with desiccant. Is that correct?




Yes.

A gram of shrooms will not be hard to dry, or require much desiccant at all.

Fan dry it until it doesn't look like it's getting any dryer, then put in a desiccant chamber (tupperware bowl, desiccant at the bottom, chicken wire over it, paper towel over that so nothing falls through the cracks/touches the desiccant, set shrooms on the paper toweling, close tupperware container, retrieve shrooms 24-48 hours later, put in baggy in cool/dark/dry area).

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InvisiblePinback
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Re: Questions regarding desiccant (silica gel) [Re: lobsideo]
    #13145544 - 09/04/10 02:04 AM (13 years, 6 months ago)

Quote:

lobsideo said:
Is it safe to just pour it on the bottom of the jar I'm using as long as the mushrooms aren't touching the silica?




Yes, but keep in mind that the blue indicator compound contains a heavy metal and is toxic. If you want to go cheap, you can mix "indicator silica" with "no indicator silica" in about 1:10 to 1:5 ratio. You will still get enough visual indication to tell when it is time to regenerate it.

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OfflineNizzyJones
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Re: Questions regarding desiccant (silica gel) [Re: Pinback]
    #13145809 - 09/04/10 05:59 AM (13 years, 6 months ago)

For those of us too lazy to construct a screen I've had good luck fan drying for a couple days, throwing them loosely in an open jar and putting the jar in a tupperware partially full of desiccant (usually for a few days just to be safe).

Added bonus: if you only fill the jar half to two-thirds of the way full and sink it a few inches into the silica you can move the box around without worrying about shrooms rolling around into the silica or jars tipping over.


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InvisibleDoc_T
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Re: Questions regarding desiccant (silica gel) [Re: lobsideo]
    #13145818 - 09/04/10 06:14 AM (13 years, 6 months ago)

Quote:

lobsideo said:
I want to store fresh ones I just picked.




Best way to do that is a paper bag in the fridge.


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Offlinelobsideo
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Re: Questions regarding desiccant (silica gel) [Re: Pinback]
    #13146716 - 09/04/10 12:05 PM (13 years, 6 months ago)

Ok. So you're saying I should find a regular kind of silica gel that is white?


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Invisibleplurfekt
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Re: Questions regarding desiccant (silica gel) [Re: lobsideo]
    #13146729 - 09/04/10 12:08 PM (13 years, 6 months ago)

Quote:

lobsideo said:
Ok. So you're saying I should find a regular kind of silica gel that is white?




I personally think your wasting your time with an indicator.

Go buy some DampRid from Walmart.  It's like 3$.

Calcium Chloride all on it's own works perfectly fine.  No reason to mess with anything else, IMHO.


And it's fairly easy to tell when you need to replace it.  It turns to liquid and stops absorbing moisture, lol.  Dump it in the toilet and replace when that happens.

Good luck

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Offlinelobsideo
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Re: Questions regarding desiccant (silica gel) [Re: Doc_T]
    #13146739 - 09/04/10 12:10 PM (13 years, 6 months ago)

Quote:

Doc_T said:
Quote:

lobsideo said:
I want to store fresh ones I just picked.




Best way to do that is a paper bag in the fridge.







I want to store them for a long period of time though. Maybe a few months.


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Offlinek00laid
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Re: Questions regarding desiccant (silica gel) [Re: lobsideo]
    #13146755 - 09/04/10 12:14 PM (13 years, 6 months ago)

then you want to dry them


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InvisiblePinback
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Re: Questions regarding desiccant (silica gel) [Re: lobsideo]
    #13147297 - 09/04/10 03:14 PM (13 years, 6 months ago)

No, if you have blue indicator silica, I suggest you use it. But I think it is always good to be aware of the risks. Just make sure the mushrooms don't touch the gel.

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InvisibleBase Icks
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Re: Questions regarding desiccant (silica gel) [Re: Pinback]
    #13148752 - 09/04/10 10:48 PM (13 years, 6 months ago)

I use cat litter silica. No blue in mine.

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Offlinerustycobwebs
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Re: Questions regarding desiccant (silica gel) [Re: plurfekt]
    #13148895 - 09/04/10 11:32 PM (13 years, 6 months ago)

Quote:

plurfekt said:
Quote:

lobsideo said:
Ok. So you're saying I should find a regular kind of silica gel that is white?




I personally think your wasting your time with an indicator.

Go buy some DampRid from Walmart.  It's like 3$.

Calcium Chloride all on it's own works perfectly fine.  No reason to mess with anything else, IMHO.


And it's fairly easy to tell when you need to replace it.  It turns to liquid and stops absorbing moisture, lol.  Dump it in the toilet and replace when that happens.

Good luck




If you have a hobby lobby, or hobby supply store, near you then they might carry silica gel for drying flowers.

I bought 1.5lbs for i think 7 dollars. It is indicating. You can recharge it in the oven, unlike damp rid.
It will last a long time.

I don't have as much experience drying, and actually read this tip on here somewhere. Instead of a desiccant chamber, I have been making desiccant packs out of paper towels and taping it up full of silica gel.

This way you don't have to worry it's contained no chicken wire or whatever. That's how they do it in the shoeboxes anyway.


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OfflineJessNJoe
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Re: Questions regarding desiccant (silica gel) [Re: rustycobwebs]
    #13148947 - 09/04/10 11:49 PM (13 years, 6 months ago)

I thought that I read on here to put them in a container with silica or damp rid right away. I haven't seen anyone say that it was best to fan dry them first. I'm about to have my first flush so I need know the best way

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Offlinekrum
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Re: Questions regarding desiccant (silica gel) [Re: JessNJoe]
    #13148981 - 09/05/10 12:01 AM (13 years, 6 months ago)

Quote:

JessNJoe said:
I thought that I read on here to put them in a container with silica or damp rid right away. I haven't seen anyone say that it was best to fan dry them first. I'm about to have my first flush so I need know the best way




Well, many contend that the best way is a food dehydrator.  If you don't have one of those, I've heard the thing to do is put a fan in front of them for a while to get the bulk of the moisture out then put them in your desiccant container for the remainder until dry.  Many HAVE said it, you just didn't see those particular posts.

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OfflineJessNJoe
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Re: Questions regarding desiccant (silica gel) [Re: krum]
    #13149227 - 09/05/10 02:46 AM (13 years, 6 months ago)

ok thanks im gonna do some more digging about it. I thought it was just a no brainer I guess I should have read about it a little sooer

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Offlinek00laid
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Re: Questions regarding desiccant (silica gel) [Re: JessNJoe]
    #13149477 - 09/05/10 06:33 AM (13 years, 6 months ago)

Quote:

JessNJoe said:
ok thanks im gonna do some more digging about it. I thought it was just a no brainer I guess I should have read about it a little sooer




be sure to check the dates of the information you are finding.

fan drying is best before using desiccant to finish the job.


but screw all that. find a food dehydrator at goodwill or a garage sale.


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Offlineegodeathflux
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Re: Questions regarding desiccant (silica gel) [Re: k00laid]
    #13149510 - 09/05/10 06:52 AM (13 years, 6 months ago)

You can put silica in a mircrowave it to dry it too. Saves a lot of time. I always dry with a fan or on a metal tray on a radiator in winter. Never needed desiccant although I have experimented with it. This is good enough to get things bone dry and store for months. Don't complicate things too much!!


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OfflineJessNJoe
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Re: Questions regarding desiccant (silica gel) [Re: egodeathflux]
    #13151593 - 09/05/10 04:35 PM (13 years, 6 months ago)

I thought heat was bad for drying out shrooms, I have read that it depletes the psillyciben and the other chemical in them I dont remember the name of it right now.

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