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Some of these posts are very old and might contain outdated information. You may wish to search for newer posts instead.
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thedefone
deus ex machina

Registered: 10/06/07
Posts: 1,883
Loc: Gondwana
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Where can I find.. Where do I get.. I need.. Advice!!
#8053712 - 02/21/08 08:12 PM (15 years, 11 months ago) |
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I put this together in order to help the people out there who use the search engine find the things they are looking for in one stop.
Obviously, anything you need to cultivate mushrooms can be bought from the vendors, and I encourage you to buy from them. However, should you decide to buy local, here are some tips. Anyone who has anything to add to this list, or any more details about the things already in the list, is encouraged to tack it on to the thread. I will try my best to incorporate that feedback into the main post. The sections on WBS and Hpoo are very thin due to my lack of knowledge on these materials and I would really appreciate help on those ones. One caveat.. I am an American. This list is probably more useful to North Americans than it is to Europeans, or whatever. Just so you know. I also want to add that I used the search engine extensively to research this project. So, if any of my words sound familiar to what you have read in the past, that is the reason. I have also decided to tack on to the end of this thread a little bit of advice, and my favorite links, for the noobs who may someday end up reading this. So, if you have any tips or links that have stuck with you, and that have served you well, throw them out there. Just trying to help, you know? My way of saying thanks. Hope you like it. Anyway, on with it...
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Brown Rice Flour (BRF)
I buy mine at Albertson's. The one in my town has an organic foods aisle, and that's where I found it. Also, the organic co-op here has a big bin full of the stuff for a reasonable cost. Other places you can find it are Whole Foods, Rosauers, or your local hippie-food store. You should also try your local grocery chain and see what they have going on there. Who knows? You might get lucky! The other option for getting BRF is to get a bag of whole brown rice and grind it up into flour in a coffee grinder. Make sure to try and get it as fine as normal flour when you are done, and you should be good to go. Don't use white rice, or white rice flour. Your results will be less than ideal.

Vermiculite.
Vermiculite is expanded mica, I believe. Vermiculite has the excellent property of improving soil aeration while retaining the moisture and nutrients necessary to feed roots, cuttings, and seeds for faster growth. For these reasons, it is found rather easily in many nurseries and home supply stores. Vermiculite holds moisture very well and is used in PFTek, casings, and in many bulk substrates. Generally, you want to buy medium grade vermiculite. It should be about the size of the letters on your keyboard, or about a quarter-inch across. Finer grades are suitable, but the conventional wisdom says that medium grade is ideal. When using fine grade vermiculite in a BRF mix, ensure that when loading your jars that you put the mixture in there as gently as you can. The smaller verm will result in a denser mix that is less airy, and care should be taken to avoid compaction of your substrate. However, fine grade vermiculite will provide a tighter seal as barrier in PFTek jars due to smaller gaps because of it's smaller size. I buy mine at Lowe's or Home Depot. However, they only carry it seasonally, and I bought them out today. The stuff I buy is fireplace vermiculite, and though I have heard that I shouldn't use it, I have never had any problems with it. I always pasteurize or sterilize everything that goes on my subs, though. Anyway, due to vermiculite's association with asbestos many suppliers have stopped carrying vermiculite, despite the fact that vermiculite is inert and harmless. If you put a little effort into finding it, you will. Grab the phone book, and call the local nurseries in your area and ask them if they have any. If they don't know what you're talking about, which is entirely possible, go there, ask the manager, and look around a little. Most nurseries however (in my area, anyway), have informed and intelligent workers. The box stores on the other hand, are full of morons. The stuff is out there, you just have to find it.

Perlite.
Same story. This stuff is little white crunchy balls of stuff that evaporate water very well due to the numerous pockets, divets, and holes covering it's surface. Perlite's main use is in fruiting chambers, where water is added to it, and it thusly maintains a high relative humidity within the chamber. It can be bought at the big box stores and found in the gardening sections. Again, it can also be found at your local nursery, or hydroponic store, but it might be a good idea to call ahead and ask them, and save yourself a trip across town for nothing. Supposedly, you may also be able to find perlite at the hardware store, but I have no idea what it is used for, or where in the store to find it.

Canning Jars.
These can be found at your local drugstore. Osco's comes to mind. The Ace hardware down the street from me has them as well. It can be tricky sometimes to find these in the winter or spring, as many stores carry them only seasonally. They are for canning, after all.. The Albertson's here has them year-round, however the Wal-Mart stops carrying them around October. Other stores to look in are Target, True-Value, K-Mart, Walgreens, Safeway, Rainbow Foods, Costco, Sam's, Winn-Dixie, the Dollar Store, Micheals, Hobby Lobby, etc, etc. Another option is to check out your local goodwill store and see if they have any. Remember that if you are looking for PFTek jars, be they pints or half-pints, make sure to get jars without shoulders so that the cakes can be easily birthed.

Wild Bird Seed (WBS)
This is something that I really don't know much about, as all I have ever used is rye berries. I do know that Pennington's brand finch feed is commonly used, and is the brand used in Doc's WBS tek which is all the rage. Other brans that can be used are: Wagner's Four Season, Bird Ration, Bird Basics, and Kaytee. You can buy this stuff at your local hardware store, drug store, or big box store. From what I understand, many cultivators will remove the sunflower seeds from the WBS prior to beginning preparation. I have read that Wronguy does not do this and hasn't suffered any ill effects. In fact, Six Tango (Agar) added, "There is no need to remove any floating husks, or sunflower seeds. These add lignin ( a good thing) & do not harbor any more possible contams than does the millet. It is all going to get thoroughly sterilized - anyway." Anyway, do as you will. No need to pay top dollar for this stuff. Just get the cheapies.

Rye Berries, aka Whole Rye Grain
Your best bet for getting this stuff is from your local health food store, but when buying from them you will probably pay out the nose. Oh well. You can be sure that if you get this stuff from the hippie food store, it will not have any fungicide in it. You can also buy berries at your local feed store, however make sure you get "feed grade" and not "seed grade" to avoid the fungicides. Any store with a bulk foods section will more than likely have rye berries. Whole Foods should have some. Also, be sure that when you are shopping for this stuff, that you don't buy Rye Grass Seed, which is a different bird. Rye berries are rounder and fuller, while rye grass seed is very small and narrow in comparison.
Rye Grass Seed on the left, Rye Berries (what you want) on the right.

Coco Coir
Coco Coir is the leftover material after the fibers have been removed from the outermost shell of the coconut. Coir is used in bulk substrates, and in casings. It can be bought in small bricks from your local pet store as a bedding for reptiles. It's brand name is Bed-a-Beast, or Forest Floor. n00bs beware, the pet store also sells other coconut stuff, in the same section, which is not coir. Coconut fiber is also the wrong stuff. Look carefully, and buy what you need. Coir can also be bought at your local hydroponic store. I bought a 2' x 2' x 1' foot brick of coir for 13 dollars today. That's a pretty good deal, to me. Anyway, any horticultural coco coir you buy should be thoroughly pasteurized as to avoid trichodermia contamination. Trichodermia is intentionally left in place in many horticultural coirs, due to it's beneficial effect on roots. It is not however, beneficial to your shrooms, so beware.
Coir is on the left in this first picture. On the right is fiber.. not what you want.

Tyvek
Tyvek is the easiest shit in the world to find, you just need to know where to look. For instance, you can have up to 800 tyvek envelopes sent to your front door as you sit at your computer, for free! Just go to the USPS store and look up tyvek envelope. Done. Too easy. If you want to, you can go to the post office and ask them for a couple ten and they will give them to you for free as well. If you insist on making it difficult, you can pay for them at the UPS or FedEx store in your neighborhood. From my understanding, housewrap tyvek is less ideal, as it does not allow as much gas exchange. YMMV.

Breathable Tape, aka Micropore Tape.
Microporous materials are often used in laboratory environments to facilitate contaminant-free exchange of gases. Molds spores, bacteria, and other airborne contaminants will become trapped, while allowing gases to pass through the material. This allows for a sterile environment in the contained area, and it is for these reasons that we find it useful in mycology. Micropore tape is used, most commonly, to repair holes punctured in tyvek by syringes during inoculation. If you have already purchased some tape and aren't sure if it is the correct stuff, what you can do is hold a piece up to your mouth and blow very hard. If you are pushing air through the tape, then you have suitable tape. Micropore tape, which is also known as Nexcare, or surgical tape, is found in the first aid section of your local grocer, or drug store.

Polyfill.
Polyfill is inorganic fluffy material used to fill things and make them soft. The inorganic nature of it makes it inhospitable to bacteria and molds, and for that reason organic materials, like cotton cannot be substituted in it's place. This stuff is all around you. It is inside pillows and stuffed animals. Go to Wal-Mart, Big Lots, Micheal's, or Target and find it in the crafts section. If your grocery store is half way decent, you may also be able to find some there as well.

Horse Poo (Hpoo)
Look for this stuff coming out of the asses of horses. The most important thing to know about Hpoo is that you want the aged stuff that has been laying on the ground for some time. If there is any green left in the poo, you are going to want to lay out a tarp or something and place the poo on that. Then, for best results, let it sit out there and get sunbaked, and just sit out in the elements for a couple four months until it is gray and fibrous. When picking your Hpoo from the field, this consistency is what you're looking for. That is the good stuff. It should not smell stinky at all. Rather, should have a earthen smell to it, that isn't offensive. If the chunks of poo are still intact, and you can see the fiber in it, it is good to go. Green Hpoo is of no use to you. Go to your city's local stable. Hop in a car and drive to the edge of town and ask a farmer. My local newspaper always has ads in the "free items" section advertising hpoo. All you have to do is load it yourself.

Peat Peat is used in your 50/50 casings. You want to buy peat moss, or sphagnum peat moss, not sphagnum moss. Basically, if it says peat in the name, this is what you want. This stuff is easy to find. Go to any nursery, or home improvement center's gardening section and pick some up. It's not tough to find. Apparently, Canadian Tire has this stuff too? If that makes any sense...

Gypsum / Calcium Carbonate.
Gypsum is also called Calcium Sulphate. This stuff is used as a nutrient supplement, an anti-clumping agent, and it also has pH buffering properties. The pH buffering is not the real reason we use gypsum, though. Quick pH adjustment should be accomplished using Hydrated Lime. Anyway, gypsum can be bought at your local nursery, agricultural supply store, or home improvement center. It has lots of uses in your lawn and garden. The other route to go when you can't find the gypsum you're looking for is to get some drywall, and crush it up. This way you can obtain gypsum no matter what season it is, or how far from town you live. When you are done crushing your drywall, make sure that you remove as much of the little bits of paper as you can. Another way to get gypsum is to get some plaster of paris. You must hydrate the plaster of paris, and then let it set. After it has been hydrated to specs, and left to set, you can then crush it into a powder and use it. If you try to use plaster of paris without first hydrating, you are defeating the purpose of using it in the first place. Anti-clumping agent.. remember? So, make sure that you do as I said, and it should work. That being said, plaster of paris probably shouldn't be used. How easy is it to find drywall? You're probably surrounded by it right now.
Calcium carbonate can also be used to help buffer pH swings. I would imagine that it is also good as a anti-clumper, but I don't really know. You do not need to buy food grade calcium carbonate, however it can be found at home brewing stores. Oyster shell is also calcium carbonate. From what I understand, this stuff is also lime. The difference here is that this stuff takes a much longer time to really adjust pH in a real way.

Hydrated lime.
This shit can be a real cocksucker to find. Try your local grocery store, and try to find pickling lime. If your store has canning jars, start looking there. That is hydrated lime, and it should work. Go to your local nursery, and ask them for hydrated lime. Also, try your big box home improvement stores, and hardware stores. I had a real hard time finding this stuff. Do not buy anything with more than 5% magnesium in it. Do not buy dolomitic lime. Do not buy masonary lime. Also, if you do intend to use hydrated lime in your casing, it is a very good idea to have a pH meter on hand, as this stuff is very strong and you can easily burn your project. I finally cracked and went online and bought some from Mycosupply. I had to.

Coffee Grounds.
Go to Starbucks, or Seattle's Best, or Dunkin' Donuts, and ask them for their grounds. That easy. Just tell them that you need them for your garden. It's winter, you say? What? Ever heard of a greenhouse? You can also try Denny's, or Perkins, or Waffle House. RogerRabbit had a good story where he went to IHOP and asked them for their grounds. In the time it took to eat, they had several gallons of grounds for him. And, it sounds like he got to eat some pancakes, too. Good deal, no? Starbucks used to have a "Grounds For Your Garden" deal where they just gave them to you, all bagged up and everything. Where-ever you go, just sack up and go ask for them, or you will have to start drinking a lot more coffee. Anyway, I don't even use coffee grounds. Instead, I use worm castings, which have a similar nitrogen boosting effect, and I can buy this stuff at the hydroponics store at which I buy all my coco coir, vermiculite, and Hydroton.
Pressure Cooker
These aren't too difficult to find, and if you put forth a little effort, you may be able to get one on the cheap. Head down to the local goodwill or second-hand store and look around there. If you go to Wal-Mart and look in their kitchen supply section, you will most likely find one there. If you look in the other Target/KMart style stores, you may have some luck there, as well. Any reputable kitchen supply specialty store will have some size of pressure cooker. If you want to take mycology seriously as a hobby, you need a pressure cooker. If you want the good stuff, buy an All-American Pressure cooker. They rock. Heavy-duty, Wisconsin made power. If you do decide to buy a PC it is imperative that you read the instructions. If you buy one second-hand, got online and try and find a manual there. It is my advice to you that you buy a PC. If you want to graduate from PFTek jars and on to grains, you must have a pressure cooker. Even when doing PFTek, using a pressure cooker is just another step towards not fucking it up. Buy one.

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Hey, Jackass! Have you read these? No? Do so. Now.
Getting the most out of your casings!, A pinning strategy.
The Method of Late Casing and Why it's a Good Idea.
Understanding Overlay W/pics!
LC Cloning - Newbie friendly pictorial tek!
Agar's Grain LC.
Rye Bitches, RYE!!!
monstermitch's technique to construct a monotub
The Difference Between Vermiculite & Perlite w/pics
Wronguy's Double Tub Tek Pictorial
Doc's Wild Bird Seed Tek
The Oracle of Everything!!
Edited by thedefone (04/20/08 08:58 PM)
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im_on_a_boat
Stranger

Registered: 04/06/06
Posts: 3,950
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Re: Where can I find.. Where do I get.. I need.. Advice!! [Re: thedefone]
#8053787 - 02/21/08 08:23 PM (15 years, 11 months ago) |
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STICKY!
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fiasco
Altered



Registered: 02/10/08
Posts: 303
Loc: sc/nyc
Last seen: 14 years, 11 months
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Re: Where can I find.. Where do I get.. I need.. Advice!! [Re: im_on_a_boat]
#8053806 - 02/21/08 08:28 PM (15 years, 11 months ago) |
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agree nice post
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Fiasco's Magic Quesdilla ///All posts are merely the result of a delusional mind.\\\
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Jadis
..Just waituntil you seethe bats!


Registered: 08/19/04
Posts: 227
Last seen: 13 years, 8 months
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Re: Where can I find.. Where do I get.. I need.. Advice!! [Re: im_on_a_boat]
#8053808 - 02/21/08 08:29 PM (15 years, 11 months ago) |
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Any ideas on where to find a medium-sized/deep tub? I want something like 30 qt, maybe even 20 qt. But most things I find that size are long/wide and only 7 inches deep. Actually, would 7 inches deep be fine? I think I'd like at least 11 inches...
-------------------- Do you realize that everyone you know someday will die? And instead of saying all of your goodbyes, Let them know you realize that life goes fast. It's hard to make the good things last. You realize the sun don't go down; It's just an illusion caused by the world spinnin' round.
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im_on_a_boat
Stranger

Registered: 04/06/06
Posts: 3,950
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Re: Where can I find.. Where do I get.. I need.. Advice!! [Re: Jadis]
#8053815 - 02/21/08 08:30 PM (15 years, 11 months ago) |
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..that's what she said.
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thedefone
deus ex machina

Registered: 10/06/07
Posts: 1,883
Loc: Gondwana
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Re: Where can I find.. Where do I get.. I need.. Advice!! [Re: Jadis]
#8053831 - 02/21/08 08:33 PM (15 years, 11 months ago) |
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Wal-Mart? K-Mart? Target? If you go to all those places, and your local hardware store, you should be able to find something that works. Remember to put black trash bags against the inside walls where your sub will be. Do this if you are using it for a monotub to prevent light and FAE from causing side-pinning.
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I am become death, the destroyer of worlds.
Edited by thedefone (02/21/08 08:34 PM)
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Kombat Frank
GREAT JOB!



Registered: 02/15/08
Posts: 277
Loc: earth
Last seen: 15 years, 4 months
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Re: Where can I find.. Where do I get.. I need.. Advice!! [Re: thedefone]
#8053844 - 02/21/08 08:35 PM (15 years, 11 months ago) |
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i love how everyone is soo hostile too people who ask questions that are already floating around the forum
why search the internet when you can just post a thread and wallaaaa....receive answers instantly
this was cool of you to make
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ego tripping at the gates of hell
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blowingsm0ke
Smelly



Registered: 02/15/08
Posts: 144
Last seen: 14 years, 8 months
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Re: Where can I find.. Where do I get.. I need.. Advice!! [Re: Kombat Frank]
#8053868 - 02/21/08 08:39 PM (15 years, 11 months ago) |
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Yea this is real nice but I could have used it about a week ago when I was wandering around town with a blank look on my face.
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woefuljungle
here to gain andshare knowlege


Registered: 02/05/08
Posts: 172
Loc: us
Last seen: 15 years, 2 months
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Re: Where can I find.. Where do I get.. I need.. Advice!! [Re: Kombat Frank]
#8053872 - 02/21/08 08:40 PM (15 years, 11 months ago) |
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i dont know if im allowed to do this but if anyone needs anything besides jars because that weighs a ton..i can hook it up..i can get brown rice flower..milled the day i buy it from this market down town for cheap..i can figure out a way to help ppl that need items
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fiasco
Altered



Registered: 02/10/08
Posts: 303
Loc: sc/nyc
Last seen: 14 years, 11 months
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Re: Where can I find.. Where do I get.. I need.. Advice!! [Re: woefuljungle]
#8053883 - 02/21/08 08:51 PM (15 years, 11 months ago) |
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another tip to help you find something is Google Maps. click on find business and type what you want and where you are... nice and easy
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Fiasco's Magic Quesdilla ///All posts are merely the result of a delusional mind.\\\
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thedefone
deus ex machina

Registered: 10/06/07
Posts: 1,883
Loc: Gondwana
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Re: Where can I find.. Where do I get.. I need.. Advice!! [Re: fiasco]
#8057288 - 02/22/08 04:43 PM (15 years, 11 months ago) |
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Updated to add pics. Hope you like!
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I am become death, the destroyer of worlds.
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Madnessinc
Shrooming

Registered: 11/25/07
Posts: 59
Last seen: 10 years, 4 months
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Re: Where can I find.. Where do I get.. I need.. Advice!! [Re: thedefone]
#8207192 - 03/28/08 04:47 PM (15 years, 9 months ago) |
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For no other reason than to bump this thing up. GREAT INFORMATION MATE!!! THANKS!
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icanttype
Lurker


Registered: 11/18/07
Posts: 584
Last seen: 3 months, 1 day
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Re: Where can I find.. Where do I get.. I need.. Advice!! [Re: Madnessinc]
#8207311 - 03/28/08 05:07 PM (15 years, 9 months ago) |
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nice post, you can also find canning jars at places like Hobby Lobby and Michaels Hobby Store
-------------------- GGTBod - "Sounds great, get trippin get naked and get animalistic make her laugh and piss all over you, i see no problems here "
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jinxedsoul
It's all in yourhead.



Registered: 03/21/08
Posts: 81
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Re: Where can I find.. Where do I get.. I need.. Advice!! [Re: icanttype]
#8208090 - 03/28/08 08:07 PM (15 years, 9 months ago) |
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Awesome List thedefone, Straight to my bookmarks 
"List of Teks" link is broken by the way.
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thedefone
deus ex machina

Registered: 10/06/07
Posts: 1,883
Loc: Gondwana
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Re: Where can I find.. Where do I get.. I need.. Advice!! [Re: jinxedsoul]
#8208166 - 03/28/08 08:27 PM (15 years, 9 months ago) |
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Removed.. Thanks for the feedback guys.
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I am become death, the destroyer of worlds.
Edited by thedefone (04/09/08 06:32 PM)
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FooMan



Registered: 02/02/05
Posts: 8,957
Loc: Earth
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Re: Where can I find.. Where do I get.. I need.. Advice!! [Re: thedefone]
#8208301 - 03/28/08 09:08 PM (15 years, 9 months ago) |
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Very nicely put together. Definitely something for the archives
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Quick WBS Prep
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Chemy
Jesus is Lord

Registered: 10/05/07
Posts: 6,276
Loc: A Church
Last seen: 14 years, 1 month
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Re: Where can I find.. Where do I get.. I need.. Advice!! *DELETED* [Re: thedefone]
#8212079 - 03/29/08 08:24 PM (15 years, 9 months ago) |
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Post deleted by ChemyReason for deletion: Reason for deleting?
-------------------- Alcoholics Anonymous Narcotics Anonymous Get help, help is free and available 24/7/365. God bless you all and I hope you receive the help you need to turn away from your lives of sin. Mushrooms and drugs make you gay, you can reverse this homosexual condition with rehab, get help! Stop being gay!
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thedefone
deus ex machina

Registered: 10/06/07
Posts: 1,883
Loc: Gondwana
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Re: Where can I find.. Where do I get.. I need.. Advice!! [Re: Chemy]
#8212219 - 03/29/08 08:50 PM (15 years, 9 months ago) |
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Reflected. Thanks.
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I am become death, the destroyer of worlds.
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danknugz81
spiralingdownward


Registered: 02/22/08
Posts: 882
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Re: Where can I find.. Where do I get.. I need.. Advice!! [Re: thedefone]
#8212412 - 03/29/08 09:29 PM (15 years, 9 months ago) |
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ok, so here's my question: i bought 2 blocks of this stuff (coir from a local gardening store):
http://www.originalmulchblock.com/orchid.html
is this the right stuff to use as a substrate?
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thedefone
deus ex machina

Registered: 10/06/07
Posts: 1,883
Loc: Gondwana
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Re: Where can I find.. Where do I get.. I need.. Advice!! [Re: danknugz81]
#8212519 - 03/29/08 09:51 PM (15 years, 9 months ago) |
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Tough to say without a close look at it. If it has a lot of chips and chunks in it, and not so much of the finer spongy material you're looking for, it may be less than ideal. That being said, it may work just fine. Make sure you give it a good solid pasteurization before use. I use the Growcoir stuff in the picture up there, but it is straight up spongy coir. Next time just head down to Petco, or Petsmart and get some Bed-a-Beast.
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I am become death, the destroyer of worlds.
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