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Machiavelliavore
Vermiculite Hater



Registered: 12/08/14
Posts: 3,038
Loc: The Sporetorn States
Last seen: 3 months, 19 days
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What's the issue with microwaved casing?
#22155620 - 08/28/15 09:47 AM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
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I've always prepped my 50/50+ (hawk's recipe) 12:12:3:1 Peat:Verm:Crushed Oyster Shell:Hydrated Lime, then microwaved it in a plastic bowl until there is evidence of boiling all throughout the container, about 2 minutes after the smell of microwaved peat moss fills the kitchen, then let it sit for 2+ hours before use. Also done this with CV substrate and casings. Never had any issues.
Many people seem extremely opposed to this method, though it seems several prominent users use a microwave tek (roadkill, violet, agar, fooman.)
The microwave temperature range will not exactly pasteurize. Most likely it gets hotter. This should still kill mold spores if I'm not mistaken, and probably eat into the population of the bacteria that pasteurization tries to preserve. Since people both pasteurize and sterilize casings with success, is this middle ground especially bad for some reason (not experimentally IME?)
Or is it just that all the pasteurization and sterilization of casing is just pointless. I read that commercial button mushrooms are grown with untreated peat casing. Given it's low nutrition is makes sense that there wouldn't be a lot of competition for it. Is nuking it just a way to kill bugs then? Maybe reduce the microorganism population to make it easier to colonize generally?
Perhaps the hydrated lime is controlling some issues that would pop up from microwave prep? Sill, most of the users I mentioned don't use hydrated lime in their casings.
I will be testing untreated casing, just haven't gotten around to it. There's only so much time, and adding extra variables that could screw my grow over isn't exactly at the top of my list of things to try.
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I spawned some popcorn casings and had double-overlay cause I didn't put enough hydrogen peroxide in my automated aquarium mister. I only got one mushroom so I cut off the head part where the seeds fall from and put it in a jar of LC and sprayed it all over a tin of PF cakes I made with gravel, cardboard, and bisquick in my microwave. I think it will be good cause B+ is so potent. Triggered yet? Only a square would say "a cube is a cube."
No, this does not look right...
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cronicr



Registered: 08/07/11
Posts: 61,436
Loc: Van Isle
Last seen: 2 years, 8 days
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Quote:
Machiavelliavore said:
The microwave temperature range will not exactly pasteurize.
this is why most of us don't do it, that and microwaves are small and pots are easier
Quote:
Machiavelliavore said: Since people both pasteurize and sterilize casings with success, is this middle ground especially bad for some reason (not experimentally IME?)
people pasturize not sterilize with peat...or at least they should and yes the lime has a major roll in the success
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  It doesn't matter what i think of you...all that matters is clean spawn I'm tired do me a favor
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Machiavelliavore
Vermiculite Hater



Registered: 12/08/14
Posts: 3,038
Loc: The Sporetorn States
Last seen: 3 months, 19 days
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Re: What's the issue with microwaved casing? [Re: cronicr]
#22155684 - 08/28/15 10:00 AM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
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It's not common, but there are some people on here who sterilize their peat and apparently have success.
Since it works with coir with no lime, I'm not convinced lime is saving me. I kinda get the feeling this whole issue with pasteurizing peat/coir may be more of a hypochondriac contamphreak issue, and not necessary. Definitely recall some people talking about cold water coir hydration working fine. I look forward to doing a few experiments on this in the future.
I could easily fit a shitton of casing in the microwave if I used oven bags. As it is I use a 4qt bowl which is usually plenty. Especially compared to jars, it's a hell of a lot less cleanup and time. I'd be happy not to waste the microwave power if I could get away with it.
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I spawned some popcorn casings and had double-overlay cause I didn't put enough hydrogen peroxide in my automated aquarium mister. I only got one mushroom so I cut off the head part where the seeds fall from and put it in a jar of LC and sprayed it all over a tin of PF cakes I made with gravel, cardboard, and bisquick in my microwave. I think it will be good cause B+ is so potent. Triggered yet? Only a square would say "a cube is a cube."
No, this does not look right...
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cronicr



Registered: 08/07/11
Posts: 61,436
Loc: Van Isle
Last seen: 2 years, 8 days
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i'll always find it better to use a pot and a lid turn it on for five minutes shut that shit off and walk away, violets way takes over a day....i ain't got time for that shit
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  It doesn't matter what i think of you...all that matters is clean spawn I'm tired do me a favor
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Machiavelliavore
Vermiculite Hater



Registered: 12/08/14
Posts: 3,038
Loc: The Sporetorn States
Last seen: 3 months, 19 days
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Re: What's the issue with microwaved casing? [Re: cronicr]
#22155835 - 08/28/15 10:27 AM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
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I don't use her method either. Just mentioning that she is one of the people that does nuke casing.
I (and most others) use vermiculite, thus do not need to fluff their casing, and just do one 10-15 min microwave session.
I'll definitely try violet casing at some point though. It would be really nice to eliminate verm, both due to cost and ending up with bits of metallic shit on the fruits. Already elminated it from my coir with seemingly no textural change.
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I spawned some popcorn casings and had double-overlay cause I didn't put enough hydrogen peroxide in my automated aquarium mister. I only got one mushroom so I cut off the head part where the seeds fall from and put it in a jar of LC and sprayed it all over a tin of PF cakes I made with gravel, cardboard, and bisquick in my microwave. I think it will be good cause B+ is so potent. Triggered yet? Only a square would say "a cube is a cube."
No, this does not look right...
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