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nanncee



Registered: 12/01/12
Posts: 434
Loc: Utah
Last seen: 9 years, 1 month
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Re: Oyster mushroom start up farm (moved) [Re: Aleon]
#19991114 - 05/15/14 08:49 AM (9 years, 8 months ago) |
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Quote:
Aleon said: How often should mushroom compost piles be turned? I just got to use my first pile this year in my garden (it took about 2+ years with no turning). My piles are pretty big; about 6' tall by 12' diameter with thousands of blocks in them. My neighbor does have a tractor; should i have him turn it every 4 months or every 1 month? Anyone have any suggestions on speeding up the process?
In commercial composting systems they turn them quite frequently, 2 weeks or under. I have a cousin who does large scale organic compost and they turn them once a week I think. they also are MASSIVE piles so the turning keeps them from burning out. If you have a big pile and a neighbor with a tractor once a month would be awesome. We have a big problem here with keeping the piles moist enough so ours take quite a while to fully break down. But the more you can turn them, the faster they will break down.
-------------------- I am a small scale farmer, come check out what we do. www.facebook.com/biocentricbros Check out our Youtube videos. www.youtube.com/biocentricbros
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Couperj



Registered: 06/05/11
Posts: 611
Loc: Umerika
Last seen: 3 years, 4 months
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Re: Oyster mushroom start up farm (moved) [Re: nanncee]
#19991141 - 05/15/14 08:58 AM (9 years, 8 months ago) |
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-------------------- (¯`'·.¸(♥)¸.·'´¯) But suddenly you're ripped into being alive. And life is pain, and life is suffering, and life is horror, but my god you are alive and it is spectacular!
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deadmandave
Slime


Registered: 02/16/10
Posts: 3,355
Loc:
Last seen: 38 seconds
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Re: Oyster mushroom start up farm (moved) [Re: Couperj]
#19991259 - 05/15/14 09:51 AM (9 years, 8 months ago) |
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nanncee



Registered: 12/01/12
Posts: 434
Loc: Utah
Last seen: 9 years, 1 month
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Re: Oyster mushroom start up farm (moved) [Re: deadmandave]
#19991348 - 05/15/14 10:20 AM (9 years, 8 months ago) |
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Quote:
deadmandave said: Dont know if ya'll have seen this but it is extreme composting and it is beautiful. http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/general-homesteading-forums/homesteading-questions/342651-extreme-composting.html
That thread is AWESOME! The man knows how to compost..
-------------------- I am a small scale farmer, come check out what we do. www.facebook.com/biocentricbros Check out our Youtube videos. www.youtube.com/biocentricbros
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Couperj



Registered: 06/05/11
Posts: 611
Loc: Umerika
Last seen: 3 years, 4 months
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Re: Oyster mushroom start up farm (moved) [Re: nanncee]
#19992783 - 05/15/14 02:55 PM (9 years, 8 months ago) |
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You can turn spent substrate into beautiful compost in about six weeks if you turn it and water it regularly. Using multiple bins you can have compost at different stages. Its wild.
-------------------- (¯`'·.¸(♥)¸.·'´¯) But suddenly you're ripped into being alive. And life is pain, and life is suffering, and life is horror, but my god you are alive and it is spectacular!
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Johnwall11
Stranger



Registered: 11/10/13
Posts: 21
Last seen: 7 years, 6 months
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Re: Oyster mushroom start up farm (moved) [Re: Couperj]
#20355493 - 07/31/14 12:38 PM (9 years, 5 months ago) |
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Hey y'all just giving an update on the status for anyone interested on the progress. I here it takes 2 years to start a business like this, I've been at it for about 6 months including all my learning and reading and feel pretty good about the progress I've made. I am a one man show so its been taking some time.
My plans have changed since my original plans I outlined in early post. With more in depth research I have a better understanding of how things will flow and operate.
I was planning on buying spawn but some fellow members had suggested I grow my own. research had backed them up. so i took their advice. My first attempt was a success in my eyes. I failed with agar and believe I messed up with LC but my grain jars had colonized very nicely. I did create a spawn lab and would love advice on how to to improve it. Cause i am still unsure of a few things an don't have anyone to bounce questions off. I can send pictures! just message me.
The land was way overgrown with over sized trees and sticker bushes. I hired an excavator to clean out the trees away from the greenhouses and pull out the many roots that were causing problems. They were far to big and deep to pull out by myself.
I picked up 11 8x8 pallets for free, I plan on building a walk in freezer. i will wait till I am producing before building it but am setting aside the money. I will fallow Mushfarmer's example off youtube. Should cost me about $800 to build
i do plan on doing a hot water treatment method of pasteurization with a 300 gal stock tank using propane until i can afford a tankless hot water heater. As well I will be converting an old wooden hot tub into a cold water lime bath treatment method. i will use both methods until i can afford the tankless hot water heater.
I was also going to build a harvest/packaging room connected on the side of the walk in freezer.
My next step is building the frame on the existing greenhouse so i can attach the plastic to it. I am open to suggestions on what kind of poly plastic i should get.. i was thinking 4mil double poly? Then will buy pea gravel a lot of pea gravel. Then will be looking into exhaust fans an shutters. RR has said many times you can just cut slits into the GH for FAE but shutters and exhaust fans are not that pricey so I will end up buying them cause I fear the slits will lead to a higher possibility of contamination. not proven! just my theory.
I will give y'all another update soon after most of this is completed! thanks guys
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solarity
mm... my favourite food



Registered: 03/31/09
Posts: 1,590
Loc: UK
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Re: Oyster mushroom start up farm (moved) [Re: Johnwall11]
#20356029 - 07/31/14 03:05 PM (9 years, 5 months ago) |
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Do the maths for the tankless hot water heater. The cheapest form of one is a used electric shower that you can pick up for a couple of bucks. But even a 9kw one (with its thermostat bypassed of course!) will take hours to fill a decent size tank when it has to go from 13C (water out of the tap) to 70C. Above 9kw you are looking at a very expensive and complex electrical installation.
Look at steamers instead. $150 off ebay.
-------------------- Commercial exotics farmer for 8 years - now sold up!
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Johnwall11
Stranger



Registered: 11/10/13
Posts: 21
Last seen: 7 years, 6 months
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Re: Oyster mushroom start up farm (moved) [Re: solarity]
#20356526 - 07/31/14 05:02 PM (9 years, 5 months ago) |
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Thank you for reply solarity, I wanted to copy this method -
use google to copy an paste the link yahoo won't direct you to it. -
I think its a wize investment cause you save yourself a lot of time. The tankless on demand hot water method is desirable cause This allows the water to already be at the desired temp for pasteurization and could use a burner on low to maintain temps.
for someone who is mechanical your method would seem to be ideal but i am not that kind of person sadly to say. I realize what I'm talking about is expensive but the amount of time i could spend on other things would be way worth it for me in the long run.
steam pasteurization would be awesome - Can you send me a link to how you think i could use a steamer from ebay ? I am not as familiar with that process.
Edited by Johnwall11 (07/31/14 05:16 PM)
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solarity
mm... my favourite food



Registered: 03/31/09
Posts: 1,590
Loc: UK
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Re: Oyster mushroom start up farm (moved) [Re: Johnwall11]
#20360353 - 08/01/14 12:54 PM (9 years, 5 months ago) |
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Ok That seems to be a gas on demand HW system. Lots of kW! Should be reasonably efficient though.
I run my steamer unattended overnight, because of cheaper electricity. The amount of power required to heat a gallon of water does not change, so with steaming you are only heating the water in the straw, not all the excess you are going to throw away. Take a look at Chefin's write up. All my write up disappeared with the Fungi Forum, basically you pipe in a sauna steamer and use it to generate your steam and heat your sub.
-------------------- Commercial exotics farmer for 8 years - now sold up!
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drake89
Mushroom Magnate



Registered: 06/26/11
Posts: 4,168
Loc: TN
Last seen: 4 years, 10 months
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Re: Oyster mushroom start up farm (moved) [Re: solarity]
#20360449 - 08/01/14 01:21 PM (9 years, 5 months ago) |
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I don't think installing electric tankless heaters is too hard. It's just 2 runs of fat wire. I have a 24kw model in my home, runs off 2 #6 wire circuits. The 20kW model in my mush barn runs off 2 circuits of #8 wire. The 20kW model struggles to keep 140F at 2GPM with about 60F incoming water. It says its good for a 90 degree temp rise at that flow rate in the manual.
Lipa was telling me about a method Aloha was using with several tanks connected in a closed loop with a tankless hot water heater. That sounds promising but I don't have any experience.
Tankless heater plus a burner sounds the easiest up front. But if you can rig up a sauna steamer that might be the best system to leave unattended.
Do you pre soak your straw that you steam solarity? Or does the steamer provide enough moisture to hydrate the straw?
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solarity
mm... my favourite food



Registered: 03/31/09
Posts: 1,590
Loc: UK
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Re: Oyster mushroom start up farm (moved) [Re: drake89]
#20360899 - 08/01/14 03:35 PM (9 years, 5 months ago) |
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I used straw logs - like pellets but 1kg each so they hydrated in an hour, then drained and steamed. You will need to pre-soak, steam wont provide enough moisture.
Electrical switching (ie a relay) of 24kw is going to be very expensive, even on proper 3 phase (380v in Uk 480v in USA I think). I worked it out for a 9kw shower unit and found it was going to take hours!
Yep my steamer works a treat
-------------------- Commercial exotics farmer for 8 years - now sold up!
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