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TheJakeyl88
RememberInfinity.

Registered: 01/16/04
Posts: 222
Last seen: 14 years, 8 months
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Alternative to Vermiculite?
#2268386 - 01/24/04 10:56 PM (19 years, 15 days ago) |
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I just got my spores in today, thanks Ralphster! Very fast service! Anyways, I can't find vermiculite ANYWHERE, I've been looking all day and basically I get the same answer, its too hard to get from suppliers. So is there an alternative? thanks!
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BadEnglish
Chief Of Staff

Registered: 12/03/03
Posts: 369
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Re: Alternative to Vermiculite? [Re: TheJakeyl88]
#2268395 - 01/24/04 10:58 PM (19 years, 15 days ago) |
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no,not really lots of things have been talked about,but nothing compares.Do you have a pressure cooker?If so you might want to consider grains or bird seed.
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GregHimself
Just a guyobssesed withshroomies.


Registered: 07/19/03
Posts: 936
Loc: British Columbia, Canada
Last seen: 5 years, 1 month
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Re: Alternative to Vermiculite? [Re: TheJakeyl88]
#2268399 - 01/24/04 11:01 PM (19 years, 15 days ago) |
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Yeah, its almost impossible to find an alternative to vermiculite...and no perlite is not one.
-------------------- "The key to successful cultivation is to match the skills of the cultivator with the right strain on the proper substrate under ideal environmental conditions." Paul Stamets Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms(Third Edition)
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BadEnglish
Chief Of Staff

Registered: 12/03/03
Posts: 369
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Re: Alternative to Vermiculite? [Re: TheJakeyl88]
#2268404 - 01/24/04 11:02 PM (19 years, 15 days ago) |
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amyloid
Stranger
Registered: 03/08/03
Posts: 980
Last seen: 9 years, 12 days
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Re: Alternative to Vermiculite? [Re: TheJakeyl88]
#2268495 - 01/24/04 11:46 PM (19 years, 15 days ago) |
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you cant find verm? i see it all the time, ill get a price and u can buy it from me if u like, pm me for details.
but first check home depot's nursery section, ask the people if u cant find it on your own. and if u cant get it there, ive never found a plant store that DIDNT have it, its in the soil section. it comes in a silly looking bag, and if your at a good plant store they have differnt brands and sizes.
-------------------- "A human being is part of a whole, called by us the Universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separated from the rest--a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circles of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty."
-Al Einstein
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TheJakeyl88
RememberInfinity.

Registered: 01/16/04
Posts: 222
Last seen: 14 years, 8 months
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Re: Alternative to Vermiculite? [Re: amyloid]
#2268560 - 01/25/04 12:11 AM (19 years, 15 days ago) |
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Well, there is a home depot less than 3 minutes away from where I live and I checked but couldn't find it there, only perlite. I went to Agway today and nothing. I'll try a local greenhouse I heard about.
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Max1
Maxamil


Registered: 01/06/04
Posts: 162
Last seen: 1 month, 11 days
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Re: Alternative to Vermiculite? [Re: TheJakeyl88]
#2268583 - 01/25/04 12:18 AM (19 years, 15 days ago) |
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Agway sells it in small Bags near the peat. At least they do in my area. I even found a very large bag at one agway. I grabbed it
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Starter
Stranger


Registered: 05/16/03
Posts: 1,148
Loc: Australia
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Re: Alternative to Vermiculite? [Re: TheJakeyl88]
#2270249 - 01/25/04 10:07 AM (19 years, 14 days ago) |
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An alternative to vermiculite is EXACTLY what I'm testing.


Here's whole grain millet used with it (grow log in process) http://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat...sb=5&o=&fpart=1
Here's PF cakes using it (grow log in process). http://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat...sb=5&o=&fpart=1
...and I'm happy to report that the 2nd batch of growool PF cakes are all colonising with no contamination. It's not easy here in summer with the gnats and higher contam loads. Bad time of year for me, winter is a shit load better.
So yes, one can use growool instead of vermiculite in PF cakes, then crumble and then case in 100% coir -- thus one could grow free of vermiculite. The same too can be done with cased grain. Simply case the top in coir.
Now if one cases the top in growool (happy to report so far that it is mending) then one might have to cut the mushrooms off at the casing layer to avoid the glass fibers in final product.

I have an update to make in both grow logs (pictures taken) and will when I have the kbs.
So don't believe there's no such thing as an alternative to vermiculite. There is an alternative. Growool.
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Magash
Da Bud Guru


Registered: 07/26/02
Posts: 5,876
Loc: Near Hilo
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Re: Alternative to Vermiculite? [Re: Starter]
#2270270 - 01/25/04 10:16 AM (19 years, 14 days ago) |
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Hey starter I don't know if you saw it or not but they have rockwool that is chopped into verm size pieces.
-------------------- All creatures tremble when faced with violence. All creatures fear death, all love life. If we can only see ourselves in others, then how could we possibly hurt another creature?
Join us at the Growery!
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Starter
Stranger


Registered: 05/16/03
Posts: 1,148
Loc: Australia
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Re: Alternative to Vermiculite? [Re: Magash]
#2270297 - 01/25/04 10:22 AM (19 years, 14 days ago) |
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I haven't seen that product Magash, sounds interesting. Though the growool is sorta the same, as it's just loose fiber and not compressed to slabs.
What you speak about sounds some what similar to what I used to use to clone with. I'd get a slab of rockwool and cheese grater it and then load to NFT cups to strike in, more spaces means more air so root initials kick in faster. But making it was a rather "splintery" in the hands...the growool has less sharpy bits lol.
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Magash
Da Bud Guru


Registered: 07/26/02
Posts: 5,876
Loc: Near Hilo
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Re: Alternative to Vermiculite? [Re: Starter]
#2270317 - 01/25/04 10:27 AM (19 years, 14 days ago) |
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Ooops, I saw the word wool and just put the word rock in front of it. Just noticed myself that your using growool not "rock".
My bad.
-------------------- All creatures tremble when faced with violence. All creatures fear death, all love life. If we can only see ourselves in others, then how could we possibly hurt another creature?
Join us at the Growery!
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