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sof4r0ckeRs1984



Registered: 07/30/10
Posts: 1,886
Last seen: 6 years, 5 months
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Unsatisfying thoughts on bulk substrate saturation
#15767458 - 02/06/12 07:54 AM (12 years, 11 months ago) |
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Hi folks!
Since I always had some problems with how wet the substrate was I decided to finally call for some help here.
I had three and a half grows: 1. Six PF cakes fruiting in a SGFC -Some of them fruited alright, some didn't at all.
2. A coir cake, spawn/bulk ratio 1:5 in a SGFC -Fruited alright, but not satisfactory concerning the appearance and the quantity of the harvested shrooms. Probably too wet although I checked it with my hands (pressure/droplets)
3.A small cube mono with one inch of substrate, spawn/bulk ratio 1:5 -GREAT GREAT pinning. Unfortunately the shrooms were very small and I blame oversaturated substrate on that.
3 1/2. A regular Mono tub with straw that I spawned the spent sub of grow #3 to. -This was an experiment to see if it could be done without growing contams. The "spawn" was thoroughly mixed with the pasteurized straw that was also treated with chlorine containing tube cleaner. Straw colonized alright, but seemed too wet so on the bottom colonized not that good.
So basicly: I think next time I'll produce some more spawn via G2G and stick to Damion5050's Elementary Coir Tek.
How do you guys get your bulk sub right?
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Galaxie500
Rat Bastard



Registered: 11/08/11
Posts: 284
Loc: Down the road from Jesco
Last seen: 8 years, 1 month
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Re: Unsatisfying thoughts on bulk substrate saturation [Re: sof4r0ckeRs1984] 1
#15767482 - 02/06/12 08:14 AM (12 years, 11 months ago) |
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If you decide to go with Damion's tek and follow it to a T (except maybe the addition of gypsum), you won't have to worry about substrate moisture content. I usually use about 4.25 quarts of water. I've never had a moisture content issue using that particular method, and get great results.
Improving your spawn ratio is a good strategy. I have a couple tubs I do between 1:2 and 1:3, and another that I typically do about 1:5, and the ones with the better ratio perform consistently better... Not that the 1:5 does bad necessarily, the others are just better.
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Tact is for those who aren't witty enough to be sarcastic
Edited by Galaxie500 (02/06/12 08:14 AM)
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sof4r0ckeRs1984



Registered: 07/30/10
Posts: 1,886
Last seen: 6 years, 5 months
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Re: Unsatisfying thoughts on bulk substrate saturation [Re: Galaxie500]
#15767494 - 02/06/12 08:20 AM (12 years, 11 months ago) |
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I also have a problem considering the estimation of the right amount of misting and fanning. Like with this small tub that pinned really good I left the holes open quite a lot in the beginning, but I was afraid to dry it out after it started pinning so vividly. So I sprayed it a lot, probably too much...
Problem was also that a whole lot of those pins didn't even develop and I had a lot of tiny mutant blob things that just consisted of white flesh with no hat at all. Also when I "harvested" I recognized that there was a kind of "white skin" on the surface of that substrate. Any suggestions? What do you do with your Damion tubs? Do you fan and mist them?
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Galaxie500
Rat Bastard



Registered: 11/08/11
Posts: 284
Loc: Down the road from Jesco
Last seen: 8 years, 1 month
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Re: Unsatisfying thoughts on bulk substrate saturation [Re: sof4r0ckeRs1984] 1
#15767543 - 02/06/12 08:46 AM (12 years, 11 months ago) |
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Working with coir, I've used monotubs exclusively... I was considering trying some large cakes in my SGFC just so I can use it, but I like the simplicity of the monotubs. With all the heaters I have to use in my grow area, the air is dry as hell and I was constantly misting my SGFC and cakes to keep up the humidity. I could have used the humidifier I already HAVE, but all my shroom stuff AND my fiance's hair contraptions are on the same circuit and it already will trip the breaker if everything is on at once (I'm adding a circuit, when I get off my ass to do it). It's not an issue with the tubs.
With my monotubs, I don't do anything, AT ALL, during the pre-fruiting stages. I keep them completely sealed, holes taped, and out of DIRECT light (my grow light is a set of florescent tubes about 24" directly above clear topped tubs; I'll lay a towel on the top and leave the sides exposed) until they at least partially establish a pinset. After fruiting, I usually will fan maybe twice a day (I don't even really NEED to do that, but the results are slightly better than without) and mist very rarely, if at all (if the heaters are all on, it may start getting a bit dry during the final stages of fruiting and I'll have to give it a light mist once a day or every other day). Through that first flush, Damion's tek keeps the moisture content on target and really reduces upkeep. I use TranscendingLife's "One Flush Wonder" theory in that I don't futz around trying to get a second flush, I usually have another round of spawn ready to go. If I do try to get a second flush, the maintenance goes up and it usually needs misted a couple times a day. The second flush typically isn't really worth the effort when I can just start a new tub that I can ignore for days on end.
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Tact is for those who aren't witty enough to be sarcastic
Edited by Galaxie500 (02/06/12 08:48 AM)
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RogerRabbit
Bans for Pleasure



Registered: 03/26/03
Posts: 42,214
Loc: Seattle
Last seen: 1 year, 10 months
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Re: Unsatisfying thoughts on bulk substrate saturation [Re: Galaxie500]
#15767765 - 02/06/12 10:19 AM (12 years, 11 months ago) |
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Quote:
I could have used the humidifier I already HAVE, but all my shroom stuff AND my fiance's hair contraptions are on the same circuit and it already will trip the breaker if everything is on at once (I'm adding a circuit, when I get off my ass to do it). It's not an issue with the tubs.
Simply run an extension cord from another room such as the kitchen so it's on a different circuit.
To the OP, make your substrates on the dry side. It's easy to add moisture later if necessary, but very hard to get rid of excess. I now start out slightly below field capacity, so that when I squeeze a handful of substrate very hard, no moisture at all comes out, but if I added any, it would squeeze out. Then, simply mist during the cropping cycle to keep it at that level. RR
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"I've never had a failed experiment. I've only discovered 10,000 methods which do not work."
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Galaxie500
Rat Bastard



Registered: 11/08/11
Posts: 284
Loc: Down the road from Jesco
Last seen: 8 years, 1 month
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Re: Unsatisfying thoughts on bulk substrate saturation [Re: RogerRabbit]
#15767969 - 02/06/12 11:30 AM (12 years, 11 months ago) |
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Quote:
RogerRabbit said:
Simply run an extension cord from another room such as the kitchen so it's on a different circuit.
RR
Unfortunately it's not possible, the only nearby circuit that wouldn't require a bigass cord run is for my garage, and even though it's a 30A it has all my big equipment on it, so I trip it constantly already. I actually have another 10G cable from the breaker box to my shroom room, I used to have my compressor set up in there, but I have to convert it over to 120V; it's about #546 on my to-do list and I'm on about #6... She'd kill me if I skipped ahead to it.
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Tact is for those who aren't witty enough to be sarcastic
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