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monstermitch
Growing in Bags Doesn't Work


Registered: 02/10/06
Posts: 3,911
Loc: Arizona Bay
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Terra-Sorb
#5616550 - 05/11/06 09:39 AM (17 years, 8 months ago) |
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Anyone use Terra-Sorb in casings? after pasteurization/sterilization of course.
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monstermitch
Growing in Bags Doesn't Work


Registered: 02/10/06
Posts: 3,911
Loc: Arizona Bay
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If you don't know what Terra-Sorb is:
Terra-Sorb is a "water crystal" made from a synthetic polymer related to super glue. This brand is made from potassium and there are others made from sodium.
The crystals can absorb 400 times their weight in water, and then release it slowly back into their surroundings. They have been tested and shown to be non-toxic and environmentally benign. They have been used in mushroom cultivation and shown to not incorporate themselves into the fruit at all. Over time they will just break down to carbon dioxide and water.
They drastically reduce the need for misting a casing and in some instances will eliminate the need all together depending on the fruiting chamber.
Just looking for anyone's experience first hand with this product. It is not a secret that it works or exists and given it's ability I would think many others before me would have tried it.
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iamyour_messiah
Stranger

Registered: 03/07/06
Posts: 273
Last seen: 4 years, 1 month
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Never seen or heard of this stuff, but it sounds pretty cool. One thing I'm not seeing is that if they are made from either potassium or sodium how can they break up into only co2 and water. There is no way an element which is present from the beginning can just disappear or change into another one (except for in the case of nuclear fission i suppose....) So the remains of the Na and K must be absorbed either into the fruits or the substrate. As you said it been proven not to end up in the fruits it must end up in the substrate. I find it hard to believe that this would have no effect whatsoever in the long run.
But aside from that it does actually sound very interesting. 400 times is weight in water is quite alot of water. Do you have a link for this stuff and the price, cause I doubt it'll be as cheap as vermiculite and peat. But I could see this stuff being useful for many things outside the world of mycology actually
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EquilibriuM
dream stalker

Registered: 07/17/05
Posts: 2,323
Last seen: 16 years, 7 months
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I have some of that stuff for bamboo...
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monstermitch
Growing in Bags Doesn't Work


Registered: 02/10/06
Posts: 3,911
Loc: Arizona Bay
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Usually used in gardening of all types.
Is not at all a substitute for verm or for peat. Use only one teaspoon per 2 quarts of casing mix... so price comparison is not the issue here, the benefit of using it is.
I bought it through Amazon.com for 9 dollars and got a 1 lb. tub
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iamyour_messiah
Stranger

Registered: 03/07/06
Posts: 273
Last seen: 4 years, 1 month
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One TEASPOON per two QUARTS of casing mix? It must be some hardcore stuff then....are you sure you didn't mean tablespoon, cause even that would seem pretty crazy to me.
But I guess I was wrong on the price issue, 9 bucks for a pound of it (which means it should hold 400 lbs of water ) isnt too steep at all. Can't believe you got it from amazon, since when did they turn into an all-round supply store? Can I get perlite and verm. from them as well.....maybe even some tree fern root :P lol. I'm gonna go check this out right now!!
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monstermitch
Growing in Bags Doesn't Work


Registered: 02/10/06
Posts: 3,911
Loc: Arizona Bay
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Yes I am sure, and yes it is hardcore.
400 times it's weight, sounds hardcore to me. 
Yeah amazon is exploding, bastards are filthy rich.
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iamyour_messiah
Stranger

Registered: 03/07/06
Posts: 273
Last seen: 4 years, 1 month
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Holy shit, im totally dumbfounded. I actually can get like almost any horticultural supplies I'm looking for from amazon, minus the tree fern root (understandable i guess considering tree fern is listed in CITES i think)
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monstermitch
Growing in Bags Doesn't Work


Registered: 02/10/06
Posts: 3,911
Loc: Arizona Bay
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Yup, amazon is a good source and it's so big that there's usually never any problems with your order.
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iamyour_messiah
Stranger

Registered: 03/07/06
Posts: 273
Last seen: 4 years, 1 month
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I notice your in Holland (ben je ook Nederlands of woon je er alleen?)....how much is the shipping usually from amazon overseas. Cause I'm in Switzerland and the nearest thing for me is German Amazon, but they dont even have any of the cool horticultural stuff. I'd love to place an order for lots of perlite and verm. and sphagnum moss cause over here I can't seem to find it in any of the garden centres strangely enough. I don't wanna pay an arm and a leg for shipping though, understandably....
(btw sorry for cluttering up your thread with all this off-topic stuff)
Edited by iamyour_messiah (05/11/06 11:54 AM)
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monstermitch
Growing in Bags Doesn't Work


Registered: 02/10/06
Posts: 3,911
Loc: Arizona Bay
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I don't have amazon ship to me. I have a brother who lives in the states that also does this stuff and he ships things to me from him. I too have many problems attaining the right supplies, so I have come to depend on him quite a bit. This Terra-Sorb took 3 1/2 weeks to get here from him and it came with lots of other cool supplies like injection ports, filter discs, stir bars, and the like. He hooks it up for me.
Sometimes the packages get caught up in U.S. customs or something and it takes forever and shows up all messed up like. I guess I would suggest to continue looking somewhat locally to find your supplies. You'll have to get creative.
I find my vermiculite in insulation sections of sites and stores usually listed as term-o-rock or something of the sort. Perlite I get easy enough along with fine verm. I have a nursery near by and they're cool about helping me obtain things. As for peat, sometimes I go with Uni-Gro cactus mix in casing because I find it easier to obtain than spanghum peat. The uni-gro comes from the bro though...
Sorry, I don't think I'm much help for you in gathering supplies.
So anyone else ever use this "water crystal" idea??
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MasFina
Snow Shredder


Registered: 05/08/06
Posts: 788
Loc: Mountains
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Water crystals are mentioned in the Psilocybin Mushroom Handbook. They say that there are 2 kinds:ones made from sodium and ones made from potassium. They say sodium may be harmful to the fungi, so use the potassium kind. Also add to the casing mix after sterilizing, cuz the crystals degrade with heat. They say using the crystals minimizes the need for constant misting.
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monstermitch
Growing in Bags Doesn't Work


Registered: 02/10/06
Posts: 3,911
Loc: Arizona Bay
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Re: Terra-Sorb [Re: MasFina]
#5617122 - 05/11/06 12:56 PM (17 years, 8 months ago) |
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please read the thread MasFina before commenting. Yes I have read that book and I already stated all of your points in the thread. Not the question I am asking.
Have you used it before?
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RogerRabbit
Bans for Pleasure


Registered: 03/26/03
Posts: 42,214
Loc: Seattle
Last seen: 11 months, 3 days
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Diatomaceous Earth is also an excellent additive that holds tons of water. If you use DE, add it dry to the dry peat and lime, then hydrate. I think it was Agar that pointed me to using DE in casings. It definitely holds moisture and gives bigger fruits because the same amount of casing material holds much more water without being saturated. RR
-------------------- Download Let's Grow Mushrooms semper in excretia sumus solim profundum variat "I've never had a failed experiment. I've only discovered 10,000 methods which do not work." Thomas Edison
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monstermitch
Growing in Bags Doesn't Work


Registered: 02/10/06
Posts: 3,911
Loc: Arizona Bay
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Thank you RR. So what exactly is Diatomaceous Earth?
Where should I look into it?
Is it a "water crystal" or some other sort of material?
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EquilibriuM
dream stalker

Registered: 07/17/05
Posts: 2,323
Last seen: 16 years, 7 months
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DE also slices those little gnat fuckers in-half
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monstermitch
Growing in Bags Doesn't Work


Registered: 02/10/06
Posts: 3,911
Loc: Arizona Bay
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Okay, learned a bit about the product, but think that the terra-sorb would work better for water retention.
However, DE sounds like a good additive and I'm going to try it. Can anyone suggest a ratio of use for DE? Terra-Sorb is one teaspoon per 2 quarts of casing material.
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