[This message has been edited by Condi1 (edited October 05, 2000).]

[This message has been edited by Condi1 (edited October 05, 2000).]

I am currently fruiting one of those pre-packaged blocks of compost that is yielding some very beautiful pink oysters. The thing that strikes me is that the compost was not fully colonized when I opened the box. It wasn't even close. Yet over a week, it slowly colonized in a cool-mist room without ANY contamination problems. So, that's one for compost in my mind. Now the million dollar question: Is there a single easy way an apartment-dwelling guy like me can make compost? I've tried all the local brands and they are all "dead" and wouldn't support a mushroom if God himself innoculated.

ShroomGod

PS - About those straw ecuadorian pictures: those pictures are from a straw bed; I promise. In all honesty, though, it wasn't a particularly good yielding bed because it heavily prepinned--that is, before casing was even slightly colonized. I got a whimpy 25 dried grams (250 wet) per square foot. I should have gotten three to six times that over the life cycle.

[This message has been edited by Condi1 (edited October 06, 2000).]

How is your straw surface so smooth?
The surface was literally tabletop smooth because it was heavily compressed with egg crate and cinder blocks during colonization. This is covered as a TIP in my Straw Tek. I do this so I don't need to chop the straw and to achieve the smooth compressed surface, which makes applying and raking casing soils easier. I use about 1 cinder block per 2 to 3 square feet of surface area.

Of the many mushrooms I've seen grown on straw, they seem about like the size and yield of birdseed and grain ones
No way. Mushroom yields from uncased straw might be around the size of cased grain, but that's mostly because uncased straw is a one-hit wonder so to speak. But mushrooms coming from cased straw, in which the casing was managed properly, are HUGE and yield very high in the long run. I have had a tray of only 5 inches deep literally produce 150 dry grams over the course of six flushes with straw (spawned at 3 half pints per square foot). The key was that the casing was properly colonized and managed. As far as I'm concerned, that's the whole key to everything, casing management.

I wish I could say I'm a perfect expert too, but as it turns out, I seem to just get lucky sometimes (and unlucky others). I know you got to keep the watering down and sort of cycle dry and wet periods to really maximize things, but I rather guess at this point.

ShroomGod

PS - Ryche I'm extremely curious about your compost/dung technique research. I'd love to hear about it!

[This message has been edited by ShroomGod (edited January 11, 2000).]

[This message has been edited by Condi1 (edited October 06, 2000).]

[This message has been edited by Condi1 (edited October 06, 2000).]

[This message has been edited by Condi1 (edited October 06, 2000).]

Why not sterilizing the shit in a P. cooker in a jar?...or mixing it with verm and rice?

I`ll try that when I recieve my new spores..
(my girlfriend and my sister have horses, so I got a lots of straw,shit and stuff)

my father has lots of compost (from kitchen rests, wood, grass and stuff)so I?ll try that,too

maybe I just mix that all together (straw, verm, rice,birdseed, horseshit) put it in jars, sterilize all that in my P.cooker
and when colonized I`ll case them with a mixture of compost, verm, and woodcompost (with some gypsum)with an additional horsedung layer

Ryche, your sure that this doesn't smell?
any additions, comments?
could that work for Pan. Trops ?

I`ll post results....
(B.T.W Prell means Buzz)

[This message has been edited by Condi1 (edited October 06, 2000).]

Yes i know, i'm an idiot.

[This message has been edited by Condi1 (edited October 06, 2000).]