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InvisibleSpitballJedi
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Re: Peat moss casing tutorial [Re: blindingleaf] * 2
    #23124665 - 04/16/16 04:01 PM (7 years, 11 months ago)

Somehow, I missed this. Excellent write-up. thanks.


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Re: Peat moss casing tutorial [Re: blindingleaf]
    #23489353 - 07/29/16 01:43 PM (7 years, 7 months ago)

Quote:

blindingleaf said:
Please note that this is not a comparison thread, or a thread that is arguing for one casing over another.  They can all work well.  There are other threads u can argue ur point in. 
This is a HOT TO USE PEAT MOSS thread. 
also note that cubes do not require a casing layer.  yes, we all know that.

I have been getting a lot of PMs lately about substrate or casings.  its annoying to answer each one (no offense) so i figured i'd write this up.  I don't really write TEKs cause i don't do anything special.  old school ain't bad school if you ask me.  i got no weird gimmicks, or tricks to make things better or go faster or anything like that.  those things are all interesting to me, and i try a lot of them, but i always fall back to the basics it seems like.  Since there isn't really a casing thread i could find that went into too much detail about home made casings, i decided this might be a good opportunity to write one.  There is Franks jiffy mix TEK, and the standard Ryche Hawk's 50/50 (+) casing TEK in the FAQ section, and probably the best visual one is the RR video in the casing chapter here.  I wanna point out that when i make casings or substrate, i really don't measure much.  its all by feel so this isn't exactly how i do it every time.  recently i've been trying NO verm casings with success, and continue to play around with NO hydrated lime.  traditionally, button growers, who we learned HOW to case from, use only peat and limestone, NO HEAT, nada.  just mix dry and add water and apply.  the original 50/50 TEK did not have hydrated lime, nor did the original RR casing TEK.  again, old school ain't bad school.  I'm not one to push for one way or another, i think u should do what works for you.

I've been casing with peat for a while now, and i really have no problems with it.  I see a lot of people might, but then again, u never know when dude posts he tried it and got green, did dude really try it though?  the regulars I'm sure are keen to their word, and know the kinds of posters I'm referring to.  they're always one step ahead of all the other noobs :rolleyes:

so maybe IRL, peat doesn't really have that much of a bad wrap, but its just something that generally got accepted and repeated.  could be for a reason though, and I'm an exception, but i've had many a contaminant in bulk growing, FEW of them green, and none of them from the casing layer (that i could tell anyways), so i tend to think peat should be given a second chance (if u haven't already honestly tried it)

Explanation of ingredients.
I know there are many people who use jiffy mix, or other pre mixes.  Thats all well and good, and obviously they are easy, fast, and work wonders.  Maybe its just the way i am, but i like to get down to the nitty gritty, and usually end up making things harder on myself by doing things from scratch.  This is one of those things. 
Bales of peat are REALLY cheap.  they are 3 cubic feet, and compacted well, its really a lot of peat.  i know many of u grow weed or other ethnobotanicals, or do gardening stuff.  i think thats all the more reason to go this route.  it stores well outside/garage/basement.  keep it as dry as u can, if its outside, a tarp is fine.  Here is a recent price comparison at Home Depot


So i buy the bale.  the one pictured above is a brand called "Lamberts".  i haven't used that one, but the one i use wasn't there when i took the picture.  Its organic (this is of no consequence, just the brand i think has best quality, and its same price) and called "Majestic Earth".  if u get small bags, loose bags, etc, its all good.  whatever is cheap.  you might get some brands u don't like, and in time u'll figure out what and why.  I look for texture and relatively few sticks.

Next is vermiculite.  I'm sure many of u buy this in bulk cause the coir bucket TEK.  or at least, i hope u buy it in bulk :lol:  This is the course stuff.  I think its better for casing, but the fine or medium is perfectly good too.  i actually like fine verm for bucket TEK more.  this is just what i have.


Next is limestone.  this is just regular powder limestone for your yard.  i know the bag says "granular" and "chunks" but, i swear its powdery.  if ur looking for it, its usually outside in garden section in 40 lb bags (its heavy even though bag is small).  less than $10/bag.  You can also use it in grains or in bucket TEK.  its kinda similar to gypsum, but has no sulphur.  FEEL the bag before u buy it, it should feel like powder.  crushed oyster shell is another option and will do a similar thing if crushed fine enough.


Next is hydrated lime.  The two best/most used and recognized brands are "hi-yield" and "hoffman".  i got some on amazon once, and it didn't even work, not sure what the deal was with that.  there are probably others, but hoffman is easiest to get for me.  its very strong, very powdery, you should be careful with it.  Again, this is cheap, $10 or less a bag.


note back of bag label.  magnesium content is low, you will want it under ~5% or so


Perlite (not pictured) and Gypsum . you can substitute gypsum for limestone if you want.  Perlite, I'm sure u know what it looks like.  its optional but helpful.  I'll be using Miracle grow perlite for this, but i would strongly encourage you to go with another brand.



Lets get started, shall we?

First, lets note than we are about to pasteurize properly.  this could take a while :frown:  so lets get lifted!  its summer time, enjoy it while it lasts.  open the doors, turn on some tunes.
roll up a spliff


and smoke it


alright, lets sit down and take a breath.  we're about to mix up some peat, right?  ummm, yea i think so…lemme just think for a second….oh yea..yea, thats what we were up to :stoned2:

The recipe I'm making today will be for two standard tubs.  I use about 2.5 qts of casing per tub.
5-6 qts peat (it shrinks when it gets wet)
1qt coarse vermiculite (fine, medium ok too)
3/4 cup limestone (finely ground best bet)
3/4 cup perlite

If i was adding hydrated lime to this, i would add about 1 heaping teaspoon (or about 1 level teaspoon per tub).  Today, i will not be adding it.  If ur just starting to experiment with peat, it would be wise to include that in your recipe.  Im using this as an example to show that peat can be used safely w/o ph strips or hydrated lime.

If limestone is unavailable, gypsum can be substituted. IME, it doesn't provide the small upswing limestone does, but it does the job just fine.  I have a lot of limestone from when i couldn't find gypsum, so i still am using that.

1. Get a large pot.  I use this one a lot for myco stuff.  maybe 2.5 gallons big?  whatever works, small buckets are good.
2. A course strainer and/or pasta strainer (the larger the holes the better)


3. Grab a small container and start scooping in ur peat moss, sticks, clumps, and all.


4. Sift it back and forth.  the peat you want is fine particles, you will be surprised at how soft it feels in a second.


5. Once it seems all sifted, take a look  See if there are any large clumps of peat that stuck together from making the bale you got it in (if u did).  There will be a lot of bark and sticks too, but you should be able to tell the difference (below picture).  I just break up the big clumps and sift a bit longer.  When I'm done, i put the bark/sticks, etc aside (below picture).  You can use them for edible grows, outdoor stuff, orchid mixes, etc.  no need to waste it.


When you buy jiffy mix, part of the premium price you pay is that it is sifted for the most part.  I used to get the small bags of miracle grow peat, and there were only ever a few sticks.  if your peat doesn't have many sticks u can skip this.  And technically, u can skip it even if u have a lot of sticks.  its just a safer bet to sift IME.  The large $10 bales will always have sticks, its just the downside of buying in bulk in this case.
Sift until u see about 5-6 qts worth.  it will be nice and soft.  you will want to lay in it naked, but wait, you didn't sift that much did you?!?


6. Adding the rest of the mix. 
A traditional casing mix for cubensis would be 50% peat, and 50% verm with a buffer.  After trying that for a while, i ended up liking a high ratio of peat.
Verm may hold more water than peat up front, but IME, peat is able to RETAIN it for longer.  When I think about casing ingredients, i think that water retention is a top priority.  It doesn't matter to me if verm can hold 3x more water than peat if it loses it 3x faster.  Maybe others have had different experiences with it, but that is my 2 cents on it. 
Limestone is added to increase the Ph of the casing.  It is more of a long term buffer than a quick acting one, but it is still capable of a couple points up front.  That is good enough for me.  A traditional recipe calls for about a 10% addition to the casing.
Perlite is added to increase aeration and create a sort of bumpy-ness i think helps growth.
Hydrated Lime is added to immediately boost the Ph of the casing.  It is VERY strong.  Please wear gloves when handling, and mixing casings with this stuff.  I have never felt more acute stomach pain in my life.  PLEASE, wash your hands after using hydrated lime. (not pictured below)



7.  Mix the ingredients dry.


8. Bring to field capacity.  I have no pictures of this, and I don't have a measurement.  i do this all by eyeballing.  Add water slowly, its probably about 2 qts for the above recipe, maybe a little more if u used fine vermiculite, or a higher ratio of vermiculite.  in time, u will learn it well, and exact measurements will elude you too

9. Load into bags/jars for Proper pasteurization. 
I use bags, and as u can see, i use them quite a bit.  Jar I think heat up faster, i just don't have any extra on hand, and bags make it easy to do 1 bag>1 tub.  I split this btw the bags, each one getting 2.5-3 qts, or whatever u end up with.


10. Load into PC before the water.


11. Add the water.  I add it up to basically as high as i can w/o the bags floating.  maybe 3/4 the way up??  i dunno man, u'll figure it out


12. Tie the bags.  I use a kinda tight rubber band (zip ties work too).  i bring it to the top-ish of substrate, but i don't try to get the air out or anything.  if there was more in the bag, that would be a good idea though.  Then i insert thermometer into center of one bag thru the top, and look at temp.  I used room tempish water when i saturated the casing, but u could use hotter water.


13. Put PC/pot lid on.  turn stove on high.  keep an eye till it boils


14. When the water starts boiling rapidly, i turn down the flame. (no picture, my bad)  i know its the center of the substrate that matters, but in this particular TEK, I'm shooting for a shorter pasteurization time at a lower "exterior temp" because i want to preserve as much of peats microbial community as I can.  The goal here is to kill off any common competitor mold spores that got in at harvest, packaging, in my basement, etc. 
here is a short abstract about kill times for common molds.  shout out to kizzle for finding this.
My goal is to get to 140, and turn timer on for a half an hour.


15.  If you have your pasteurization game down, then u will know ur stove and all that.  This time, my temp started at 81.  I turned it down once it was rapidly boiling to low, then I turned it off at 99.  If i had more casing/substrate in the bag, the times would be different, and you will figure ur own scheme out after a few tries.


16. If the temps are climbing to fast, ill either hitch the lid a little, or completely take it off to slow down the thermal momentum.


17. CLEAN UP.  I'm adding this in here because I'm coming to realize how important this really is.  we are all growing mushrooms indoors for God's sakes, keep your place CLEAN.  i can't even really explain how disgusting my last place was.  a combination of sheer laziness, pets, smokers, party's, bulk ingredients, etc made it pretty bad.  i know there is no way to link a dirty environment with high risk of contamination, but i personally think there is a correlation.  its not necessarily that ur fruiting tubs are exposed to more mold spores, its that ur whole house eventually becomes more mold ridden than it should be.  this can get in ur SAB, ur tools, ur jar rims, in the eddies of ur flow hood.  the chances of getting into ur spawn are then greater.  this isn't about fruiting in a sterile or super clean place, thats obviously not necessary.  its about keeping ur shit straight, knowing how to stay organized, and making sure ur not a dirt ball in general. live simply and know what mold vectors are and address them.  I think it will help both you and your grows, my :2cents:


18.  When the 30 minute timer is up, sometimes I'm looking at 150f, sometimes 160f, sometimes 145f.  Its all good:thumbup:
You can choose to do 60 minutes if u like, i know i did for a while.  whatever gives u peace of mind, go for it.  just stay on the lower end of the temps if possible.

19.  I let it cool.  When 30 minute timer is up, i take the lid off (if its not already) and move the rubber band up, ABOVE the filter, and fold over the top of the bag, securing it with the rubber band. 

I've let peat sit for a while, 10 days or so, and still used it with GREAT success.  It's not like substrates, where the nutrients can get eaten up.  Today, ill be letting it cool overnight to use tomorrow.  any additional time spent btw pasteurizing and using is time that the microbial population can build up, and thats ok.  Don't get too carried away, I'm just saying, its all good.  pasteurize a few tubs worth if u got the day off.  keep it on the shelf.  it will be ok.

Please note, there are a lot of ways to pasteurize.  I've done peat in the oven, and i've limed it, no heat, with success.  For me, this is the way i prefer to treat peat based casings, but there are many other ways.  I think the combination of me sifting the sticks out, ensuring proper airflow in the tub, and the reduced heat treatment, is a big reason why i have not had problems with peat casings.  The reason why it still works w/o the hydrated lime is because the microbial population is present enough to ward off any bad guys.  When peat is sterilized, this population is virtually eliminated, and leaves the peat open for competitors.  When peat is pasteurized with boiling water for a long duration, this population is also theoretically decreased.  This is why i lower my heat, and reduce the length of the run.  I do not do this for substrates like poo/straw/etc. 
If you choose to use a dash of hydrated lime, ur chances for success, IME, are even higher.
again, i want to add that i do use hydrated lime regularly.  about 1 teaspoon per tub mix.  this specific recipe and example (and the ones pictured soon) are just examples of peat being used successfully without hydrated lime, in an effort to (hopefully) help people feel more safe in using this casing.  also the addition of an extra 30 minutes of pasteurization time should help keep u sane until u get used to peat.

Again, i want to say, this is not a comparison thread.  i also use coir as a "casing" but i apply it at a different time, and only in specific situations (mainly when i use a lot of straw in a tub).  peat is something i use on poo/straw mixes (where poo is main ingredient), CVG tubs, and coir/straw tubs, because IME, it give me more reliable results in those situations.

next step will be applying the casing layer, and determining when to fruit it (coming soon)

APPLYING THE PEAT

(sorry these pics are sideways :frown:  I'm not used to uploading this many at once, forgot to check orientation)

Now that your peat has had time to cool overnight, or even a few hours, its time to apply.  Lets take a good look at our tubs.  we don't wanna case them if they aren't healthy.
AA+ on CVG with amendments (I'm using CVG for this example because i know thats the substrate of choice these days.  in general, i would use straw/poo)



notice there is no variation in the texture of the mycelium.  this is very important, especially when using CVG.  with other substrates, variances can occur, but only slightly.  Hopefuly, ill address that in another write up on how i prep substrates.  point is, with experience, you will just know by looking at a colonized tub if your spawn was top notch or not.

!. DUMP the whole bag onto the top of substrate.


2. SPREAD it out evenly.  this amount of peat looks to be about a 1/2".  u can choose to do less, this is just what i ended up with.  like i said before, all my tubs are slightly different…..sorry :shrug:


3. Now, I take some of the excess thats in the middle of the tubs, and push it to two opposite corners of the tub.  This is so later, when i introduce to fruiting conditions, i can use that to patch, and i don't have to keep any back in the bag.  u can either keep some back in the bag/jars, or u can do this, OR u can just not patch.  up to you, but IME, patching is worth it usually, ESPECIALLY with thinner casings (and yes, i know, this is not a thin casing :P )


4. I use four top holes on my tubs, and 4 bottom holes, all of them are 1 3/8".  its basically standard set up, as per Frank, but i add two top holes on the long sides at the top.  I don't necessarily use them all the time (for uncased tubs, i keep them taped thru harvest), but they are there if i need them.  After applying, i put the lid on, and plug up the two top holes on long sides with poly.  let her breath easy folks.  do you want to be trapped in a taped up tub??


5. Mark the date u cased, and the recipe u cased with (if it varies and u care about that variation), and put them back in ur stack.  NOW WE WAIT.

Examples of peat based casings w/o Verm or hydrated lime.

Penis Envy (straw poo substrates)



two of them have an uneven pin set, thats cause they are closest to the part of the wall my window AC hits.  make sure you know how to identify variations in pin sets and address them quickly and appropriately.  we all have different conditions.  READ your mycelium.  LEARN from it.  its telling you a story everyday.
PE usually takes over the casing for me before fruiting.  thats an anomaly IME.  here is a tub of a wild cubensis "TMF".  u can see the casing is not colonized completely.  To me, this is important.  i don't like when that happens (hence why i tend to like peat over coir in most circumstances).  Yes, the fruits are spindly.  this variety gave me some trouble.


Here is another PE.  this one has almost an identical recipe as posted for the casing.  substrate is short composted straw/poo.


Hopefully this helps.  ill update the TEK with the AA+ grows.  hopefully u learned a little something even if u don't case, or don't want to use peat.  I always like to try things out for myself.  trust issues, ya dig :shrug:

Edit: Because of peats ability to be stored for longer than pasteurized, nutritional substrate, if you end up going for an hour, or to 160 for a while its ok.  Since u will be storing this on a shelf/tote before use, as long as a small % of the microbial population was preserved, it will spread as time goes on.  Since this situation called for me using the casing same/next day, i wanted to keep the temp low, since there would be no "shelf time" for that population to increase.
There have been many times when my peat hit 180.  oh shit, WTF did i DOOOOO!! but, being me and working a lot, i used it anyway with success.  i can only assume it was the hydrated lime that helped in these instances.  so again, peat is more flexible than u might think with proper conditions in your tub and a strong buffering agent.  but to be safe, and what I do these days, is to follow what is outlined above, so your peat casing becomes more of a control than a variable

Also, keep in mind, i am not a scientist, a biologist, a micro biologist, i don't even have a college degree man.  This TEK is primarily informed by my experiences with peat as a casing over the past 1.5 years, and a lot of reading and talking to other growers, gardeners, farmers, etc.  So take the microbe thing with a grain of salt, but i hope you see the logic behind it.



Because this needs to be on the first page again


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OfflineNDStepp84
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Re: Peat moss casing tutorial [Re: azur]
    #23489675 - 07/29/16 03:47 PM (7 years, 7 months ago)

:awesomenod: Well deserved bump. Just bought a bale :rockon:


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:takingnotes: Links and teks:takingnotes:
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InvisiblebodhisattaMDiscordReddit
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Re: Peat moss casing tutorial [Re: NDStepp84]
    #23489707 - 07/29/16 03:54 PM (7 years, 7 months ago)

HOT to use peat moss

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Invisibleazur
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Re: Peat moss casing tutorial [Re: bodhisatta]
    #23489740 - 07/29/16 04:01 PM (7 years, 7 months ago)

Ha ha. I saw thst a long time ago


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Re: Peat moss casing tutorial [Re: azur]
    #23489764 - 07/29/16 04:10 PM (7 years, 7 months ago)

I hope it doesn't get edited

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Re: Peat moss casing [Re: bodhisatta]
    #23489908 - 07/29/16 05:15 PM (7 years, 7 months ago)

Cool thread

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Re: Peat moss casing tutorial [Re: bodhisatta]
    #23490032 - 07/29/16 06:11 PM (7 years, 7 months ago)

Won't matter. I quoted it. BL will never forget!


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Re: Peat moss casing tutorial [Re: azur]
    #23491478 - 07/30/16 06:15 AM (7 years, 7 months ago)

its a "hot to use peat moss in a monotube"  thread :rofl2:

thanks for the bump. 

I dont sift anymore, I just kinda pick out the larger sticks when I'm casing (as opposed to when I'm prepping it), especially anything that still has the wood color to it. those little "flake" looking things, I keep in now.

haven't used hydrated lime or Ph strips since last summer. its about 2 heaping tablespoon limestone FLOUR (fine ground) per tub :cool:


Peat works well for casing outdoors too sans pasteurization



had a blazei project outside that got FUCKED by a heat wave. we commandeered this outdoor spot that was basically abandoned (as far as city funding goes). planted some stuff (peppers tomatoes), but also made a long bed with home made compost.  plan was to case with peat once colonized, but they changed the lock on us in the middle of a heat wave.  12 days later, we got the new key, but it was too late :frown:


fire fang on compost (manure/straw based, done outdoors with tarp)


you win some, you lose some :mushroom2:


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Re: Peat moss casing tutorial [Re: blindingleaf]
    #23603909 - 09/02/16 07:34 AM (7 years, 6 months ago)

this might seem weird off the bat.  but i did a little experiment.  sterilized and sealed peat moss on the left.  30 minute@140f pasteurized and sealed peat moss on the right.  the microbial activity rebounds in a few days after pasteurization, inflating the bag with metabolic gases. the sterilized bags plenum is only as big as when I first sealed it and has not expanded because there is no microbial activity



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Re: Peat moss casing tutorial [Re: blindingleaf]
    #23603931 - 09/02/16 07:48 AM (7 years, 6 months ago)

Cool man,  are you going to apply them both still?


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OfflineThe Mycologist
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Re: Peat moss casing tutorial [Re: Grey]
    #23603980 - 09/02/16 08:26 AM (7 years, 6 months ago)

:wellhellothere:


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Re: Peat moss casing tutorial [Re: The Mycologist]
    #23604009 - 09/02/16 08:40 AM (7 years, 6 months ago)

no, I was just seeing what happened.  I'm also curious how long the pasteurized one lasts at room temp


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Re: Peat moss casing tutorial [Re: blindingleaf]
    #23604917 - 09/02/16 02:45 PM (7 years, 6 months ago)

I have a few mycobags without filters that I use for pasteurizing casing. I've sealed them immediately out of the pasteurization bath. They vacuum sealed the hell out of themselves and stayed that way until I cut them open to use them. The temps never exceeded 147. The casings worked just fine when used. :shrug:


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Re: Peat moss casing tutorial [Re: Juiceh]
    #23606935 - 09/03/16 04:39 AM (7 years, 6 months ago)

thats cool man. definitely do whatever works for you.

I made the post cause I wouldn't have expected the peat to do that as quickly as it did.  was sealed on the 29th, and yesterday was the 2nd.  I would have figured even pasteurized peat wouldn't have the kind of activity to inflate the bag.

  these are weird bags Im trying to get rid of because they melt above 15PSI.  unicorn bags don't do the same thing with the inflation.

maybe in ur case, you used hydrated lime which affected their activity, or the fact that there was no GE made them lie dormant?  whatever the case, I wasn't making the post to imply not to use peat that didn't inflate a bag, I just thought it was cool:cool:


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Re: Peat moss casing tutorial [Re: blindingleaf]
    #24941572 - 01/25/18 05:09 PM (6 years, 2 months ago)

Bump


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Re: Peat moss casing tutorial [Re: cronicr]
    #26644538 - 05/02/20 07:58 PM (3 years, 10 months ago)

Hello,

This is a great thread. It is almost all that I was looking for because I am highly considering trying this TEK with what will start as PF cakes. I've already inoculated both 1/2 pint and 1/4 pint jars and I'm thinking of trying to case at least 6 of either size having done normal PK tek enough times. I may try to case the smaller 1/4 cakes..

I have some questions since the TEK is somewhat elusive.. Apparently I want to pasteurize the peat moss + vermiculite + lime powder mix by keeping it the temp range in the JPEG poster several times in this thread ~140'F. So, you initially bring the water to a boil, then get it back to up 140'F for about 30 minutes? This range seems like it is hard to reach. It looks like I will need a temp. probe like the one seen in the pics used.

Is it actually worth getting a thermometer that can be put in a pressure cooker or can you just keep it on low for 30 minutes? It seems like the range you need to hit is pretty narrow..  I would probably sacrifice a jar with peat + verm + lime with the probe in it so I could keep it sterile and still get the temp.. I have no idea how hot a pressure cooker runs since it just tells me the PSI on mine..

If I have a probe i one of the jars, I will have to assume they all are the same temp, which should be accurate enough.  Would a thermometer  like this do the job?

https://www.amazon.com/ThermoPro-TP-17-Digital-Backlight-Thermometer/dp/B07477NMF4/ref=sr_1_9?crid=3VI4VO8CMX2ZN&dchild=1&keywords=cooking+thermometer&qid=1588468093&sprefix=cooking+%2Caps%2C149&sr=8-9

I see this person has managed to used grow bags in a pressure cooker with lime in them.. Admittedly not hydrated lime. I have decided to avoid the hydrated lime thus far for safety since I have never tried this. I hope that avoiding hydrated lime isn't a mistake. It seems a little extreme but if I am looking at likely failure without it then I will reconsider. Since I AM going to pressure cook, I hope that makes up for not using hydrated lime. I guess there is no threat of it exploding in the PC? If people are using grow bags, I guess not. It seems a lot of people claim the 10% normal lime they use is good enough..

I plan to put the dry peat solution in normal half pint canning jars instead of bags for various reasons. For one, I can make sure it stays dry.. I also can't get bags as seen in this TEK. Canning jars are what I have readily available.


I see people talk about measuring the pH, I guess before pouring the the casing mix onto the mycelium? What is the number you are trying to go for? If the number is off, do you just add add lime/Gypsum to raise/lower the pH to a specific level? I imagine once you have it mixed together there isn't much you can do. I am hoping the ratios listed in this thread will be sufficient.

My plan is to take 6 1/4 pint jars and case them once they are colonized. Before they show any signs of pinning. I've found that this thread is a much more technical version of this post:
http://www.fungifun.org/English/Casing

Kudos to the poster who shared this information! The site above is much too vague. It doesn't mention anything about sterilization. I know I need to RTFM, but I want to dive in and start casing.. :smile:

Am I likely to have any luck if I wing it and don't use a digital thermometer that will go in my pressure cooker? I'm honestly not sure if I could get one in my pressure cooker because of how the lid snaps on..

If I can't get a probe into my PC, would I be better off double boiling and using a normal meat thermometer to get to the magic temperature range for 30 minutes? It seems this is the key..

What other advice do people have for a newb like me who has done PF tek a few times but has never done casing? Is this an okay method for beginners? I found it appealing because the ingredients were readily available. Should I keep the PF cakes I have whole, or break them into marble size pieces before I put them into a terrarium? I'm thinking of using a smaller container with a black bag as shown in the pics then I will put that in a larger terrarium that I'd normally use for PK cakes.

Would it be worth breaking up just one cake spreading it over them all so the mycelium is touching more to begin with? It does say in the TEK to make sure the mycelium is evenly spread.. I'm not sure how I am supposed to achieve this and what to do if it isn't perfect.. Would I be better off breaking up the mycelium trying to spread it evenly in a container or put the colonized cakes together leaving them less disturbed? Should I even be trying this TEK with colonized PF cakes?It might be hard to have each one equally colonized the same amount at the same time.. I guess I will find out how this goes.

Also, what should I be doing for water?? I will obviously want to mist the top. I will use a spray bottle 3-5x per day. Should I put perilite in the outer tank and treat it just as if it had PF cakes in it? Is there a better simple chamber I could make to put a casing in? It looks like this recipe calls for me heating DRY peat + vermiculite + lime. At no point does it say adding water to the mix inside the, "bag" for sterilization. Should I keep it all dry until I have the peat mixed on top of the mycelium? At this point do I mist the top with water?I assume I keep misting several times per day and that keeping the air flow up is also key to success??

I am hoping to be able to wing this. I will definitely consider getting a thermometer and not using a PC if the goal is 140'F and I can just get that on the stove.. I'm hoping someone can let me know what matters here..

I was also thinking about dunking the cakes before trying to case first but read several threads where other people already asked enough times stating it didn't matter and one with where one snarky guy said, "you could dunk your dog, but why would you want to?" :wink: So I guess I won't be dunking, either.


Edited by splagley (05/02/20 08:47 PM)

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InvisibleHighDesert
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Re: Peat moss casing tutorial [Re: blindingleaf]
    #26943810 - 09/19/20 10:01 AM (3 years, 6 months ago)

Thanks for this!

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