Now all you need to do since you will be using it as a casing is wet to till it its saturation point and pop it in the oven at 250 for about 45 to 60 minutes (not 100% sure on the time needed) let cool and case your trays.

As far as mixing it....you can, but I just used straight shit so I cant tell you about using it with other soils for casings.

Doesn't need P cooking, pasteurize it.
Standard moisture (when you squeeze a handful, just a little liquid comes out between your fingers)
Leave as is or experiment with mixtures.

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-From a registered Mad Scientist

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

I've had mixed results with using unsterile manure. Sometimes it works great, and other times I get no growth at all. I still haven't figured this one out... For the time being, I'll stick with sterilized manure.

psyco: No, there is no "shit" smell if you do things right. The only time I've had cow manure get stinky is when I've let it soak in a container for longer than 24 hours. It does not stink when dry, it does not stink after a night of soaking, it does not stink when being sterilized, and it does not stink when being colonized and fruited. The only smell it seems to exude is an earthy aroma with a slight sweet scent to it.

I've never tried pasteurizing manure in an oven, but I would think that it would be difficult to maintain the delicate balance of moisture, and that you would have to add water afterwards, which might be a pain in the ass.

I would also think that mixing it with soil or vermiculite would be counter productive. Any such addative would only take the space that could be occupied by more manure. Both manure and soil hold comparable amounts of water, but the difference is that manure can be digested and soil can not. Get the idea?

Ok guys, I've been meaning for some time to post a write-up of my method for preparing manure. I finally got a digital camera, and have snapped a few pics of my set up. I'm going to post a quick and dirty version of my manure tek right here. I plan on doing a better write up in the near future. Here it is, placebo's Shit Grinding Tek, v 0.5:

First, go to the hardware store and buy yourself a sheet of 1/4 inch diamond sheet mesh. I believe it is used for masonry. Also pick up a big Rubbermaid storage bin. Take these items back home and cut a square of mesh that is a few inches wider all around than the top opening of the storage bin. Set the mesh on top of the bin and bend the edges over the sides.

Next, go out to a pasture with lots of cows. Try to find one with lots of tall grass and no small shrubs. Collect a few trash bags full of old, dried cow pies. They should be old, but not to the point where they're dusty, and fresh enough so that there is a very small amount of moisture in them, but not too much. Cow pies that are really dry are nearly impossible to break up, even with this method. Try to aviod angry rednecks shooting rock salt from their shot guns as well.

Now take your stash back home and bust out your mesh and container. Fit the mesh snugly onto the bin. Take pies, one by one (and broken into smaller pieces if need be), and grind them back and forth over the mesh. Finely powdered manure will be scraped off the pie and will fall into the awaiting bin below. After a few pies you will have a nice pile of ground manure with the consistency of peat moss. Perfect!

Now hose this shit down (pun intended) and mix the water into it with your hands (use rubber gloves if you're squeamish). Make sure there are no dry spots, and that the water is consistent throughout. As stated above, just add a little bit more water than what you need in the end. Let it soak overnight, and continue as I said above. As it turns out, the water you squeeze out has many valuable applications. You can use it where ever water is called for (but not in casing soil) with excellent results (ie: in agar, in substrate mixes, and in liquid media). Also makes a great organic fertilizer for your house plants. Just be sure to use it the same day, or bacteria will take over and it will start to stink.

When I first started experimenting with cow manure, I would break it all up by hand. Between myself and a friend, it would take us an hour or more to break up a decent amount of shit. Using this technique, it takes me 10 to 15 minutes alone to prepare the same amount, and the consistency is much better.

Here's a pic of the bin and mesh setup.

A close up of the diamond mesh.

A turd ready to go. Let's grind some shit!

The resulting powdered manure. Nice, very nice...

I really recommend that everyone with a field nearby should give manure a try, it's a really easy way to boost flushes and increase overall yield.

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"It's all in the mind, you know."
-George Harrison

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"I think of myself as an intelligent, sensitive human being with the soul of a clown which always forces me to blow it at the most important moments." J.M.

Northern Touch Spores

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..... LEGALIZE .....
See some shroom pictures here.