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TheOptical
Stranger


Registered: 12/10/11
Posts: 123
Last seen: 7 years, 1 month
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Can I save Coir/Verm Casing
#15750546 - 02/02/12 05:35 AM (12 years, 11 months ago) |
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Like, can I make a bunch of coir/verm casing material, sterile of course, use some of it to case some BRF cakes, and then save the rest in the fridge for future use? Or would it go bad in the fridge?
Also should I dunk cakes before casing them?
Noob questions I know, but I need definitive answers before I can really take off.
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BlackPeace
Self proclaimed CEO



Registered: 11/18/07
Posts: 1,069
Loc: Canada
Last seen: 1 year, 8 months
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Re: Can I save Coir/Verm Casing [Re: TheOptical]
#15750592 - 02/02/12 06:04 AM (12 years, 11 months ago) |
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Hi,
Casing material should be pasteurized, not sterilized. Also, coir is not suitable as a casing material. Coir is used as a bulk substrate.
Use peat moss and verm with gypsum and hydrated lime/calcium carbonate to ajust the PH.
You could then freeze it and use it later.
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BlackPeace
Self proclaimed CEO



Registered: 11/18/07
Posts: 1,069
Loc: Canada
Last seen: 1 year, 8 months
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Re: Can I save Coir/Verm Casing [Re: BlackPeace]
#15750603 - 02/02/12 06:12 AM (12 years, 11 months ago) |
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Oh and by the way, I see no use in dunking the cakes if you case them. But you have to know that a properly made shotgun terrarium with dunk and rolled cakes will give you more yield than cased cakes.
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TheOptical
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Registered: 12/10/11
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Re: Can I save Coir/Verm Casing [Re: BlackPeace]
#15750620 - 02/02/12 06:23 AM (12 years, 11 months ago) |
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I love this forum, but sometimes you guys just confuse me. That last response really contradicts nearly everything I have learned so far here. I really need to learn to stop asking so many questions, and just act. I may be a noob, but I'm starting to finally notice that trial and error is the best method.
Here's what I'm going to do, and none of you can stop me!
I'm going to make some BRF cakes, wait for 100% colonization, dunk them for 24 hrs, put them in a tin tray, cover them with a coir/verm mix (similar to that used in damion's tek), put the tray in a black trash bag, let it sit/colonize COMPLETELY - should take anywhere from 10 to 20 days (don't worry, I can wait), and then I'm going to take this tray out of the trashbag and it's going to be COVERED in mycelium. Then I'm going to put the tray into my FC, and then I'm going to have lots of mushrooms!
And I see no reason why that will not work!
And if for some reason it doesn't work, I'll replace the BRF with some sort of grain, and then it will work. Either way, I'm going to have lots of mushies so HA!
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TheOptical
Stranger


Registered: 12/10/11
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Last seen: 7 years, 1 month
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Re: Can I save Coir/Verm Casing [Re: TheOptical]
#15750635 - 02/02/12 06:35 AM (12 years, 11 months ago) |
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Oh, and I'm gonna make way more coir/verm mix than is needed and save the rest of the fridge. The reason I'm doing this is because I HATE breaking up coir bricks!
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BlackPeace
Self proclaimed CEO



Registered: 11/18/07
Posts: 1,069
Loc: Canada
Last seen: 1 year, 8 months
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Re: Can I save Coir/Verm Casing [Re: TheOptical]
#15750647 - 02/02/12 06:43 AM (12 years, 11 months ago) |
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Quote:
I'm going to make some BRF cakes, wait for 100% colonization, dunk them for 24 hrs, put them in a tin tray, cover them with a coir/verm mix (similar to that used in damion's tek), put the tray in a black trash bag, let it sit/colonize COMPLETELY - should take anywhere from 10 to 20 days (don't worry, I can wait), and then I'm going to take this tray out of the trashbag and it's going to be COVERED in mycelium. Then I'm going to put the tray into my FC, and then I'm going to have lots of mushrooms!
When I say that I see no use in dunking cakes for casing is for the simple fact that you can case grains and still get a decent yield. By misting you keep the casing moist enough to support good flush.
You should not cover you trays with a black plastic bag, casing need to breath a little. You should poke a few holes on it.
You pasteurize casing layer, not sterilize. Coir is a substrate, not a casing material.
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BlackPeace
Self proclaimed CEO



Registered: 11/18/07
Posts: 1,069
Loc: Canada
Last seen: 1 year, 8 months
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Re: Can I save Coir/Verm Casing [Re: BlackPeace]
#15750652 - 02/02/12 06:45 AM (12 years, 11 months ago) |
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And if you STERILIZE coir and use it as a CASING LAYER and COVER it ALL with a PLASTIC trash bag it might get COVERED by MOLD
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BlackPeace
Self proclaimed CEO



Registered: 11/18/07
Posts: 1,069
Loc: Canada
Last seen: 1 year, 8 months
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Re: Can I save Coir/Verm Casing [Re: BlackPeace]
#15750656 - 02/02/12 06:46 AM (12 years, 11 months ago) |
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no offense, I don't want to sound rude sorry bro
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TheOptical
Stranger


Registered: 12/10/11
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Re: Can I save Coir/Verm Casing [Re: BlackPeace]
#15750683 - 02/02/12 06:58 AM (12 years, 11 months ago) |
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No offense taken, you're all good. Nothing but the <3.
The trash bag is to prevent FAE. Once I introduce the FAE, that tray will explode with pins, I just know it.
And by "sterilize" I simply mean boil water, add coir, mix, add verm, mix, let cool. I'm not going to pressure cook coir or anything silly like that.
And there will be no mold because the mycelium will fight off contaminants.
My plan is full of win LOL.
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uncle bobo



Registered: 01/06/10
Posts: 673
Loc: shakedown st
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Re: Can I save Coir/Verm Casing [Re: TheOptical]
#15750711 - 02/02/12 07:12 AM (12 years, 11 months ago) |
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no need to break up the coir (just add boiling water and mix it up 30 min later.)make sure you use verm with the coir or it will spell DISASTER. and if you use coir as a substrate, there is no need to case. coir pins like a mother fucker. just try to cover up all of your grains, they are prone to contams. if you are casing cakes, you should use verm alone. i don't think the coir will stick as well. after you dunk your cake, roll it in dry verm. then lighty mist it evey few hours for a day or two. the slower you mist, the better the verm will stick.
--------------------
AKA Wolfgang Grajonza
IKO MYCO. MEDICINAL FARMS.
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TheOptical
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Posts: 123
Last seen: 7 years, 1 month
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Re: Can I save Coir/Verm Casing [Re: uncle bobo]
#15750727 - 02/02/12 07:27 AM (12 years, 11 months ago) |
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Guys, I'm doing the dunk and roll with cakes method right now. It is my first grow, that's how I got my avatar picture. While I'm happy to have my own mushrooms, I want MOAR results!
Coir/Verm casing of my future BRF cakes will result in serious win. I previously did a coir/verm casing of some popcorn. It's covered with a black trashbag in my closet as we speak. I checked on it yesterday, and it's fucking loaded with mycelium. I can post a picture if you desire. I'm letting it colonize a little bit more, probably through the weekend. When I put it in my fruiting chamber, it's going to hopefully explode with pins.
The reason I'm going to try cakes instead of grains is because I actually already have some cakes made, and I find that cakes are less prone to contams than grains IMO. If it turns out the tray with cakes doesn't work, I'll switch to a grain, probably millet. But I won't know unless I try.
I'm pretty sure this plan is going to work very, very well. And in due time, I'll have the pics to prove it.
Edited by TheOptical (02/02/12 07:32 AM)
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uncle bobo



Registered: 01/06/10
Posts: 673
Loc: shakedown st
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Re: Can I save Coir/Verm Casing [Re: TheOptical]
#15750735 - 02/02/12 07:32 AM (12 years, 11 months ago) |
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are you crushing the cakes up and casing them in a tray?
--------------------
AKA Wolfgang Grajonza
IKO MYCO. MEDICINAL FARMS.
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TheOptical
Stranger


Registered: 12/10/11
Posts: 123
Last seen: 7 years, 1 month
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Re: Can I save Coir/Verm Casing [Re: uncle bobo]
#15750747 - 02/02/12 07:37 AM (12 years, 11 months ago) |
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No, I'm leaving the cakes uncrushed. I don't think crushing would hurt, but I don't see how it would help either. I will give them a 24 hour dunk first. Yeah, I know it's unneeded, but I want the extra moisture.
I did also consider crushing a single cake and mixing it to the verm/coir mixture to add additional mucelium networking, but I decided not to, considering that I'm probably going to have way more coir/verm mix than needed, and I'm going to save it in the fridge to use it for future projects as to not let it go to waste.
Edited by TheOptical (02/02/12 07:39 AM)
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HorizonSpawn
Gettin' my grow on :)


Registered: 05/14/11
Posts: 1,739
Loc: Myco-Tek.org
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Re: Can I save Coir/Verm Casing [Re: uncle bobo]
#15750772 - 02/02/12 07:46 AM (12 years, 11 months ago) |
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Suggestion... Do not add vermiculite to the coconut coir; as the cakes have more than enough! Rather; crumble the cakes and mix in with the "pasturized" coir... I would recommend prepping ~15g of dry coir per 1/2 pint cake... Hydrate the coir at a 1:3+ ratio; and YES, dunk your cakes before breaking them up... And YES, do not let them consolidate. Rather; give them about ~48 hours past visually full colonization (to ensure full colonization at the core)... Once everything is all put together; give the top of the substrate a good misting, then cover with lid.
-------------------- Please assume any and all prints exchanged are "WILD" in nature; and thus, should NOT be considered ASEPTIC...
NOTE: Please excuse my brevity, as it is a bitch 'n' a half and slow as hell to type on this here phone
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