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Occazn
Stranger
Registered: 07/16/14
Posts: 13
Last seen: 7 years, 4 months
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Coco Coir or Coconut Fiber?
#23604576 - 09/02/16 12:50 PM (7 years, 4 months ago) |
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I just went to PetCo and found something called "Eco Earth. Compressed Coconut Fiber Expandable Substrate".
http://images1.tiendanimal.es/g/eco_earth_sustrato_compacto_coco.jpg
The last time I grew was three years ago with the help of a friend and I'm not sure if this is the correct item to have purchased. I just remember using his leftover Coco Coir and that's about it.
I've been looking around and can't find a definite answer on these forums about whether to use this coconut fiber or not.
Basically, tl;dr, my question is: Is it okay for me to use this expandable coconut fiber? And if yes, what would be the ratio of the Water, BRF, Vermiculite and Coconut Fiber? I found that the ratio of just Water, BRF and Vermiculite is 2:1:1, but I can't seem to find any of the ratios with the Coconut Fiber.
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Inocuole
Scalpel of Evil's Bane



Registered: 11/21/11
Posts: 24,863
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Re: Coco Coir or Coconut Fiber? [Re: Occazn]
#23604603 - 09/02/16 12:59 PM (7 years, 4 months ago) |
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That's coir.
You don't use BRF and verm with coir.
BRF cakes don't use coir at all. And further, BRF cakes are not very good spawn material for a bulk substrate like coir. If you're going to work with coir, you should really take up grains and agar. The whole benefit of BRF cakes is that they are an unbroken colony, which is significantly less susceptible to contamination than if you broke it up and mixed with coir, at which point you would begin to discover why it's not a more popular method for bulk grows.
Just hang onto it, don't try to mix it in with the cake recipe, BRF cakes are already a perfect recipe.
http://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php/Number/19140341#19140341 https://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php/Number/21448273
Read over all that to get a better understanding of the way methods work together.
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mushboy
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Registered: 04/24/05
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Re: Coco Coir or Coconut Fiber? [Re: Inocuole]
#23604621 - 09/02/16 01:05 PM (7 years, 4 months ago) |
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ive used that same brand before.. now i use this.... same shit.

and dont put it in jars.. i used as a casing layer waaay back and had 'ok' results. def get into grains. if you have a pc n all.
Edited by mushboy (09/02/16 01:07 PM)
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Occazn
Stranger
Registered: 07/16/14
Posts: 13
Last seen: 7 years, 4 months
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Re: Coco Coir or Coconut Fiber? [Re: Inocuole]
#23604661 - 09/02/16 01:25 PM (7 years, 4 months ago) |
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My first grow we didn't use cakes. We started with the PF Tek Jar Method, in which we gathered around five jars worth of material. Then, we put all the jars together in a bag and put them all into a monotub.
I don't remember if we put the Coco Coir(Fiber?) into the jars, but I'm assuming I shouldn't from the responses.
However, I am assuming that I should be able to add in the Coco Coir(Fiber) into the monotub when I add in extra vermiculite and BRF as well, correct?
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Occazn
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Re: Coco Coir or Coconut Fiber? [Re: mushboy]
#23604665 - 09/02/16 01:26 PM (7 years, 4 months ago) |
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When you add in the Coco-Coir, BRF and Vermiculite into your monotub, what are the ratios you use?
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Kryptos
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Registered: 11/01/14
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Re: Coco Coir or Coconut Fiber? [Re: Occazn]
#23604683 - 09/02/16 01:32 PM (7 years, 4 months ago) |
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I've found best results with one part spawn to six parts sub.
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Inocuole
Scalpel of Evil's Bane



Registered: 11/21/11
Posts: 24,863
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Re: Coco Coir or Coconut Fiber? [Re: Kryptos]
#23604700 - 09/02/16 01:37 PM (7 years, 4 months ago) |
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If you are going to try adding BRF and vermiculite to a monotub you are gonna have a god awful time.
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grainbrain
Tribalistic

Registered: 05/11/11
Posts: 2,626
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Re: Coco Coir or Coconut Fiber? [Re: Inocuole]
#23604913 - 09/02/16 02:45 PM (7 years, 4 months ago) |
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Quote:
Inocuole said: If you are going to try adding BRF and vermiculite to a monotub you are gonna have a god awful time.
You getting paid overtime today?
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Inocuole
Scalpel of Evil's Bane



Registered: 11/21/11
Posts: 24,863
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Re: Coco Coir or Coconut Fiber? [Re: grainbrain]
#23604990 - 09/02/16 02:57 PM (7 years, 4 months ago) |
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I wish.
What would you say to OPs situation though? It sounds like they're dead set on using some combination of BRF, verm, and coir. It's a bit more effort with a somewhat diminished chance of good results in my opinion, but, I get the distinct impression some people don't give two fucks about that. To which they're entitled of course. But then they run a high chance of being wrong since I don't typically blurt out non-facts. 
OP if you're set on using coir with BRF mix, you have to crumble/shred the cakes up and mix it with the hydrated coir once they're fully colonized. The mycelium doesn't really appreciate it though so, bear that in mind. It might actually hurt the yield you might otherwise have gotten from just straight cakes. When things go wrong, they can go very wrong. Be mindful of "all eggs in one basket" scenarios.
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grainbrain
Tribalistic

Registered: 05/11/11
Posts: 2,626
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Re: Coco Coir or Coconut Fiber? [Re: Inocuole]
#23605444 - 09/02/16 05:08 PM (7 years, 4 months ago) |
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Quote:
Inocuole said: I wish.
What would you say to OPs situation though? It sounds like they're dead set on using some combination of BRF, verm, and coir. It's a bit more effort with a somewhat diminished chance of good results in my opinion, but, I get the distinct impression some people don't give two fucks about that. To which they're entitled of course. But then they run a high chance of being wrong since I don't typically blurt out non-facts. 
OP if you're set on using coir with BRF mix, you have to crumble/shred the cakes up and mix it with the hydrated coir once they're fully colonized. The mycelium doesn't really appreciate it though so, bear that in mind. It might actually hurt the yield you might otherwise have gotten from just straight cakes. When things go wrong, they can go very wrong. Be mindful of "all eggs in one basket" scenarios.
I concur. Throwing BRF in your substrate mixture is a guarantee of contams.
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Mushierage
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Registered: 06/29/16
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Re: Coco Coir or Coconut Fiber? [Re: grainbrain]
#23605532 - 09/02/16 05:40 PM (7 years, 4 months ago) |
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I agree. You should use grain if you want to do coir. Fruit the Brf/verm as a cake and get you some Malt Extract Agar. Or PDA, I personally like MEA though. Get like two or three plates going and then when it's done (if it's clean) then do what's called the Tiger Drop Method (yes, use the SEARCH function) and put into a good lot of grain, probably an entire quart. Use this quart as your grain master when you are sure it's really -really clean. Then when colonized, do a grain to grain transfer to about 10 of these bad boys. Save the last jar, and do another ten. Take the 9 you fully colonize, and spawn all of it to several bulk monos, trays, or even mycobags and bulk blocks.
Do this and you will have so many mush mush that you'll actually start scheduling days in advance to trip your face off pretty much anytime you want to.
-------------------- Don't like researching posts? Read this! . Also, if you're new and your posts contain the words: Humidifer, incubator, air-stone, or heater, then you need to read and UTFSE before asking people to review your setup. OR... You should be cultivating reptiles and fish, not mushrooms.
  
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