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fallingaway24
catatonic selfmedicator
Registered: 12/25/04
Posts: 419
Last seen: 9 years, 2 months
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a few casing questions...
#3837001 - 02/26/05 12:50 PM (19 years, 1 month ago) |
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when doing a 50/50 casing, are things like crushed oyster shell, peat moss, calcium carbonate all important, i've done 1 casing now, with just coir and verm and the yields werent very impressive, but i'm thinking about trying one with all that, but its not all that easy to find in my area
-------------------- "Most people don't know how they're gonna feel from one moment to the next. But a dope fiend has a pretty good idea. All you gotta do is look at the labels on the bottles." ~drugstore cowboy~
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derx
who run it
Registered: 05/29/03
Posts: 2,459
Loc: dx/dt
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well, yes they are important for high yields, but it will take practice and time to learn how to be a casing pimp. My first casings would yield like 1/4 dry, after a few expieriements im at a very nice efficient yield.
-------------------- better living through chemistry OVERGROW the government!! it's not a war on drugs, it's a war on personal freedom, ok, thats what it is.
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scatmanrav
Brainy Smurf
Registered: 05/08/04
Posts: 11,483
Loc:
Last seen: 11 years, 2 months
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Pick one of three teks:
The "50/50" casing specifically refers to peat moss + vermiculite.
The "50/50+" casing specifically refers to peat moss/vermiculite + buffer (oyster shell, calcium carbonate or chalk). This is highly recommended over the straight 50/50 tek with no buffer.
Coir/verm casings are refered to as 60/40 or 70/30. You want a little more verm with coir since it doesnt hold moisture as well as peat moss. With this mix buffering the ph is optional and no short term is needed (one can be used carfully with peat moss since its more acidic) but I have definatly found an improvement using calcium carbonate or POWDERED (crushed isnt fine enough) oyster shell.
Mycelium thrives at 7-7.5 but overtime it secretes acidic wastes that lower the pH. Long term buffers like the ones I mentioned keep the pH neutral which helps produce better later flushes and more flushes. If your working with a substrate like PF cakes though yeilds and flushes will be shitty anyway and no casing layer will fix that.
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tripndicular
My Minds Eye IsRhizomorphic
Registered: 08/25/02
Posts: 2,791
Loc: Bowels of HELL
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You can do it without and have good if not excellent yeilds. Coir is best to use if trying not to buffer . I am not against buffering , but do not do it and have great success so far , my little chicken huts with no buffered casing have given yeilds of 1\2-3\4 dried ozs... damn good for how small they are . Air exchanges seem to be more beneficial than being buffered especially in the first flush. Second and third is when buffering agents come into play best.So consider that before you go all crazy thinking it is that you did not buffer the casing.
What is chicken hut you ask .....
GL
-------------------- Any information I give is not intended to aide you in the production of potentialy illegal substances !None of my exp comes from growing illegal varities , so take it as you will . So with that said here is our mission statement . Then the priest fell into a trance or swoon,& said unto the Queen of heaven ; Write unto us the ordeals; write unto us the rituals; write unto us the law !
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blissedout
Registered: 11/11/04
Posts: 22,320
Loc: Yonder
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Re: a few casing questions... [Re: tripndicular]
#3837096 - 02/26/05 01:11 PM (19 years, 1 month ago) |
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TripnD with the mad knowledge!!
Good post, Trip!!
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tripndicular
My Minds Eye IsRhizomorphic
Registered: 08/25/02
Posts: 2,791
Loc: Bowels of HELL
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Re: a few casing questions... [Re: blissedout]
#3837126 - 02/26/05 01:19 PM (19 years, 1 month ago) |
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Thanx for the kind words , but no mad scientist type , I am simple man and prefer simple methods , and perfecting them is my middle name And letting folks know it can be done simple is my fave thing to do Many like to get all PO'd at my methods and claim I am sabotuer... but those that know and try it find I am no liar! That or wonder "how the hell does he do it"
-------------------- Any information I give is not intended to aide you in the production of potentialy illegal substances !None of my exp comes from growing illegal varities , so take it as you will . So with that said here is our mission statement . Then the priest fell into a trance or swoon,& said unto the Queen of heaven ; Write unto us the ordeals; write unto us the rituals; write unto us the law !
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fallingaway24
catatonic selfmedicator
Registered: 12/25/04
Posts: 419
Last seen: 9 years, 2 months
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Re: a few casing questions... [Re: tripndicular]
#3837418 - 02/26/05 02:24 PM (19 years, 1 month ago) |
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well my last casing was with pf tek and i cased it with verm and coir. it produced some shrooms, but not worth talking about, i ordered some mycobags and they are about done so i was just trying to figure out what i should use for a casing because i don't want to fruit them in the bag.
-------------------- "Most people don't know how they're gonna feel from one moment to the next. But a dope fiend has a pretty good idea. All you gotta do is look at the labels on the bottles." ~drugstore cowboy~
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Tomatadunothing
Stranger
Registered: 05/16/03
Posts: 500
Last seen: 18 years, 8 months
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Yes, use them in a casing. Those myco bags will go alot further when used to spawn bulk substrate. A pH pen might help you out a bit, but don't stress out if it's too much $ to drop right now. I've never seen a pH adjusted casing layer fruit in person, and I have seen some decent yields without.
I have seen good results with straight coco coir casing layers, as well.
Yields are most greatly affected, in my opinion, by the substrate depth. Deeper is better. There are reports from button mushroom farmers that agaricus mycelium will draw nutrients from up to 2 ft. deep in substrate!!!
I have seen great success with substrate depths between 6 and 8 inches. That's how you get the monsters. Generating humidity becomes less of an issue with a casing that size, since it holds so much moisture on its own.
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fallingaway24
catatonic selfmedicator
Registered: 12/25/04
Posts: 419
Last seen: 9 years, 2 months
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so when i do my casing i should do a few inches of my casing material on the bottom layer and maybe and inch or 2 of myc, and then what maybe another inch of casing material on top?
-------------------- "Most people don't know how they're gonna feel from one moment to the next. But a dope fiend has a pretty good idea. All you gotta do is look at the labels on the bottles." ~drugstore cowboy~
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Roadkill
Retired Shroomery Mod
Registered: 12/11/01
Posts: 22,674
Loc: Montana
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Scat, Trip and Tomata gave you some good advice.
I'd just like to add that one of the main problems new growers have with casings is....
wanna guess?
drum roll....
lolzzz
still with me?
Moisture content of the casing layer!~
They either make it too moist(over saturated)....or too dry.
-------------------- Laterz, Road Who the hell you callin crazy? You wouldn't know what crazy was if Charles Manson was eating froot loops on your front porch! Brainiac said: PM the names with on there names, that means they have mushrooms for sale.
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korins
Antisocialite
Registered: 02/21/05
Posts: 221
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Re: a few casing questions... [Re: Roadkill]
#3839605 - 02/26/05 11:28 PM (19 years, 1 month ago) |
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This is what I understand also... Any simple advice on how to obtain the right H2O content say in a 50/50+ casing? Also, does 50/50 refer to the unhydrated volume (pre-sterilazation/pasteurization)? Approximately how much buffer needs to be added? 5%? Thanks
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korins
Antisocialite
Registered: 02/21/05
Posts: 221
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Re: a few casing questions... [Re: korins]
#3839626 - 02/26/05 11:37 PM (19 years, 1 month ago) |
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Sorry, I found the answer to my last question assuming this is correct: * 15 1/2 cups vermiculite * 15 1/2 cups peat moss * 4 1/2 cups crushed oyster shell * 1.2 cups of hydrated lime * 15 cups of distilled water (1 cup short of a gallon of bottled water) 16 cups = 1 gallon
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scatmanrav
Brainy Smurf
Registered: 05/08/04
Posts: 11,483
Loc:
Last seen: 11 years, 2 months
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Re: a few casing questions... [Re: korins]
#3839684 - 02/26/05 11:53 PM (19 years, 1 month ago) |
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That recipe looks right.
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Tomatadunothing
Stranger
Registered: 05/16/03
Posts: 500
Last seen: 18 years, 8 months
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Re: a few casing questions... [Re: scatmanrav]
#3839946 - 02/27/05 01:34 AM (19 years, 1 month ago) |
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OK you want your casing layer wet to the point where if it were any wetter, you would be able to squeeze water out of it.
As far as preparing your casings, add your spawn to a pasteurized and cooled bulk substrate in even layers, then add a sterilized (microwave works good for this) and cooled even casing layer, cover with ceran wrap, compact, stick it in the incubator. If you do it right, all the mycilium should grow through the casing layer at the same time. You can patch if it pops through uneven with more sterilized casing layer.
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scatmanrav
Brainy Smurf
Registered: 05/08/04
Posts: 11,483
Loc:
Last seen: 11 years, 2 months
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"As far as preparing your casings, add your spawn to a pasteurized and cooled bulk substrate in even layers, then add a sterilized (microwave works good for this) and cooled even casing layer, cover with ceran wrap, compact"
Not the way to do things IMO. After adding spawn to the pasteurized and cooled bulk substrate in even layers (or mixing evenly), it should be covered with saran wrap with holes and inucubated until its fully colonized. THEN apply the casing layer, recover with plastic and reincubate and patch and fruit when it comes up. And also you shouldnt be compacting your casing after you apply the casing layer. That will inhibit growth through the casing layer. If anything should be compacted, its when you mix the spawn with the substrate, the compact and cover and incubate. I dont even know about poo though, really straw is the only thing you should compact and it should be done before applying the casing layer and before it colonizes (helps speed colonization of straw).
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