  
Visions (Visions)
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 31, 2002 - 12:31 am: | 
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Hello everyone...haven't been around for a long while....
This is a long post...but I broke it up so it would be easy to read...You will like!
Got some good news!....To start off I would like to say that straw is my Buddy!
I have been pasturizing straw in these pillow cases and they have worked great...accually Fantastic! "Clean-Air" & "BioSafe"
Not only do I pasturize in them I leave the straw in them then fruit right out of them.
That is the most important thing! Leaving the staw in them. It holds in the moisture yet breaths freely.
To give an example on how well they work...Over two weeks ago(20 days to be exact) I pasturized some straw in 160% water plus added some bleach (less than 1/4cup per pillow case)(I like to be sure and was too lazy to boil water to raise the temp to 170% and you never learn until you make mistakes). Anyway...I had another straw batch in a 35gal gargage can...Well after spawning the straw that was in the garbage can I ran out of spawn so I didn't spawn the straw in the pillow cases....
Here is my point...those pillow cases sat outside on my deck for 20 days...Rained on...kicked around...Sun beating down on them...flipped over a few times to smell them...
And today I decided to check them...They weigh almost exactly the same as they did after I pasturized them...meaning they didn't dry out like you would think they would and it has been hot as hell here and very dry...Also nothing is growing in them...Nothing!...Smells great!
Something else is the under sides of the pillow cases would stay damp...yet not a contam 1 got through...You might think that since the bottom would get moist then contams would be drawn in but that fabric killed or prevented them from entering even though at one time it looked like black mold was on the outside of the pillow cases and still nothing got through...The extra air movement outside I believe might help.
I usually keep my straw pillow cases inside...in a closet and a couple of times there seamed to be mold that would start to grow on the bottom of the pillow cases...All I would do is flip it over....absolutly no problem after that!
The pillow cases breath fantasticly!...So much better than a filter patch could...As the mycelium grows the smell of mushrooms grows with it...You could smell if you had a problem before you opened it up.
The only problem someone might have with using these pillow cases is that you can't see in...Hey,,,just use your other God given sinces...#1) Smell for contams...#2)Feel the straw...Will be like a concrete pillow...#3)Knowledge on how long it should take to be ready...#4)Since enough not to "Peek" in until your sure!
These are the pillow cases I use:
"CleanAir"...Allergy-Relief Bedding...Zippered Pillow Encasing with Dust Control Barrier....Bought @Home Bath and Beyond
Dust,mites and allergen cannot penetrate 2-layered breathable barrier...
Waterproof: Allows air exchange but holds in moisture. Can withstand 160%water
I stuff the "CleanAir" Pillow Case with straw then bleach pasteurize and or just pasteurize and or both...I have added bleach to the water after pasteurizing so that while the Pillow Case is draining that if cantams land on the Pillow Case while it is wet and then wicked into the Case that they are killed...This pillow case holds water...like a water baloon...Let it pasturize for an hour then crack it open and drain...I think the bleach helps here too because as you drain out the water some of the straw will poke through the opening...I let it drain...then squeeze...then grab the tips of the straw that is poking out and remove it...then zip it closed...
Then I take that Pillow Case and place it into another Pillow Case...a different kind..."BioSafe"...treated with Ultra-Fresh...an Anti-Microbial...which inhibits the growth of bacteria, fungi, molds and mildew....and it is breathable...the Anti-Microbial stays in the fabric...that's what they told me....and aparently it does because I don't have any problems....Then I let it hang dry over night before I spawn it...this also lets the bleach evaporate.
Then I toss in a cake....and wha...la!
You can open and case it when it's ready if you like.
Here is another use you might like:
The problem with terrariums, casings etc...is that moisture without good air flow allows mold and bacteria to grow...
Solution: Make a huge filter patch using these 2 pillow cases...I believe the closer you can keep this filter patch to your cakes,substrate,growing mushies the better. Will make a larger surface area compared to volume of air...Allowing Co2 to excape easily...Sort of what Micofile did using a plastic bag draped over an 8" deep box...As the mushies grew the plastic bag would rise with it...He got his air flow coming up under the plastic...The point is he had air flow...I believe if he would have closed it up air tight he would have failed and got contams. He had to mist with his system...If you use these pillow cases you won't need to...The "Clean-Air" pillow case would hold in the moisture and you would have lots of fresh air!
You could use these pillow cases on your terrariums,9x13 trays...whatever you decide to use! And I am sure someone could think up some more and I hope they do!
If I were to use them over terrariums etc...I would first dip them in a bleach dip to make sure they are contam free before you use them.
On another note,,,I have moved on from jars to oven bags...but as Nan stated on another thread they can be tempermental...I am working on my moisture problem with them but I believe they will be better once it's worked out...I believe that while the bags are hot the moisture excapes more easily which makes since...I have opened the bags and added water after...but there lies a huge problem within itself!
 Oh!!! I have to shut up!!!
Visions |
Nan (Nanook)
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 31, 2002 - 01:54 am: |
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LOL, some good tips there  |
dom teknos (Teknos)
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 31, 2002 - 06:33 am: |
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Wow sounds great!! Just to make sure i got it, just a regular PF cake would be okay, and cruble it or just toss the whole cake? And where would one go about obtaining straw?
Thanks!
Dom |
Visions (Visions)
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 31, 2002 - 11:08 pm: |
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Home Depo,other hardware stores with gardening,gardening stores,Walmart has mini wheat straw bales in their craft department,landscaping supply....Lot's of places......Adding cow or horse shit or compost would help boost nutrients and give better results but not absolutely needed.
Keep it Simple! |
Nan (Nanook)
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 31, 2002 - 11:45 pm: |
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Straw Tek 
I got started reading Old Timers stuff |
Hippie3 (Admin)
| | Posted on Thursday, August 01, 2002 - 12:42 pm: |
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teknos,
the cake needs to be crumbled up and thoroughly mixed into the starw/compost.
that speeds colonization up considerably.
how expensive are these pillow cases, visions ?
this might well be archive material. |
Visions (Visions)
| | Posted on Thursday, August 01, 2002 - 10:37 pm: |
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Less than $10 each... I would only use the brand that says "Clean-Air" and "BioSafe"...The ones at Walmart cost less and are shit!
Hey they even make them in King Size Beds
This is all so funny...right when I am thinking of using just compost...Here we all are thinking the same thing! |
Hippie3 (Admin)
| | Posted on Friday, August 02, 2002 - 12:56 pm: |
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hmm. a bit expensive for my tastes, wonder how many crops one can get before the pillow case is unsuitable for further use ? |
Visions (Visions)
| | Posted on Saturday, August 03, 2002 - 12:11 am: |
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Well how cheap do you want them...LOL......The Clean-Air would wear out fastest...it has the plastic or rubber lining...would depend on how abrasive the substrate is...the Bio-Save will last for years... |
Hippie3 (Admin)
| | Posted on Saturday, August 03, 2002 - 01:49 pm: |
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straw could be considered abrasive i suppose, it might poke a few holes in that liner.
compost/manure of course isn't abrasive at all.
it all sounds real good, we'll see that it gets more widely known.
any pics you can share ? |
Visions (Visions)
| | Posted on Friday, August 09, 2002 - 01:28 am: |
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Sorry, I forgot to mention...Light will penitrate through both pillow cases so when it comes time to fruit you will need to put the pillow case in a cardboard box or wrap it with that black plastic weed preventer that won't let light in yet allows air and moisture exchange...then unzip and open for a while everyday to have it pin on top. |
Hippie3 (Admin)
| | Posted on Friday, August 09, 2002 - 02:06 am: |
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put some colonized rye and some pasturized compost in those pillow cases tonight, visions.
we'll see what grows.
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Visions (Visions)
| | Posted on Friday, August 09, 2002 - 03:13 am: |
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Sorry, I forgot to mention...Light will penitrate through both pillow cases so when it comes time to fruit you will need to put the pillow case in a cardboard box or something that will keep the light out yet breaths...
If you use a cardboard box put 2" of dry perlite on the bottom and make sure the pillow case doesn't touch the sides or mold will grow from the small amount of moisture that excapes the pillow cases.... Get a box with the top flaps still on it...Cut out the center just large enough so that you can pull the zipper end of the pillow case through and open it up to expose only the top of it to light so that it only pins on the top...if you don't it will try to pin everywhere. Pick the mushies when ready...
Good luck! |
TheCubsta (Thecubsta)
| | Posted on Friday, August 09, 2002 - 04:35 am: |
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Visions, when you say "Feel the straw...Will be like a concrete pillow...", I don't understand...
Are you saying your straw is bricked up or what? I've never worked w/ straw but I figured it was loose and fluffy.
Peace,
TheCubsta
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Jesseb (Jesseb)
| | Posted on Friday, August 09, 2002 - 08:22 pm: |
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I think that what he means is when the straw is fully colonized it will be "like a brick" so to speak.
jesseb |
Visions (Visions)
| | Posted on Friday, August 09, 2002 - 08:49 pm: |
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Jesseb you're right...
I like to grow them in those full body pillows cases and sleep with them...The mushies talk dirty to me at night and make me do naughty things...LOL,,,,Just kidding... about some of it! |
jack black (Bold_Cucumber)
| | Posted on Friday, August 09, 2002 - 09:26 pm: |
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I had some birdseed jars I left fully colonized in the jar for like a month and half too long, and when I crumbled them up they were almost like wood the mycelium was so thick. They also had a thick REALLY tough layer of pure fungus all over the outsides of the cakes. |
Visions (Visions)
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 21, 2002 - 12:55 am: |
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Hip, I started my Pillow Cases a few days before you did...Mine seamed to be 100% so I cased them in verm...I now have them in a box with a sq hole cut out on the top and pulled the zippered ends through...Left the outer pillow case unzipped and folded over to help let light reach just the top...3 days after casing I see lots of hyphal knotting reaching for the sky...We should be on the same page...
You know, I have opened these several times and never got a contam...Must be all the air exchange..
Looking forward to hearing your results! |
Hippie3 (Admin)
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 21, 2002 - 02:26 am: |
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unfortunately, i tried to do my last batch without pasterization, and got bacteria [rotten apple smell].
my earlier batch is still ok, put out it's 1st 3 pins today.
but i took it out of the pillowcases after colonization and cased that. |
Visions (Visions)
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 21, 2002 - 06:42 pm: |
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Cool....You knew better than that...LOL
Try bleach pasteurization.....Pasteurize with bleach...drain...toss in a cake or two...don't mix up...let drain for a day so the bleach can evaporate...then mix... |
Hippie3 (Admin)
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 21, 2002 - 09:50 pm: |
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yeah, i knew better but some folks at shroomery posted their success straight out of the bag w/o pasturization so i thought i'd give it a try.
 |
Visions (Visions)
| | Posted on Thursday, August 22, 2002 - 08:32 pm: |
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I did the same thing!...LOL...even shot up the bag without opening it...still didn't work...not with that brand anyway...guess you would just have to get lucky... |
Dirty Wop (Anotherdirtywop)
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 28, 2002 - 04:22 pm: |
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you can spawn really grey, composted dung patties w/o pasturization or sterilization. I'm about to try it with pans...let'chya know how that goes. I've only tried it out on the porch, but that isn't really outdoor...so it will surely work inside too. |
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