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OfflineThe Centre
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Best substitute for perlite...
    #9216533 - 11/10/08 06:34 AM (15 years, 4 months ago)

I designed a terrarium to use with PF tek, I originally wanted to use water (look up terrarium design.) but I decided against it. Now, I am faced with a problem, I can not find perlite anywhere, nobody even knows what it is. (I live in South Africa.)

Now, I want to know, what would be the most contaminant resistant substitute. The cakes will be elevated from the perlite substitute, so it doesn't have to be something I can put the cakes on. I will make 7-10 cakes, as to leave more surface area and to keep the cakes away from any possible contaminants so that if something happens, there is still a chance to save my cakes.

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OfflineUncleMike
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Re: Best substitute for perlite... [Re: The Centre]
    #9216536 - 11/10/08 06:37 AM (15 years, 4 months ago)

geo-lite


--------------------
Live each day like it will be your last, tomorrow my never come.
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Offlineveda_sticks
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Re: Best substitute for perlite... [Re: UncleMike]
    #9216542 - 11/10/08 06:43 AM (15 years, 4 months ago)

and hydroton

perlite/geolite/hydroton is not a factor of contamination. And you dont sit your cakes directly on it anyway.

However, having the cakes above will help keep more surface exposed to air helping with rh.


--------------------

PF TEK - writeup by EvilMushroom666
Lets Grow Mushrooms - RogerRabbit & RoadKills website with sample videos plus the full PF TEK video series. Alot of great information - BUY THE DVD
Cakes can and will pin! - So you think cakes suck for pins. Your wrong
Franks Simple Coir/Verm Tek
Franks Proper Pasturisation Tek
Franks Spawning To Bulk - Monotub
Professor Pinheads RTV Injection Port Tek
Foo Mans No Soak WBS Prep Tek

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OfflineThe Centre
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Re: Best substitute for perlite... [Re: veda_sticks]
    #9216545 - 11/10/08 06:48 AM (15 years, 4 months ago)

Can't get either of the three.:(

I am leaning towards vermiculite, but I think hope there is something better I can get my hands on.


BTW, would very small broken up quarts crystals work? I might be able to get that. If I can not get my hands on that/it is too expensive, what other options do I have.

Edited by The Centre (11/10/08 06:50 AM)

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OfflineUncleMike
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Re: Best substitute for perlite... [Re: The Centre]
    #9216561 - 11/10/08 06:59 AM (15 years, 4 months ago)

Quote:

The Centre said:
Can't get either of the three.:(

I am leaning towards vermiculite,







Wet vermiculite will work, as well as wet paper towels....

here is a useful link [url] http://www.shroomery.org/48/Using-other-materials-instead-of-perlite-Hydroton-Geolite [\url]

Also just do a search on wet paper towels and you will find some interesting information...


--------------------
Live each day like it will be your last, tomorrow my never come.
SporeSmart

Edited by UncleMike (11/10/08 07:00 AM)

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Offlinephaseflux
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Re: Best substitute for perlite... [Re: UncleMike]
    #9216577 - 11/10/08 07:08 AM (15 years, 4 months ago)

wet paper towels sound like they would get moldy, how about a bunch of moist sponges? No idea if that would work, just throwing out a suggestion there. maybe you can shred them up in tiny chunks to allow more surface area be exposed to the air.

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OfflineUncleMike
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Re: Best substitute for perlite... [Re: phaseflux]
    #9216580 - 11/10/08 07:10 AM (15 years, 4 months ago)

i think sponges would contam quicker than papertowels but then again who knows?... the guy needs an alternative and these are alternatives that have been used and proven to work to keep rh up in an fc


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Live each day like it will be your last, tomorrow my never come.
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Offlinephaseflux
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Re: Best substitute for perlite... [Re: UncleMike]
    #9216586 - 11/10/08 07:12 AM (15 years, 4 months ago)

Quote:

UncleMike said:
i think sponges would contam quicker than papertowels but then again who knows?... the guy needs an alternative and these are alternatives that have been used and proven to work to keep rh up in an fc




I was thinking synthetic sponges, I dunno, i thought it would be less likely to contam. i've had paper towels get moldy for different reasons, ( i wasn't using them for growing mushrooms however)

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Invisibleteknix
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Re: Best substitute for perlite... [Re: The Centre]
    #9216614 - 11/10/08 07:29 AM (15 years, 4 months ago)

Crush up some bricks, theres your clay granulate.

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OfflineThe Centre
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Re: Best substitute for perlite... [Re: The Centre]
    #9216674 - 11/10/08 07:57 AM (15 years, 4 months ago)

Holy shit, Hydorkorrols. Korrols is Afrikaans (my home language) for kernels. I might be able to find that with some searching, but if I can't find that, I'dd just use some good verm.

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OfflineNuzzle
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Re: Best substitute for perlite... [Re: The Centre]
    #9216773 - 11/10/08 08:29 AM (15 years, 4 months ago)

LavaRock, or if you have to try using some Vermiculite...

Why not just get a cheap little Fish Tank air filter and put it inside a nice big thing of water? That might be your best bet.

Just get a Gatorade bottle or something big enough to hold the bubble wand from the fish tank, and put that in there...

You should be good with that. :wink:


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OfflineThe Centre
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Re: Best substitute for perlite... [Re: Nuzzle]
    #9216836 - 11/10/08 08:42 AM (15 years, 4 months ago)

I can only say one thing, BE AS CHEAP AS POSSIBLE. I only have a total of 25Euro, and I want to start to grow, I found a special on spores for 15euro (inc international shipping), and I have a fish tank, I have enough verm for cakes but I will have to buy some more if I am using it for the moisture. I will get me some brown rice, and crush it up for for a substrate. (BTW How fine should I get it, I do not have a coffee grinder so I will have to resort to a pepper grinder or something.) Now the price of the disinfectant I am going to use will probably take up the rest of the money. I think I will go with sterilized damp verm, and spray my mushrooms whenever needed.

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OfflineUncleMike
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Re: Best substitute for perlite... [Re: The Centre]
    #9216863 - 11/10/08 08:48 AM (15 years, 4 months ago)

using pepper grinder is going to take a very long time. if you do not have a coffee grinder then just use a blender put one pound in at a time and grind it even if it is a little coarse it will still work...

as far as disinfectants, bleach is the best thing to use and very cheap and you most likely have some laying around somewhere....

you can use vermiculite straight out ofthe bag w/o sterilizing it. it works fine like that


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Live each day like it will be your last, tomorrow my never come.
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OfflineNibin
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Re: Best substitute for perlite... [Re: The Centre]
    #9216935 - 11/10/08 09:02 AM (15 years, 4 months ago)

Quote:

The Centre said:
I can only say one thing, BE AS CHEAP AS POSSIBLE. I only have a total of 25Euro, and I want to start to grow, I found a special on spores for 15euro (inc international shipping), and I have a fish tank, I have enough verm for cakes but I will have to buy some more if I am using it for the moisture. I will get me some brown rice, and crush it up for for a substrate. (BTW How fine should I get it, I do not have a coffee grinder so I will have to resort to a pepper grinder or something.) Now the price of the disinfectant I am going to use will probably take up the rest of the money. I think I will go with sterilized damp verm, and spray my mushrooms whenever needed.




Don't use verm. Verm acts more like a sponge while perlite coats it's surface full of water that then evaporates.

Use paper towels and change them every 3/4 days. That will work fine.


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OfflineThe Centre
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Re: Best substitute for perlite... [Re: The Centre]
    #9217924 - 11/10/08 12:41 PM (15 years, 4 months ago)

Thank you, I shall use paper towels and exchange them whenever I fan the mushrooms, just to be safe.

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Offlinefermopagus
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Re: Best substitute for perlite... [Re: The Centre]
    #9217998 - 11/10/08 01:01 PM (15 years, 4 months ago)

you should be fanning at least 3-4 times per day, so that's a lot of paper towels.  just listen to the smart guys posting on the threads, especially those who you see replying to like every post that is asking for advice or a question.  they are cool dudes, and they are trying to help you out.

zoolander anyone???


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OfflineThe Centre
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Re: Best substitute for perlite... [Re: The Centre]
    #9222603 - 11/11/08 05:01 AM (15 years, 4 months ago)

3-4 times a day? Even when my design allows for fresh air to exchange? (I modified the one you will see in the other thread about my terrarium design so that it has 2 tubes and 2 other holes the same size as the tubes, so that adds up to 4 1inch holes with two of which has tubes extending to the bottom of the tank, in between my cakes and my supply of moisture.)

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Offlineveda_sticks
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Re: Best substitute for perlite... [Re: UncleMike]
    #9222613 - 11/11/08 05:13 AM (15 years, 4 months ago)

Quote:

UncleMike said:
using pepper grinder is going to take a very long time. if you do not have a coffee grinder then just use a blender put one pound in at a time and grind it even if it is a little coarse it will still work...

as far as disinfectants, bleach is the best thing to use and very cheap and you most likely have some laying around somewhere....

you can use vermiculite straight out ofthe bag w/o sterilizing it. it works fine like that




Reminds me of my first attempt. Hand grinding brown rice flour with a pepper grinder takes fucking ages! it wasnt quite flour but it did work. I think i had blisters after that. I only had enough flour for 2 half pints after an hour of grinding.


--------------------

PF TEK - writeup by EvilMushroom666
Lets Grow Mushrooms - RogerRabbit & RoadKills website with sample videos plus the full PF TEK video series. Alot of great information - BUY THE DVD
Cakes can and will pin! - So you think cakes suck for pins. Your wrong
Franks Simple Coir/Verm Tek
Franks Proper Pasturisation Tek
Franks Spawning To Bulk - Monotub
Professor Pinheads RTV Injection Port Tek
Foo Mans No Soak WBS Prep Tek

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Offlinezodd man
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Re: Best substitute for perlite... [Re: fermopagus]
    #10295668 - 05/06/09 07:42 AM (14 years, 10 months ago)

sorry to digg up such an old thread.

but im in a pinch and am thinking of trying that paper towels thing.
its a bit dim but i was just wondering weather or not to just put enough to cover the bottom surface or weather you meant to get a load of them and make it so that it fills the terrarium to the point that pearlite would have reached i use to have it about an inch of the base of pearlite. also how much should i saturate the towles


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OfflineRedDevil420
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Re: Best substitute for perlite... [Re: zodd man]
    #10295679 - 05/06/09 07:49 AM (14 years, 10 months ago)

it wont work, get perlite.  and next time just MAKE a NEW thread.


--------------------
I'm Just Making This All Up.
Grains In Glass Jars With Professional Filters FTW.
Coir Monotubs FTW.
Sterile Technique FTW.
Fan dry, Desiccant storage FTW.
Ralphster's Spores FTW.

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