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How much lime in casing mix?
    #3543215 -

A foaf just mixed up some casing, and is wondering if he used too much lime. The batch consited of 4 qts peat, 4 qts verm, 1 pint hydrated lime and 3 qts H2O. Was 1 pint of lime too much? He has no way of checking ph. It made 9 qts which fit just right in his pressure cooker.

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Re: How much lime in casing mix? [Re: bro057]
    #3543676 -

i think u should add lime and then check it with a PH tester if not sure ! u can pick one up for cheap ! $10-15


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http://www.bruceeisner.com/ -Creating a Sensible Culture

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Re: How much lime in casing mix? [Re: liveby]
    #3545428 -

He doesn't really have $10-$15 to spend right now. He just wanted to know if that ratio sounded right.

But he has seen the RAPITEST testers at lowes. Are those any good? They're like a probe thing , do you just stick it in the casing to check the ph?

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Re: How much lime in casing mix? [Re: bro057]
    #3552273 -

Does anyone want to answer my question? Do you think 1 pint of lime was too much? What are the effects of having too much lime in a casing layer? I think my foaf is going to use this mix on half his casings, and straight verm on the other half.

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Re: How much lime in casing mix? [Re: bro057]
    #3552295 -

Good, if done properly... will balance your PH...

Bad, if just randomly adding... will not change enough, or throw it off the scale the other way...

If you really MUST use a PH adjustment, crack open some eggs. Eat the egg part, and clean the shells. (Peel the inner skin off, wash off egg residue.) Wrap them in a towel and foil, then crush them with a hammer. Now add them to your mix, before you sterilize it in the pressure cooker.

Egg shells will Buffer not Switch the PH. Lime will Switch your PH to what-ever you have adjusted for. (Since you said you can't measure, then you are walking down a dark hallway with a broken cane, and sunglasses on, looking for a door! It is on the cieling, you will never find it... Use the eggs!)


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Re: How much lime in casing mix? [Re: bro057]
    #3552329 -

"pH", is a measure to describe the acidity of a medium.
pH 7 is neutral; higher means alkaline, lower acidic.

Peat is a major constituent of preferred casing mixes. The pH of peat is variable, dependent on the source it came from. Meaning, the pH of peat differs from various sources. :eek:

The preferred pH range of a casing mixture is 6.5 to 8. 7.5 is optimal.  :thumbup:

Peat is acidic. Consequently, to achieve an optimal pH range of a casing mix, the pH of the casing mixture must be adjusted accordingly (within the range of 6.5 to 8).

The pH of the casing must be within certain limits to support strong mycelial growth. An overly acidic or alkaline casing mixture will depress mycelial growth and supports unwanted competitors.

It is generally easier to make casing materials more alkaline (i.e., increasing the pH) than it is to make them more acid (i.e., reducing the pH).

A movement of 0.5 is easy but, because the pH scale is logarithmic, a movement on the order of, 2.0 points becomes more difficult because there is a factor of 10x between each full point, so pH 5.0 is actually 100 times more acid than pH 7.0.

There are several common types of lime available for use, though care should be exercised with all of the products. Lime is caustic and a skin and eye irritant and can be dangerous if misused.

If you choose to use such products, carefully read and follow all manufacturer directions exactly. The major types of lime products include:

Hydrated Lime: fast acting, but not long lasting. It is very effective to produce a fast change in pH level. It is also the "strongest" form of lime generally available, and you must follow all manufacturer precautions, since your skin and eyes can be easily irritated or burned if the product is misused.

Ground Limestone: a naturally occurring type of limestone that has been ground to a fine powder. How quickly it will act to modify pH and how long it will persist depends on how finely it was ground.

Generally, ground limestone is weaker than hydrated lime, needing about 30% more to raise the pH by the same amount. It has the advantage, however, of usually being significantly cheaper than the hydrated lime, and usually works more slowly and lasts much longer.

Mixed Lime: usually sold under a brand name. Most brands contain a variety of particle sizes to provide some immediate benefits, as well as a longer persistence. (this is often referred to as "time released" lime).

pH gradually falls to less than optimal by the end of cropping due to acids secreted by the mushroom mycelium. Consequently, a long lasting buffering agent is preferable.

If you wish to achieve optimal results when adjusting pH, it is highly advisable to use litmus strips (with color chart), or acquire a pH test probe (available at most garden supply stores, under $20) to accurately test, and adjust the pH of your casing mix, prior to application.

Doing all other cultivation steps properly, then applying a casing mixture outside the proper pH range, most often creates poor cropping results. :wink:


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Re: How much lime in casing mix? [Re: agar]
    #3552457 -

Thanks agar that makes it more clear.

Would a swimming pool tester work to check casing ph? A neighbor has a pool but is not usng it this time of year.

This is not the frst time my foaf has done casings. Just the first timehe had to adjust the ph of the peat himself. He's moved to an area where he cant get non-nutrious seedling type mix this time of year.

He had to get golden turf peat and BONIDE hydrated lime. On the back of the bag of lime it reads

Generally, 3.5 lbs of Hydrated Lime per 70 sq. ft. will raise the pH unit measure one point on the pH scale.

It came in a 5 lb bag. So yeah 1 pint was probably too much. We'll see if my foaf can get a tester.

You wrote hydrated lime was fast acting but not long lasting. What makes it not last? Does it just lose its pH over time or is it exposure to something in the enviroment? Could pressure cooking it affect it?

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Re: How much lime in casing mix? [Re: bro057]
    #3552499 -

Hydrated lime acts "right now" to get ph where you want it.

To maintain that ph over a period of weeks, you want to also add something SLOWER ACTING. such as:


:thumbup:

:thumbup:


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