|
TPython
A Fraction of the Whole


Registered: 12/01/12
Posts: 236
|
Replacing Soy Hulls in Masters Mix
#28636080 - 01/26/24 07:25 PM (1 day, 19 hours ago) |
|
|
I moved to a new state a few years ago and am just getting back into cult after a long hiatus.
Masters mix has always been my go to. Ive found local sources for grain and hardwood pellets at a good price but I can't find any soy hulls due to it not being a very big crop in this state. Currently the best price I can find online after shipping is about $60 for a 50lb bag. Is there any reason I shouldn't be able to replace the soy hull pellets for another variety of pellets with close to the same nutrition content?
Seems like the average DMB (dry matter basis) of soy hulls is: Crude Protein.. 12.1% Crude Fat......... 2.1% Crude Fiber...... 39.0%
In my area I can get Alfalfa pellets for $19 a 50lb bag with DMB: Crude Protein.. 16.0% Crude Fat........ 1.5 % Crude Fiber..... 35.0%
and Bluegrass pellets for $12.50 a 50lb bag with DMB: Crude Protein.. 10.0% Crude Fat........ 2.0 % Crude Fiber..... 25.0%
Im also getting wheat at $13.80 a 50lb bag with DMB: Crude Protein.. 10.0% Crude Fat........ 1.5 % Crude Fiber..... 2.5%
I was considering making up for the lost nutrition by adding extra colonized wheat grain while spawning. Thinking I would just replace 1lb of dry SHP with 1lb of dry grain which would then be prepped, inoculated, and then spawned into bags of the hydrated hardwood pellets. Which would be a significant amount of spawn and would require me to introduce more grain jars and inoculant into my current process.
Also due to the other pellets having a high fiber % they act as a water reservoir along with the wood which the grain alone wouldn't replace, so you would have to make up for that lost moisture with more wood. Seems like this would substantially increase the volume of the fruiting block which would be a hinderance for my fruiting space.
Im thinking of picking up a bag of each the alfalfa and bluegrass pellets and run them head to head against the soy hull pellets while I still have some. Maybe also a mix of the alfalfa and bluegrass to try and get a closer match to the soy hull nutrition and add a bit extra wood to make up for the lower fiber %.
I'm not sure if the DMA values are even useful for mushroom growing, you might need a deeper analysis of nutrients for this to even make sense. I could be overthinking things and need to just go the bran or straw route
--------------------

Edited by TPython (01/26/24 07:31 PM)
|
SonOfAHooker
chingchong
Registered: 03/11/19
Posts: 108
|
Re: Replacing Soy Hulls in Masters Mix [Re: TPython]
#28636285 - 01/26/24 10:22 PM (1 day, 16 hours ago) |
|
|
Soy is also hard to find here. And HWFP are 4x-7x the price elsewhere... I have searched in about 200 mile radius
Calling every lumber and feed mill around I was able to find a feed store that has soy hull pellet mix. It has very small amounts of corn and sunflower seeds in it but it works great for me. I use a little less hwfp in mine, water ratio about the same and have had 0 issues. I get 10 50lb bags for $75 but it's about an hour drive there.
Before that I used rice bran pretty well(lm did great, oysters were a little better on SHP) but came with loads of bugs before I had my extra freezer. Some feed stores/grain mills are infested, they all have eggs.
The bran came with larval worms. My oats/millet come with moths. SHP comes with weevils. Or they will hatch within a month, pretty standard. I recommend freezing any grains for 3 days you won't use within a few weeks
|
TPython
A Fraction of the Whole


Registered: 12/01/12
Posts: 236
|
Re: Replacing Soy Hulls in Masters Mix [Re: SonOfAHooker]
#28636298 - 01/26/24 10:42 PM (1 day, 16 hours ago) |
|
|
Sweet, I would definitely drive an hour for that price. Maybe not in a diesel tho haha.
Luckily haven't had any problems with insects in any of my stuff. Im sure that's a bitch.
--------------------

|
taku
° shapeshifter ∆



Registered: 12/05/20
Posts: 731
Loc: Canada
Last seen: 9 hours, 43 seconds
|
Re: Replacing Soy Hulls in Masters Mix [Re: TPython]
#28636475 - 01/27/24 06:47 AM (1 day, 8 hours ago) |
|
|
im curious how alfalfa and bluegrass would do. i also cant get my hands on soyhull here. its frustrating considering soy is grown all around me, but seems the large mashing plants are located far to the south of me, in midwest US.
--------------------
|
TPython
A Fraction of the Whole


Registered: 12/01/12
Posts: 236
|
Re: Replacing Soy Hulls in Masters Mix [Re: taku]
#28636858 - 01/27/24 12:07 PM (1 day, 3 hours ago) |
|
|
It's at least worth an experiment or 2. Just spawned some bags yesterday so I'll have to do it on my next run, which at my current rate will be a month or so away before I can have some results.
Im thinking Ill run Lions mane, Elm oyster, and King blue oyster with 4 fruiting blocks each. 1 the traditional masters mix, 1 with alfalfa, 1 with bluegrass, and 1 with a mix of the 2 and see what happens.
If they don't preform well I'll give it to a neighbor for their horses and start looking into bran instead.
--------------------

|
|