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CH HELL
Brain Sturgeon

Registered: 10/02/08
Posts: 6,610
Loc: mars

Additives

39
#11247091 - 10/14/09 04:07 PM (14 years, 6 months ago)

With all the talk about super additives I thought I would make a post to help some with additives. I am not claiming to know every thing or saying I am a professional mycologist, home mycology is fairly new and we all are newbies to an extent.

There are no super miracle additives, no one fits all and no one additive that can be used for every thing. You need to know what your mushrooms want and what levels they need. Additives can be great if used properly but it is important to understand what it is and why it helps. I would recommend a soil test kit to anyone wanting to get into stronger additives. You can get a kit for less than $20 google Rapitest Soil Test kit it is a decent kit and costs about $18, also PH test strips are easy and cheap($1-$2).
PH levels are the most important for mycology, the levels I will mention are for P. Cubensis if you are growing other species you my want to check the proper levels. For the substrate you will want a PH level of 5.5-6.5 I will have a list of additives to adjust PH but most normal substrates for cubes are in that range. Cubes thrive at a pH level around 6 while contams thrive at lower pH levels, trich prefers around 4.2 but will grow anywhere between 2-7 PH. I don't use a casing layer any more but the casing should be between PH levels of 7-8 this helps fight contams and the cube myc will not want to colonize it.

PH levels in common materials used.
(please note that this is not written in stone and PH levels vary from horse to horse and different companies).
My horse manure is around 5.2-6
coffee(weak or spent) 5.5-6.5
coir 5-5.5

Nitrogen (N) is the next most important. Optimal levels for cubes is 2-2.6, I recommend staying a close to 2 as you can. High N levels become toxic to mycelium so don't go over 2.7.
Normal N levels in my materials(again these are not written in stone and yours my be different)
Horse manure= 1-1.3
coffee= 2.1
coir= .25

Here are a few additives for now.

#1 The best additive to most mycologists is Calcium Sulfate (Gypsum/Drywall). Gypsum will increase yield, speed, health, helps fight contams and also is a minor PH stabilizer. Gypsum will not affect PH levels, so this can be added without worry. It is also very inexpensive and can be found at most garden/nursery stores.
Gypsum can be added 5-10% of DRY substrate weight, I like using 10%. It adds calcium witch on its own is used to raise PH but gypsum also contains sulfur witch on its own will lower PH, combined together they stabilize and act as a PH buffer.
Gypsum can be used in grain, PF tek and even casing. Add 1tsp to your grain jars before PCing, the gypsum will keep your grains from clumping and add health and vigor to the myc. Adding 1tsp per 1/2 pint pf cakes will increase yield, speed and health. Gypsum is not the optimal casing additive but if it is all you have add it, it will be a minor stabilizer.

#2 Vermiculite, yes Verm is my #2. Verm adds texture, moister and trace minerals(food). You can use up to 50% Verm in any substrate, so if you have a limited supply of Horse manure verm can add more bulk to your bulk.

#3 Coffee, it can be decaf caffeine has very little if any affect on fungi. The main thing coffee adds is N(nitrogen) but there are thousands of ingredients in coffee that mushrooms use. Coffee will increase yields and speed. Be sure to use weak coffee or spent coffee grounds, fresh grounds can be too acidic.
Coffee can be used in your substrate up to 25%, more will not hurt, myc will grow on a 100% coffee substrate but I recommend 25% or less.
Soaking grains in weak coffee will speed colonization time and stimulate growth. You can also add 1tbsp spent grounds to your quarts before PCing.

Those top three can and should be added to every grow, they can be added without testing the PH or N levels with no worries. The top three are all that are needed for growing cubes with out a casing layer, add #4 if using a casing.

The rest of the additives should be used with caution and should only be used if you are testing your PH and N levels, or test small amounts at a time.

#4 Lime and Calcium Carbonate(Cali sand, chalk, c. lime). Adds Ca(not much) and raises PH levels, it is a long term PH buffer. H Lime is preferred for immediate results but is short acting PH buffer. I recommend using Ca carb and H. lime with gypsum, this way you get an immediate PH raise and a long term buffer that doesn't get major PH swings that can be harmful to fungus. I won't recommend a amount to use because all subs and casing are different, just be sure to start with small amount(1/4tsp or less). Be sure when buying any type of lime it doesn't contain Dolomite or Dolomitic lime it contains Magnesium witch will harm mycelium. Ca carb can be used alone as a substrate additive 1/4 cup per gal of substrate is a good start, less is fine when using gypsum. Ca carb is faster acting then gypsum so I recommend using both together for best results.

#5 Worm Casting adds Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potash and many more. You can use 10-15% higher won't hurt the PH and N levels are with-in range for cubes. I hate the consistency or it would rate higher.

#6 Compost

#7 Sesame/soybean oil adds calcium, antioxidants, fats(food) and possible anti mold. Only add small amounts 1tbs per gallon of sub, too much will cause problems with texture among other things so use recommended or less.

#8 Chicken manure can help raise N levels use small amounts around 1% you can go up to 2% if using straight Coir. Any other sub(even ccv) stay 1% or less too much will burn your myc.

#9 Oyster Shell flour is another PH buffer but is not as usable to mycelium as lime or Ca carb. 1 cup per 10 pounds moist casing.

#10 Blood Meal/Bone Meal I have combined these after thinking how hard they were to use. You can use 1tbs to 10 pounds manure when composting or boil 1tsp per 1gal pasteurizing water(boil the water and let sit overnight). This will add N but if you aren't composting it there can be rapid N swings and your sub could become too hot for the mycelium even if it tested fine when spawning.

#11 Humic/Fulvic acid 1tbs per gal of water helps aid mushrooms digestion and stimulates growth.

#12 Kelp adds food 1/2-1tsp to 1 gallon pasteurization water. Adding too much will promote molds.

#13 B-1/thiamine 1tbs per gal pasteurization water. B-1 is a food source for fungi if your sub is b-1 deficient adding b-1 will give you stronger healthier fruits. Adding too much B-1 can throw off N levels.

#14 Seaweed extract/seaweed 1% extract will raise PH and add nutrients or dried Seaweed works well, grab some straight from the water bring it home rinse with fresh water(if it came from salt water)use up to 10%.
Seaweed is also high in triptophans witch some believe(not me) increase potency.

#15 Cotton seed meal/cotton gin waste use up to 25%. This is another option to bulking up your bulk. Most cotton waste/hulls/husks are in the proper pH and N levels, so this is a great addition to coir. If there was a place near me that had tons of cotton waste I would rate this higher. If you are in an area where you can get cotton waste try it, It should be free.

#16 Pollen, notice I didn't say bee pollen. You can easily collect pollen yourself, when the pollen count is high in your area simply shake the flowers in a zip lock bag and you will get a nice yellow powder. You will help the bees and most store bought pollen contains magnesium and other unwanted ingredients. Adding 1 gram to a 58 liter monotub is enough to feed your shrooms through the life of the tub. Also try adding a pinch to any liquid culture to have a thicker healthier LC.
http://www.chm.bris.ac.uk/motm/brassinolide/brassinolidej.htm

#17 Soybean/Sesame Meal 2-4% dry sub weight. The S/S meal is a good long term protein but is not as digestible as oils. The S/S meals are also antioxidants with some anti mold properties.

#18 Vegetable/Canola Oils 1-2tsp per gal of sub. These oils are similar to the S/S oils but without all the good calcium. They do contain many useful lipids and nutrients for myc growth.

#19 Waste. If you have a distillery, brewery, Paper mill and many more near you ask them for there waste products. Most are great additives or even substrates.

There are literally thousands of additives for shrooms, I will go over as many as possible when I have time.

CH

Edited by CH HELL (06/08/15 06:32 PM)

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