Does Growing Medium Ph Affect Potency?

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RogerRabbit
Bans for Pleasure

Registered: 03/26/03
Posts: 42,214
Loc: Seattle
Last seen: 1 year, 2 months

Re: Does Growing Medium Ph Affect Potency?

[Re: quickpick]
#8860247 - 09/01/08 12:22 PM (17 years, 11 months ago)

After 35 years of mushroom cultivation, I've learned a little bit about what works, what doesn't, and what works better. My advice is based on that, and will change as new/improved information and research shows something better, not on what my old friend wrote 15 to 20 years ago based on the state of our hobby at the time.

As I've said previously, grow some mushrooms to learn the life-cycle first hand, post the pictures, try different methods and post the pictures along with the results of your experiments. You're not the first new member to quote Stamet's books to prove I'm wrong, and I'm sure you won't be the last. That's a good thing actually; it shows you're researching the hobby before you start. :thumbup:

With biology/chemistry knowledge, I'm certain you understand that the major difference between medicine and poison is dosage. Hydrated(water soluble) lime is a much more potent base than simple ground limestone. Limestone(calcium carbonate) is 'weaker' and needs time to dissolve, therefore is more forgiving of new growers who use too much. Hydrated lime dissolves instantly and is much less forgiving of noobs who use too much, but gives the pH correction immediately while the casing layer is still uncolonized, thus preventing contaminant mold spores from germinating in the numbers that can overwhelm the mushroom mycelium, which is far more tolerant of a basic pH.

Good luck and happy growing to all.
RR

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quickpick
Stranger

Registered: 08/15/08
Posts: 230
Last seen: 17 years, 10 months

Re: Does Growing Medium Ph Affect Potency?

[Re: RogerRabbit]
#8860737 - 09/01/08 01:56 PM (17 years, 11 months ago)

Hey RR,

Quote:

You're not the first new member to quote Stamet's books to prove I'm wrong, and I'm sure you won't be the last. That's a good thing actually; it shows you're researching the hobby before you start.

Hehe, thanks. But I do reference other studies and research more often, and to backup, the info I quote from Staments. And it's not to prove you wrong but to improve on the how things are done, nothing against you, I like you from what I've seen.

It's just that I come with a different knowledge base (microbes and organic horticulture) which means I will do things differently then they have been when mushrooms are grown by people who learned first the standard knowledge about growing mushrooms. I look at it differently and offer different options which I believe are possibly superrior by following the template of Nature and evidence of science. It may seem like I'm trying to change everything but I'm not, I just want to modify them to what is IMHO a more accurate representation of what would happen in Nature by using scientific evidence.

And yes, hydrated lime can be used like you've mentioned. But IMO many people might be over applying it and don't realize they could be hurting their fungals. I am hesitant to use any substance which can be caustic in medium doses. And even more hesitant to suggest it to people who may not be familiar with it's caveats.

I'll post pics of my grow in the next month when I (hopefully ) get a first flush...

For my sub, I will pasteurize a slightly dry mix of h.poo, vermiculite, baby oatmeal and oat flower. Then I'll moisten it to optimal moisture, btw, what is considered the optimal moisture content percentage of h.poo sub, 70%? For post-pasteurization water I'm going to use distiled water (boiled for 15 minutes) to which I'll add AEM at 1:50 (or 1:25), along with organic yucca (no preservatives) and cold processed kelp extract (no preservatives), humic acid, organic unsulfurated black strap molasses and maybe MetaNaturals organic calcium...all to feed the microbes and the dead microbes from AEM, yucca, humic, kelp (potassium) and calcium are for the p.cubes...

My casing is going to be peat and vermiculite, to which I'll add fine c.lime to bring the pH to about 5. Then I'll pasteurize the mix and finally moisten with (boiled) distilled water including AEM at 1:25 (or maybe 1:10 for fast protection of casing), organic yucca (for fungals and surfactant), hydrolyzed fish (for the PnSB), humic acid (for fungals and microbes) and the same black strap molasses (for microbes).

The live microbes from the AEM should offer synergistic relationships to fungals besides feeding the fungals when the microbes die and protecting the medium from 'bad' microbes.

Quote:

by RogerRabbit:
Good luck and happy growing to all.
RR

I second that my friend! :smile: