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jill
jill
Registered: 09/08/06
Posts: 8
Loc: MN
Last seen: 17 years, 26 days
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vermiculite replacement question
#6221046 - 10/28/06 01:48 PM (17 years, 5 months ago) |
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I'm looking for a replacement for vermiculite for recipes (especially the 50/50 casing) Vermiculite is not available anywhere in my area, since last year when I also needed it for gardening I've looked around a 100 mile radius, I've called, I've asked, I've looked everywhere, it has been banned in my state according to a horticulturalist, due to it's association with asbestos (not surprizing if anyone has heard about the asbestos mess in NE Mpls). This leave a real big gap in most of the recipes I want to use, any ideas on a replacement?
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student9
Stranger
Registered: 09/25/06
Posts: 115
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Re: vermiculite replacement question [Re: jill]
#6221048 - 10/28/06 01:49 PM (17 years, 5 months ago) |
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Damn, switch to grains and hpoo.
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Atheist
Stranger
Registered: 01/24/06
Posts: 13,705
Loc: USA
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Re: vermiculite replacement question [Re: student9]
#6221095 - 10/28/06 02:10 PM (17 years, 5 months ago) |
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www.amazon.com has an awesome deal on vermiculite
2 huge bags for less than 20 bucks
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jill
jill
Registered: 09/08/06
Posts: 8
Loc: MN
Last seen: 17 years, 26 days
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Re: vermiculite replacement question [Re: student9]
#6221154 - 10/28/06 02:37 PM (17 years, 5 months ago) |
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well yes I have horses, and much hpoo. What is the best recipe for a hpoo casing? (i've found the cracked corn spawn is working quite well and I have 50 lbs of it left to work with) For the casing I did manage to find a huge bale of peat moss to work with, plus I have plenty of oyster shell and calcium cabonate). Getting a bit costly at this point to have to order vermiculite. Thanks
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slackerjack
Strange but nota Stranger
Registered: 09/17/06
Posts: 46
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Re: vermiculite replacement question [Re: jill]
#6221202 - 10/28/06 02:59 PM (17 years, 5 months ago) |
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Yeah, vermiculite is the tough one to find in my area too. I have seen perlite in a few places though.
Anyways, would Perlite be an exceptable substitute for Verm? Why does everybody prefer Verm?
Edited by dduquette (10/28/06 04:30 PM)
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RogerRabbit
Bans for Pleasure
Registered: 03/26/03
Posts: 42,214
Loc: Seattle
Last seen: 1 year, 1 month
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Re: vermiculite replacement question [Re: slackerjack]
#6221270 - 10/28/06 03:35 PM (17 years, 5 months ago) |
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-------------------- 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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student9
Stranger
Registered: 09/25/06
Posts: 115
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Re: vermiculite replacement question [Re: RogerRabbit]
#6221279 - 10/28/06 03:39 PM (17 years, 5 months ago) |
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First - no, perlite would not be an acceptable sub.
Second - vermiculite is a natural, non-toxic mineral which expands during the application of heat. Perlite is an amorphous volcanic glass that has a relatively high water content. It occurs naturally and has the unusual property of greatly expanding when heated sufficiently.
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Edited by student9 (10/28/06 03:40 PM)
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slackerjack
Strange but nota Stranger
Registered: 09/17/06
Posts: 46
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Re: vermiculite replacement question [Re: student9]
#6221298 - 10/28/06 03:47 PM (17 years, 5 months ago) |
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Quote:
student9 said: First - no, perlite would not be an acceptable sub.
Ok, thanks. A search confirmed the exact same thing. Bad for both subtrate and casings apparently.
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student9
Stranger
Registered: 09/25/06
Posts: 115
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Re: vermiculite replacement question [Re: slackerjack]
#6221307 - 10/28/06 03:50 PM (17 years, 5 months ago) |
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Only use perlite for humidity in FCs
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RogerRabbit
Bans for Pleasure
Registered: 03/26/03
Posts: 42,214
Loc: Seattle
Last seen: 1 year, 1 month
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Re: vermiculite replacement question [Re: student9]
#6221337 - 10/28/06 04:01 PM (17 years, 5 months ago) |
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Actually, a bit of perlite can be very beneficial in a casing layer, but it isn't a substitute for vermiculite which is optional in casing layers anyway. You can replace verm with crushed oyster shell for texture. It doesn't have the moisture holding capacity of vermiculite, but will keep the casing from packing down tight, as will perlite. 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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slackerjack
Strange but nota Stranger
Registered: 09/17/06
Posts: 46
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Re: vermiculite replacement question [Re: RogerRabbit]
#6221409 - 10/28/06 04:32 PM (17 years, 5 months ago) |
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Quote:
RogerRabbit said: Actually, a bit of perlite can be very beneficial in a casing layer, but it isn't a substitute for vermiculite which is optional in casing layers anyway. RR
Aha, gotcha.
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student9
Stranger
Registered: 09/25/06
Posts: 115
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Re: vermiculite replacement question [Re: RogerRabbit]
#6221426 - 10/28/06 04:37 PM (17 years, 5 months ago) |
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Quote:
RogerRabbit said: Actually, a bit of perlite can be very beneficial in a casing layer, but it isn't a substitute for vermiculite which is optional in casing layers anyway. You can replace verm with crushed oyster shell for texture. It doesn't have the moisture holding capacity of vermiculite, but will keep the casing from packing down tight, as will perlite. RR
Didnt know that, thanks!!
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RogerRabbit
Bans for Pleasure
Registered: 03/26/03
Posts: 42,214
Loc: Seattle
Last seen: 1 year, 1 month
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Re: vermiculite replacement question [Re: student9]
#6221499 - 10/28/06 05:10 PM (17 years, 5 months ago) |
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Perlite can help to break up the peat and keep air spaces in it which is part of the function of a casing layer. The other main function of a casing layer is to supply moisture to the substrate below, which vermiculite can assist with, but perlite can't. 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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student9
Stranger
Registered: 09/25/06
Posts: 115
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Re: vermiculite replacement question [Re: RogerRabbit]
#6221605 - 10/28/06 05:57 PM (17 years, 5 months ago) |
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Hmm...seems like a decent combo there.
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Brainiac
Rogue Scientist
Registered: 04/29/06
Posts: 13,259
Loc: 與您的女朋
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Re: vermiculite replacement question [Re: student9]
#6222387 - 10/28/06 11:03 PM (17 years, 5 months ago) |
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Look for a herpetology place or one on the web.
-------------------- Fair is Fair
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jill
jill
Registered: 09/08/06
Posts: 8
Loc: MN
Last seen: 17 years, 26 days
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Re: vermiculite replacement question [Re: RogerRabbit]
#6224248 - 10/29/06 03:18 PM (17 years, 4 months ago) |
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could you give some measurements? (not of the avatar, but of ingredients) so if I used the following, how much of each? chopped straw, peat, oyster shell, hpoo, calcium carbonate. Thanks, Oh yeah I have one more idea: I used to throw pots and have a lot of clay, could it possibly be used to hold it together?
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jill
jill
Registered: 09/08/06
Posts: 8
Loc: MN
Last seen: 17 years, 26 days
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Re: vermiculite replacement question [Re: Brainiac]
#6224270 - 10/29/06 03:26 PM (17 years, 4 months ago) |
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amphibians are in kind of short supply in my neck of the woods too, but I do have a lot of chickens, but they are my friends. Sometimes Farming life is difficult, so we try to be creative to make do.
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