Normally I post in "Mushie Cultivation", but I dont think these are beginer questions. All input will be apreciated.
OK, I did the PF, ya sure, time 2 case. And I have come up with an experiment. We (my friend and I, partners in crime) have a LARGE tupperware (60-72 quarts, cant remember; and its about 2 1/2' x 5') that we are going to bury in an area where NO ONE GOES (been checked) to case in. From what I have seen & read, ppl grow shrooms outside as easy as inside, so no big deal right?
Been reading for over 2 weeks now, trying to prepare a method and I think I got it. We are going to bury this large container to surface level. Bottom layer will consist of a mixture of Dung (cow, horse, whatever; but I am trying to get elephant dung) and wheat or rice straw. I cant find any posts or tek's on dung/straw mixes for casings so I am playing by ear. This should fill about 1/2 of the tupperware or more. Boiled bottles of sterile water w/ holes for seepage over time will sit on the bottom of the mix, all I read is "water this" & "water that"; so this is my answer to a lack of water situation. The next layer (on top of the dung/straw) is the Substrate itself. I haven't seen much mention of where or how far the primordia formation should sit, so I am guessing here. Next comes the "icing" of the case, what would normally be the top layer. Another mixture of dung/straw over the substrate chunks. I heard it is supposed to be thin, so it will be. The top layer is about an 1/2 or 1" of sand. The hole we dig will be filled w/ wet perlite so that the tupp sits nicely. I was figuring a way to keep the tupp insulated and not touching raw earth, this is the best I could come up with.
If you think it is a waste of time already, just PM me back with a "no" and ya don't gatta read anymore, cuz here come the questions. =)
1) I am guessing I have to take environmental factors into play since it is outside. I read one place that the Dung/Straw mix has to be pasteurized or sterilized. Then I read that the selection of specific microbial groups by mycelial metabolites is an excellent example of symbiosis. These same bacteria give the casing a natural resistance to competitors. In this respect, a sterilized casing lacks beneficial microorganisms and has little resistance to contaminants. So, the fact that I would be placing something so sterile outside, it would be like "inviting" anything with more than one cell to "come on in and join the party" killing everything. So can u make up these ppl's minds? Does it have to be pas'izd/ster'izd for outside?
2) Like I said, I cant find any links on dung/straw tek's. A regular case, may it be WHATEVER mixture most likely needs a buffer agent to counter act the acidic effect of other casing materials. Such as peat, lime, whatever. Dose this still hold true for dung/straw? If so, what buffers are necessary? I am going with Limestone Flour for its low magnesium content.
3) Moisture is a necessity for casing, so are the water resivours @ the bottom a good idea, or the mix should hold it's own? (remember, its outside)
4) I read all types of diff contam warnings for casing. How NOTHING should be getting into it, because it could and would compromise the entire thing. That is where the top layer of sand comes in. I read that some ppl use sand in their casings anyway. (as I mix I guess) The top layer of sand should keep most air and ground particles out. I figure that it will, I hope. I don't know how much a thin layer of sand is going to deter a million flies from 20-30 pounds of wet dung and straw, but it is the best I could come up with. Sand (dry) is loose and airy anyway, so I hope a thin layer wont stop the mushie's from pushing up. So, is it a good idea or a bad one?
5) I read that a regular (indoor) casing should be kept clear of all decaying vegetable matter because this is ground zero for mold. That will be mighty hard if it is outside. We planned on throwing lots and lots of pricker bushes around it so that no one dare go into such a pile of "ouch", and to hide 1' PESA's. Still think its a good idea? And if cutting em down and putting em around is the problem, could we just uproot some and replant them around it? Also, I saw someone using dead leaves to help their mushie's case outside. WTF?? Isn't that a contradiction to most everything I read??
6) I know casings need diff types of humidity & temp for diff stages of growth, I cant really keep any of that under control, just got to leave it up to mother earth to grow me some shrooms. But I can plan WHEN to put em in. I know u are a west coaster, so I don't know what yer weather is like. But from living on the east coast all my life, I have picked up a few things that tend to happen around now. It has been unseasonably cold here, more so than any year I can remember. But i also remember; it comes randomly, that nature fluctuates over here HARD-CORE. It will be nice like it is now, then BAM! hot as fuck (89-101F) for 2 weeks, then back to nice, ahhhh. I think it is still to cold out to do this yet, and get any kind of yield. But when the 2 hot weeks come (Ozone hole I always figured) we should do it that very day the heat starts. So if it goes back to a little chilly, there might actually have been enough time & warmth for the shrooms to get their bareings and begin. Sound right?
7) Pollution..... We live in, well, considerably close it most of the major pollutant places on the east. Fucking gatta make room for progress, as we slowly kill ourselves! I hope this wont cause anything to go wrong, what do u think? Or am I just being to paranoid?
Well, that's it for now. I feel like there are more questions, but my brain shut down about 20 mins ago. Now it is just screaming for sleep. But I guarantee there will be more.
Does any of this sound possible? I guess I can take a margin of %70 "yes" and %30 "waste of time & money". I just hope ya can give me that answer first. 70-30 seems worth it to me, even if it doesn't work. If it does turn out to be a waste before I even get started, I can always turn my attention to how to case INDOORS, but for reasons of stealth and room Dung/Straw wont be possible. I thought this would be the biggest and best way to do a casing and get shrooms like BOOM.
Wat cha think?
-XiC
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