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creamcorn
mad scientist


Registered: 03/13/06
Posts: 2,962
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Re: Coir as Bulk substrate Faq?? [Re: Yamidude]
#5890611 - 07/23/06 01:44 PM (17 years, 6 months ago) |
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microwaving is definitely plenty safe. RR mentioned in another thread somewhere the other day it can be used it simply by adding water and taking no steps to pasteurize/sterilize.
I got curious myself just now, and looking on wikipedia's coir entry they mention this: "In horticulture, coir is recommended as substitute for peat because it is free of bacteria and fungal spores"... they don't elaborate as to how that could possibly be... but whatever. Makes sense that its so dried out when they compress that any bacteria present would die, and any mold/fungal spores that might be in there would be totally dehydrated as well, meaning that when you add fresh vigorous spawn its probably most of the way done colonizing by the time any of the contam spores within the coir are even hydrated/germinated and don't stand a chance. It could also be one of those "selective" things, perhaps coir is just right for feeding mycelium but not so good for feeding other contams (sort of like cardboard, if you've ever taken a look at the cardboard cloning teks you can be pretty lax there, carboard simply won't harbor most contams yet mycelium just love it.)
Just goofing around I've left some damp coir laying out to see what would happen. I threw it out just now actually after a few weeks... not a spot of mold anywhere. It did smell a little "off" so there coulda been some bacteria living in it, but it wasn't a horribly strong smell by any means.
I think its a good idea to do *something* (either sterilize or pasteurize) if you're going to be tossing other additives in there like coffee grounds. I'm going to give it a shot without pasteurizing/sterilizing at all just to see what happens. Who knows, if it works consistently that could make it even easier yet to use since that'd be one less step to prepare it
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RogerRabbit
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Registered: 03/26/03
Posts: 42,214
Loc: Seattle
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Re: Coir as Bulk substrate Faq?? [Re: Yamidude]
#5890615 - 07/23/06 01:46 PM (17 years, 6 months ago) |
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Quote:
Yamidude said: i pc'ed my coir on the last casing i made and it fully colonized in 2 days with zero contams.
Better wait until it fruits to make that claim my friend. Any substrate that colonizes in two days is mold, not mushroom mycelium. No mushroom mycelium I've ever seen will colonize a bulk substrate in less than five to six days, not even the very rapidly growing Ganoderma lucidum. PC'ing bulk substrates is a mistake. 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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Yamidude
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Registered: 06/15/06
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Re: Coir as Bulk substrate Faq?? [Re: RogerRabbit]
#5890616 - 07/23/06 01:46 PM (17 years, 6 months ago) |
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yeah i might get some gypsum and give it a shot adding 5% or so. Im making two casings today exactly the same way that i made another earlier this week. The earlier one colonized in 2 days and is doing great..
im doing Just coir with a little coffee grounds with 2 half pint cakes of B+ and another batch with a WBS pint jar.
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Yamidude
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Re: Coir as Bulk substrate Faq?? [Re: RogerRabbit]
#5890619 - 07/23/06 01:47 PM (17 years, 6 months ago) |
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Quote:
RogerRabbit said:
Quote:
Yamidude said: i pc'ed my coir on the last casing i made and it fully colonized in 2 days with zero contams.
Better wait until it fruits to make that claim my friend. Any substrate that colonizes in two days is mold, not mushroom mycelium. No mushroom mycelium I've ever seen will colonize a bulk substrate in less than five to six days, not even the very rapidly growing Ganoderma lucidum. PC'ing bulk substrates is a mistake. RR

doesn't look like mold to me RR.
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creamcorn
mad scientist


Registered: 03/13/06
Posts: 2,962
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Re: Coir as Bulk substrate Faq?? [Re: RogerRabbit]
#5890624 - 07/23/06 01:50 PM (17 years, 6 months ago) |
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Quote:
RogerRabbit said:
Quote:
Yamidude said: i pc'ed my coir on the last casing i made and it fully colonized in 2 days with zero contams.
Better wait until it fruits to make that claim my friend. Any substrate that colonizes in two days is mold, not mushroom mycelium. No mushroom mycelium I've ever seen will colonize a bulk substrate in less than five to six days, not even the very rapidly growing Ganoderma lucidum. PC'ing bulk substrates is a mistake. RR
I've had coir colonize nearly close to that, and it fruited wonderfully. Small casings granted, and keeping the spawn ratio high, like 1:1, takes no time at all.
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Yamidude
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Re: Coir as Bulk substrate Faq?? [Re: creamcorn]
#5890626 - 07/23/06 01:51 PM (17 years, 6 months ago) |
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mine was 1:1.5 almost..
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Yamidude
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Re: Coir as Bulk substrate Faq?? [Re: Yamidude]
#5891135 - 07/23/06 03:42 PM (17 years, 6 months ago) |
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Well i just pc'ed two batches of coir and Mic pasturized one batch. I may do a true pasturization on a batch later this week. I labled the mic nuked batch and the pc'ed batches so we can see if thse two techniques do anything different. Same spawn material. 1 pf cake to 1.25 pints of coir for the two experimental batches.. and one batch with a pint of WBS to 2.5 pints coir..
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RogerRabbit
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Re: Coir as Bulk substrate Faq?? [Re: Yamidude]
#5891432 - 07/23/06 04:52 PM (17 years, 6 months ago) |
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Bear in mind, when I said it takes six days minimum for coir to colonize, I was referring to using it as a bulk substrate. Mixing it at one to one or even two to one really is still an extremely small substrate and shouldn't be considered as bulk. To get performance from any bulk substrate, use them at three or four to one, and with straw, you'll need to go ten to one to have much success.
If you're going to use it at one to one, you can easily skip any form of heat treating. Just use a bit of lime and up to ten percent gypsum and go for it. 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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Yamidude
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Re: Coir as Bulk substrate Faq?? [Re: RogerRabbit]
#5891503 - 07/23/06 05:13 PM (17 years, 6 months ago) |
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Quote:
RogerRabbit said: Bear in mind, when I said it takes six days minimum for coir to colonize, I was referring to using it as a bulk substrate. Mixing it at one to one or even two to one really is still an extremely small substrate and shouldn't be considered as bulk. To get performance from any bulk substrate, use them at three or four to one, and with straw, you'll need to go ten to one to have much success.
If you're going to use it at one to one, you can easily skip any form of heat treating. Just use a bit of lime and up to ten percent gypsum and go for it. RR
good info. Since im in the trial phase of my coir experience im starting with just small casings of it right now. I did do one just a minute ago with about 1:4 wbs to coir. If all are sucessfull im going to start stretching it out more and more.
Im just experimenting around right now to get more experience and increase my knowledge.
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