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Mushrooms, Mycology and Psychedelics > Mushroom Cultivation
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Shop: North Spore Injection Grain Bag   Mushroom-Hut Substrate Mix   Unfolding Nature Unfolding Nature: Being in the Implicate Order

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Microwave vermiculite = bad! Solution?
    #830180 -

Ok, I feel dumb. I'm preparing my first casing and I am using the 50/50+ tek with peat and verm plus lime and CaCO2. I read a couple things in various places saying you could microwave this stuff to sterilize it. BAD IDEA! The peat practically cooked away, the tupperware melted, and the smell is making me sick....after only 5 min. I read some post where some guy nuked his stuff for 30min??? Gawd, I hope not!

So I need to get this done TODAY. No time to order special bags for the pressure cooker or anything like that. What's the best way to sterilize this mixture before I case it? It would be nice if I didn't have to bike to the store again?

Thanks much,
Robin


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"Rob? That's a naughty word, we never rob. We just.. borrow a bit from those who can afford it."

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Re: Microwave vermiculite = bad! Solution? [Re: robinhood2]
    #830197 -

sorry to hear your misfortune....but you should have known that you dont put verm in a plastic container in the microwave. the verm gets super hot and melts it as you have found out. use something more durable ( pyrex?) and lower your nuking time. most times i just nuke my casing material for less than a minute and very seldom have contams. good luck.

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Re: Microwave vermiculite = bad! Solution? [Re: robinhood2]
    #830223 -

Although the 30 mintues that my friend nuked his vermiculite was probably excessive, he experienced no problems or odors. This was because he nuked it in a large pyrex bowl, which will not melt, unlike your rubbermaid container. As you found out, melting/burning plastic emits noxious odors and can make you sick. Use some common sense next time. He has no experience with peat moss, so he can't help you there.

primal


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All pictures posted by me were found on the internet. Moreover, I do not grow mushrooms containing controlled substances nor do I possess any controlled substances.

Edited by primal_future (08/20/02 10:31 AM)

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Re: Microwave vermiculite = bad! Solution? [Re: primal_future]
    #830259 -

Bake it in an oven.
Microwave in pyrex.
pc it in a jar.
pc it in a foil pouch, elevated on the jar rack so it's not sitting in water.
Put it in ziplock and submerge in 160 degree water to pasteurize it rather than sterilize

There are many solutions to this problem, it's really not that complicated. Sorry you melted your dish, I always get sad and miss dishes that I destroy


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"From a certain point of view"
-Jedi Master Obi Wan Kenobi

PM me with any cultivation questions.

I just looked at my profile and realized I had a website at one point in time on geocities, it's not there anymore and I have no idea what I had on it. Anybody remember my website from several years aga? PM if so please.

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Re: Microwave vermiculite = bad! Solution? [Re: robinhood2]
    #830320 -

Stick all your casing material in an oven bag (the ones you use to cook turkeys in) youll find packs of 2-5 for around $5.00
Use the tie that is provided in the package and cook at 350. for about 1 hour or so. This worked for a friend of mine.


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I'm just a field researcher for Hitchhikers Guide to The Galaxy.

My entry so far.... "shrooms: Mostly harmless"

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Re: Microwave vermiculite = bad! Solution? [Re: robinhood2]
    #830353 -

I nuked some 50/50 mix in a plastic container with no problems. I just did it for intervals of 2 min and all was well.

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Re: Microwave vermiculite = bad! Solution? [Re: robinhood2]
    #830422 -

Thanks once again for all your helpful responses. I feel dumb but I swear I saw a lot of posts in the archives about excessive nuking. I ended up using the microwave anyway. Let's just hope I didn't get any contams when making the casing itself. This thread can be put to rest....hopefully someday another confused person like me will search the archives and avoid a microwave disaster.

Robin


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"Rob? That's a naughty word, we never rob. We just.. borrow a bit from those who can afford it."

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[Re: robinhood2]
    #830504 -


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Re: Microwave vermiculite = bad! Solution? [Re: matts]
    #889051 -

In reply to:
hopefully someday another confused person like me will search the archives and avoid a microwave disaster.


well i searched and read it and now i no not too lol thanks for fuckin up for me


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This place is gayer than when the balls touch

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Re: Microwave vermiculite = bad! Solution? [Re: robinhood2]
    #889127 -

I know someone who uses the microwave with verm (plus scott's 3-n-1)  in a plastic container and has had no problems.  The trick is to keep an eye on it and stir at least a couple of times during the process to get even heat distribution.  He tries to be done with the cooking before the plastic is at the melting point.  Although he has never measured it, I would bet the overall temp inside the container can become more than sufficient to kill the nasties long before the plastic fries...  Verm gets HOT!
In other words, I think you cooked it way too long  :grin: 


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** Everything written here is a lie **


"There is nothing so exhilarating as being shot at, and missed." -- Theodore Roosevelt



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Re: Microwave vermiculite = bad! Solution? [Re: marathonman]
    #889136 -

If you can't get a hold of a pressure cooker, how about one of those regular steamers? Take a pot, boil water, then have a rack where you can stack the jars, and then steam for about an hour. I sterilized 12 jars and lost none to contamination except this one jar cooled too fast and the jar cracked and contams snuck in. I never understood the big deal with PC'ing when steaming worked wonders for me.


--------------------
Beers that I have had.  Total listed:2,302

Make your own beer!
Homebrewing(Extract with Specialty Grains)
Homebrewing(All-Grain)
Home wine making
Make your own Wine!

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Mushrooms, Mycology and Psychedelics > Mushroom Cultivation
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