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jjb007
Registered: 10/03/08
Posts: 338
Loc: Near Philly
Last seen: 1 year, 4 months
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Can I use Cherry Wood sawdust for shiitake?
#9398931 - 12/09/08 11:52 AM (15 years, 3 months ago) |
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I tried to search for a thread about cherry wood and shiitake, but I could not find one. I have never grown shiitake before, and I have been looking for cabinet businesses in the area to donate some sawdust to me in order to grow shiitake. I just received an email from a guy that has about 15 gallons of sawdust from Cherry wood. Will this work?
If so, what should I do with the sawdust? I was thinking that I could mix it with water (proper water content is such that when you squeeze it, barely any water drips out?) and then thrown in spawn bags, sterilize, then inoculate with agar wedge.
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denger
Mycelium keeper
Registered: 09/19/08
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Re: Can I use Cherry Wood sawdust for shiitake? [Re: jjb007]
#9399025 - 12/09/08 12:04 PM (15 years, 3 months ago) |
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Cherry should do. You might want to supplement it with bran 10:1 by dry weight. Pure sawdust is not going to produce too well. Also, sterilize it really well, common mistake is to think that 1 hour in a pressure cooker is enough for sawdust. Unfortunately, sawdust in bags just barely gets up to temperature in its core in one hour. 2 hours is a minimum.
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jjb007
Registered: 10/03/08
Posts: 338
Loc: Near Philly
Last seen: 1 year, 4 months
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Re: Can I use Cherry Wood sawdust for shiitake? [Re: denger]
#9399126 - 12/09/08 12:19 PM (15 years, 3 months ago) |
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oh wow. I am glad you mentioned the time it takes to sterilize. I wonder if my pressure cooker will even last for 2 hours... I have a pretty small PC, it is 8 quarts I think, idk, but it holds 7 half pint jars... How much water do you put in there in order for it to steam for 2 hours? like 3 inches?
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denger
Mycelium keeper
Registered: 09/19/08
Posts: 1,177
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Re: Can I use Cherry Wood sawdust for shiitake? [Re: jjb007]
#9399160 - 12/09/08 12:24 PM (15 years, 3 months ago) |
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No, mine is 21qt, and I put in just 2 cups. The key is to turn the heat down once it comes to the right pressure, so it still holds the pressure but does not boil out. If yours has a pressure gauge, thats a life saver. If not, you'll have to play it by ear (pun intended).
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makaveli8x8
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Re: Can I use Cherry Wood sawdust for shiitake? [Re: denger]
#9399283 - 12/09/08 12:47 PM (15 years, 3 months ago) |
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another tip is to start time after temps have equalized, aka when you have turned the heat down as far a u can without it popping steam yet still hold 15 psi
steam should pop like once every min or around that , if your worried about running dry then shoot for liittle to know popping. seems like ive done no popping before at 15 psi ,
-------------------- We were sent to hell for eternity Øh® We play on earth to pass the time Over-population the root of all Evil-brings the Elites Closer to the gates.
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frankenstoen
Registered: 01/26/08
Posts: 385
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Re: Can I use Cherry Wood sawdust for shiitake? [Re: makaveli8x8]
#9399358 - 12/09/08 12:57 PM (15 years, 3 months ago) |
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Add some gypsum too, along with the bran.
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jjb007
Registered: 10/03/08
Posts: 338
Loc: Near Philly
Last seen: 1 year, 4 months
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Re: Can I use Cherry Wood sawdust for shiitake? [Re: frankenstoen]
#9399549 - 12/09/08 01:31 PM (15 years, 3 months ago) |
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Unfortunately I do not have a pressure gauge on my PC... Do you think it would be reasonable to assume that it is at 15 psi when it is popping out steam about once per minute?
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makaveli8x8
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Re: Can I use Cherry Wood sawdust for shiitake? [Re: jjb007]
#9399618 - 12/09/08 01:42 PM (15 years, 3 months ago) |
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lol
-------------------- We were sent to hell for eternity Øh® We play on earth to pass the time Over-population the root of all Evil-brings the Elites Closer to the gates.
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jjb007
Registered: 10/03/08
Posts: 338
Loc: Near Philly
Last seen: 1 year, 4 months
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Re: Can I use Cherry Wood sawdust for shiitake? [Re: makaveli8x8]
#9399940 - 12/09/08 02:19 PM (15 years, 3 months ago) |
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I really need to buy a better pressure cooker but they're all above like $200 which is a bit expensive for me right now... I check the thrift store about once a week, but have not come across a large sized pressure cooker yet.
I guess I will just make sure that it is spitting out steam about once or twice per minute and hope that it lasts.
Thanks guys.
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Holydiver
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Re: Can I use Cherry Wood sawdust for shiitake? [Re: jjb007]
#9401325 - 12/09/08 05:22 PM (15 years, 3 months ago) |
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Cherry is the best I have used to date w/ shiitake.
-------------------- To find a place to live between the negatives and positives.
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jjb007
Registered: 10/03/08
Posts: 338
Loc: Near Philly
Last seen: 1 year, 4 months
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Re: Can I use Cherry Wood sawdust for shiitake? [Re: Holydiver]
#9401348 - 12/09/08 05:26 PM (15 years, 3 months ago) |
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Quote:
Holydiver said: Cherry is the best I have used to date w/ shiitake.
awesome... so how do you go about preparing it holydiver?
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jjb007
Registered: 10/03/08
Posts: 338
Loc: Near Philly
Last seen: 1 year, 4 months
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Re: Can I use Cherry Wood sawdust for shiitake? [Re: jjb007]
#9406299 - 12/10/08 01:18 PM (15 years, 3 months ago) |
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Do you think 2 hours of PC'ing @ 15 psi would be necessary for 1/2 pint jars of sawdust/gypsum/bran? Or could I get away with the regular 30 min or 45 min?
Also, I am having trouble finding bran... I find wheat germ (but I doubt that it is the same thing). I also find Post brand Shredded wheat and bran cereal, which has only two ingredients: Wheat and Wheat Bran... would that work?
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frankenstoen
Registered: 01/26/08
Posts: 385
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Re: Can I use Cherry Wood sawdust for shiitake? [Re: jjb007]
#9406490 - 12/10/08 01:47 PM (15 years, 3 months ago) |
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I use wheat cat litter instead of bran - anything bran-like will work - you can even use flour.
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Paresthesia
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Re: Can I use Cherry Wood sawdust for shiitake? [Re: frankenstoen]
#9406573 - 12/10/08 02:00 PM (15 years, 3 months ago) |
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Wheat cat litter! Isn't that kind of expensive? I've looked at it at the pet store and passed due to the rediculous pricing, but maybe I'm shopping the wrong places. How is that working out for you?
-------------------- "We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time." - T. S. Eliot
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denger
Mycelium keeper
Registered: 09/19/08
Posts: 1,177
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Last seen: 1 year, 5 months
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Re: Can I use Cherry Wood sawdust for shiitake? [Re: jjb007]
#9406614 - 12/10/08 02:05 PM (15 years, 3 months ago) |
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Quote:
jjb007 said: Also, I am having trouble finding bran... I find wheat germ (but I doubt that it is the same thing). I also find Post brand Shredded wheat and bran cereal, which has only two ingredients: Wheat and Wheat Bran... would that work?
Wheat germ will work fine. The cereal will work too, but its on the expensive side in my view. I think when I was considering replacements, I found that off-brand instant oats were the least expensive alternative available at the local food store. If you'r in the US, then you should be able to find bran in a health food store.
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frankenstoen
Registered: 01/26/08
Posts: 385
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Re: Can I use Cherry Wood sawdust for shiitake? [Re: denger]
#9406711 - 12/10/08 02:20 PM (15 years, 3 months ago) |
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Yeah, wheat cat litter is expensive. About 66 cents per pound. Bran at the helth food store is $1.69 per pound. If I drive a few extra miles I can get animal-feed wheat bran for about 55 cents a pound. Rye grain at the nearest health food store that carries it has more than doubled in price to $2.09 per pound! Bird seed has gone through the roof, most of it more than $1.00 per pound. I found some for sale for 28 cents per pound, and I bought 75 pounds.
The last several bags of oysters I inoculated, I used my kitchen scraps as a nutrient (nitrogen) supplement - coffee grounds, tea leaves, broccoli stems, apple cores, etc. all ground up in the blender. And I used a lot of ripped up junk mail mixed in with the sawdust (carbon) base.
There are lots of things out there to use as mushroom substrates. Be creative!
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Holydiver
Stranger
Registered: 03/19/01
Posts: 5,156
Loc: The midnight sea
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Re: Can I use Cherry Wood sawdust for shiitake? [Re: jjb007]
#9411328 - 12/11/08 07:23 AM (15 years, 3 months ago) |
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Quote:
jjb007 said: awesome... so how do you go about preparing it holydiver?
I take all the shavings and put them into a 55 gallon drum, then use a weed whacker to get a fine consistency all around. No big chunks, and not complete wood dust--happy medium. Then hydrate, mix in 15% bran by weight, and PC for 90 mins @ 15 psi in filter bags. By far I have gotten the best BE% with cherry, there is something about it. Now I'm going out of my way to track down cherry from local cabinet makers.
Can't help you with the jars as the only jars I use are quart WBS to spawn to filter bags.
-------------------- To find a place to live between the negatives and positives.
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makaveli8x8
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Re: Can I use Cherry Wood sawdust for shiitake? [Re: Holydiver]
#9415980 - 12/12/08 01:04 AM (15 years, 3 months ago) |
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thats a very sexy block of shiitake, im curious what your FC looks like:) im in the process of redesigning mine, i made mine out of 2"pvc and covered the entire outside with thick plastic, problem is i can't clean under the pvc at the bottom so i always get crapload of black mold down there:(
i just looked at some of your gallery it looks like your setup is close to mine, any tips or more photos
-------------------- We were sent to hell for eternity Øh® We play on earth to pass the time Over-population the root of all Evil-brings the Elites Closer to the gates.
Edited by makaveli8x8 (12/12/08 01:08 AM)
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makaveli8x8
Stranger
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Re: Can I use Cherry Wood sawdust for shiitake? [Re: makaveli8x8]
#9416004 - 12/12/08 01:11 AM (15 years, 3 months ago) |
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-------------------- We were sent to hell for eternity Øh® We play on earth to pass the time Over-population the root of all Evil-brings the Elites Closer to the gates.
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Holydiver
Stranger
Registered: 03/19/01
Posts: 5,156
Loc: The midnight sea
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Re: Can I use Cherry Wood sawdust for shiitake? [Re: makaveli8x8]
#9417153 - 12/12/08 09:15 AM (15 years, 3 months ago) |
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Quote:
makaveli8x8 said: any tips or more photos
Very simple. mini-greenhouse with a newer style coolmist runs on a timer for 1 hour, every 3 hours for air exchange. don't worry about getting RH up from this setup to fruit shiitake, you won't--that part comes from the dunk itself.
Sits in a basement at a steady 58F. After complete browning dunk your blocks in a igloo cooler or similar for 48 hours with cold water + tons of ice. Weigh them with bricks, whatever...everything has to be submerged. Rinse them and place back in FC.
Repeat this process for following flushes, and allow to dry out for 2-3 weeks inbetween.
The cold shock + dunk is key along with proper fruiting temps. I have a thread on this somewhere.
And yes, mine molds up like a mofo in the basement too. The black mold already killed two wicks in my coolmist. But the Shiitake are tough as hell and never contam'd after 3+ flushes.
-------------------- To find a place to live between the negatives and positives.
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