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kranked
it'smushtastic!!

Registered: 08/31/04
Posts: 106
Last seen: 16 years, 5 months
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brf/verm density
#5787550 - 06/24/06 08:44 PM (17 years, 7 months ago) |
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I was cleaning out a pf-tek brf/verm jar, and noticed how incredibly dense the cake is. It's like freaking concrete, the verm does nothing to provide air pockets, the brf fills all the spaces and becomes incredibly dense. If I were to use less water the jars would be to dry. I can't see how mycellium would be able to penetrate into the cake. Are they supposed to be this dense? Any thoughts? Suggestions?
-------------------- "When it went off in New Mexico, that first atomic bomb, we thought of Alfred Nobel and his hope, his vain hope, that dynamite would put an end to all war" -Robert Oppenheimer 1945
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faceyneck
Legitimate Philosopher


Registered: 06/14/06
Posts: 2,421
Loc: upper body area
Last seen: 8 years, 8 months
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Re: brf/verm density [Re: kranked]
#5787744 - 06/24/06 09:55 PM (17 years, 7 months ago) |
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You either used way too much water, or mixed the ingredients wrong. This happened to me once when I followed a tech EXACTLY the way they said to, and the cakes ended up being dense as you described. I didn't even bother trying to use them. Just threw 'em out. I strongly doubt they'd take anyway.
So, enough about me already, right?
What you need to do is put your vermiculite in a bowl and add water gradually until you can pile all of the vermiculite to one side of the bowl, tip it, and have a VERY small pool of water collect in the empty spot. Here's what it should look like:

Next, add the brown rice flour. If it seems too dry, you probably did it right.
DO NOT MIX THE FLOUR WITH THE WATER FIRST.
What you are trying to do is get the verm saturated and get little bits of flour stuck to the sides of the verm pieces. Mixing the flour first will ruin the cake, and it will be dense as hell... I assume. I actually don't know. I've never done it. I would recommend you don't either.
Next fill the jars and keep them light and fluffy. DON'T PACK! The substrate should only be about as wet as potting soil, and airy as possible. Don't worry about the water content. The verm sucks up all the water because its porous. Later on, once you get mycelial growth, you will see how much water was in there that you didn't even know about.
Also. Read PF Tek For Simple Minds. Here is a link:
http://www.fungifun.org/English/Pftek
Good luck.
-------------------- Anything posted here, is total bullshit. My Meyers-Briggs Personality: INTJ New growers, or anyone else just needing help; I'm always glad to help right here.
We give cultivation advice here. AMU Q & A - We're glad to help My Doggy Door Greenhouse! First Ever Shmuvbox Tek! Do Manure Right!
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