My reason for not using a casing method like the SOS was to try to avoid contamination as much as possible... although, you're right, if you cut those 1/2 pint cakes in half and case each 1/4 pint portion in its own plastic "beer keg" cup, if a bunch of them go bad, I guess you're still well off...

I just thought that simply placing a PF cake on wet vermiculite would reduce chances of contamination, compared to the SOS casing tek...

BUT... since we're on the subject of SOS casing... what tips would you give to reduce chances of contamination? I've read that a bottom layer of perlite instead ofvermiculite might help... I've also read that using plain, damp vermiculite for the top layer (as opposed to Jiffy Mix or peat moss and the like) also reduces contamination chances. What are your thoughts on this?

thanks
m

Thanks for the advice on the PF double-ended casing tek... actually, for my first batch (the time is fast approaching) I plan on doing the following:

1. Innoculate 16 jars with two full syringes of PF MR. That's one syringe for every 8 jars, a little less than what PF Tek specifies, but hopefully colonization will be speeded up a little bit...

2. I'm hoping to get at least 10 jars out of the original 16 that aren't lost to contamination. So... out of those ten...

3. Birth 6 following the straigh PF Tek, and let the cakes start fruiting in a perlite-humidified terrarium.

4. Cut the other 4 cakes in half, and use 8 opaque plastic "beer keg" style Solo cups to case each one of these portions separately.
5. On half of these cups I'll just use plain, damp vermiculite on the top and bottom.

6. On the other half, I'll use vermiculite on the bottom, and Jiffy Mix (or some other 50/50 type casing, perhaps Ryches 50/50+) on the top.

When the regular PF cakes finish their first flush, I'll try the PF double-ended tek on some, and try the drill-hole / straw tek on a couple as well.

Hopefully this way, I'll get to experiment as much as possible on my first attempt...

take care
c

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-From a registered Mad Scientist

"From a certain point of view"
-Jedi Master Obiwan Kenobi (also a Mad Scientist tm)