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 angrybeaver
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Registered: 02/18/05
Posts: 8
Loc: Pittsburgh
Last seen: 17 years, 10 months
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 is my vermiculite too fine? (pic) 
#3840765 - 02/27/05 10:41 AM (19 years, 1 month ago) |
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So, I'm just about to embark on my second growing attempt. My first attempt was less than stellar due primarily to the fact that the insides of the cakes never fully colonized. I'm thinking this was due to the fact that the tek I used said to fill the jars with the verm + brf mix to the top then tap on a table until there was a space for the dry verm layer.
This time I do not intend on compacting the verm at all! I was wondering if maybe I could do something like mixing in some perlite or something to maybe help the substrate with this density problem.
Any thoughts would be great.
Thanks
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--You're making me feel subconscious
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 Prisoner#1
Even Dumber ThanAdvertized!
Registered: 01/22/03
Posts: 193,665
Loc: Pvt. Pubfag NutSuck
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Re: is my vermiculite too fine? (pic) [Re: angrybeaver]
#3840771 - 02/27/05 10:43 AM (19 years, 1 month ago) |
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it will work.
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Holydiver
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Posts: 5,156
Loc: The midnight sea
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Re: is my vermiculite too fine? (pic) [Re: angrybeaver]
#3840772 - 02/27/05 10:44 AM (19 years, 1 month ago) |
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I find that fine verm is good for dry contam barriers in PF jars, and that's about it. The fine consistency really sucks. If you're going to use it for PF jars, definitely avoid tamping it down next time.
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To find a place to live between the negatives and positives.
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angrybeaver
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Registered: 02/18/05
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Loc: Pittsburgh
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Re: is my vermiculite too fine? (pic) [Re: Holydiver]
#3840778 - 02/27/05 10:47 AM (19 years, 1 month ago) |
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I wish I could find some other grade verm around here but this fine crap is all I can find
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--You're making me feel subconscious
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fallingaway24
catatonic selfmedicator
Registered: 12/25/04
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Re: is my vermiculite too fine? (pic) [Re: angrybeaver]
#3841174 - 02/27/05 12:42 PM (19 years, 1 month ago) |
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ya i have the same problem i can only find the realy fine stuff or the realy huge kind... oh well.
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MycoJunkie
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Re: is my vermiculite too fine? (pic) [Re: fallingaway24]
#3841799 - 02/27/05 03:11 PM (19 years, 1 month ago) |
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i've used that same grade b4, it works great.
just remember: 2:1:1 Verm:BRF:h20
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MushroomFriend
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Re: is my vermiculite too fine? (pic) [Re: Holydiver]
#3841830 - 02/27/05 03:16 PM (19 years, 1 month ago) |
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AGreed, I think the finer is better for "contam barrier" then the bigger pieces.
For mising in substrates imho the finer will work, (it worked here) but the little bigger sized verm is better.
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scatmanrav
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Re: is my vermiculite too fine? (pic) [Re: MushroomFriend]
#3842203 - 02/27/05 04:15 PM (19 years, 1 month ago) |
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I wouldnt bother mixing in perlite too. Just dont pack it down next time..
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angrybeaver
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Registered: 02/18/05
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Loc: Pittsburgh
Last seen: 17 years, 10 months
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Re: is my vermiculite too fine? (pic) [Re: scatmanrav]
#3842665 - 02/27/05 05:40 PM (19 years, 1 month ago) |
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Thanks for the input. I'm innoculating 12 jars tonight and have mixed perlite with the vermiculite in 6 of the jars. We'll see how they do.
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--You're making me feel subconscious
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punkgod94
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Re: is my vermiculite too fine? (pic) [Re: angrybeaver]
#3843350 - 02/27/05 07:47 PM (19 years, 1 month ago) |
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I have a question related to this too. As far as the 2:1:1 ratio goes...
My jars never fully colonized because the temperature is too cold (68-72)...fishtank heater broke and I cant find a new one that reaches the desired temperature. The jars have all completely stopped. I don't know much about shrooms but Im tempted to think that the colder weather made the water condense and the substrate doesnt have enough water to keep it growing. Would it be wise to bump up the ratio to a 2:1:2 ratio maybe?
My vermiculite is the same fine type, and I tried my best to make sure it wasnt all clumped together...i tried to leave plenty of air pockets
Edited by punkgod94 (02/27/05 07:50 PM)
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frock
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Registered: 02/22/04
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Re: is my vermiculite too fine? (pic) [Re: punkgod94]
#3844223 - 02/27/05 09:39 PM (19 years, 1 month ago) |
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I use to always get the fine grade stuff, but know I can only get the larger verm. I never had a problem with the fine grade and in fact, my flushes off my cakes were always larger when I used the fine grade to roll them in.
I dont know if this is why it happened but I can tell you I think I might order the fine stuff again.
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Hotnuts
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Re: is my vermiculite too fine? (pic) [Re: frock]
#3844329 - 02/27/05 09:58 PM (19 years, 1 month ago) |
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A fine coursed vermiculite holds more water than a larger coursed vermiculite.
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scatmanrav
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Re: is my vermiculite too fine? (pic) [Re: Hotnuts]
#3845907 - 02/28/05 09:18 AM (19 years, 1 month ago) |
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Mixed verm particles work best I think. As hotnutz said, small verm holds water better. You want some bigger peices for more air space too though.
Punkgod. You cant just add more water to counteract poor temperatures. If you get the water content perfect, they should still colonize, it will just be slow as hell. The only way to fix it is by fixing the condition thats wrong with them.
Thats like asking someone to turn the heat up in their house because your cold, and instead they give you a glass of water.
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Tantalus
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Re: is my vermiculite too fine? (pic) [Re: angrybeaver]
#3845977 - 02/28/05 09:43 AM (19 years, 1 month ago) |
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AFOAF gets his verm in a 4 cubic ft bag (that's a big bag) so it's alot finer towards the bottom. He's never really noticed a difference, but that might be because his other factors are fine tuned enough that any difference would be negligable.
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"A nation's hope of lasting peace cannot be firmly based upon any race in armaments but rather upon just relations and honest understanding with all other nations...
Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed... The cost of one modern heavy bomber is this: a modern brick school in more than 30 cities. We pay for a single fighter with a half million bushels of wheat. We pay for a single destroyer with new homes that could have housed more than 8,000 people..."
President Dwight Eisenhower, 1953
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Tantalus
Beyonddescription.
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Re: is my vermiculite too fine? (pic) [Re: Tantalus]
#3845985 - 02/28/05 09:45 AM (19 years, 1 month ago) |
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Oh, and the verm in those pics will be fine. If something goes wrong that's about the last thing I'd suspect.
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"A nation's hope of lasting peace cannot be firmly based upon any race in armaments but rather upon just relations and honest understanding with all other nations...
Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed... The cost of one modern heavy bomber is this: a modern brick school in more than 30 cities. We pay for a single fighter with a half million bushels of wheat. We pay for a single destroyer with new homes that could have housed more than 8,000 people..."
President Dwight Eisenhower, 1953
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scatmanrav
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Re: is my vermiculite too fine? (pic) [Re: Tantalus]
#3846115 - 02/28/05 10:24 AM (19 years, 1 month ago) |
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Quote:
Tantalus said:
Oh, and the verm in those pics will be fine. If something goes wrong that's about the last thing I'd suspect.
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PooPs
What's thisfor???
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Re: is my vermiculite too fine? (pic) [Re: scatmanrav]
#3846208 - 02/28/05 10:49 AM (19 years, 1 month ago) |
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If you have a 100w heater or bigger, and can't keep the temps high enough, double up your bottom bin and cover the top one with a thick blanket, you'll be up to temp real quick like.
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Sniff, Sniff... What's that smell???... ohhhhh.!!
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Pot Free for another : nevermind.. never made it..
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