3 replies to this topic

[Jrotten]

So I'm rebuilding my automated FC.  I have timers, various ways to heat, a humidity controller, foggers, bubblers...  I know things will be species dependent,  but I have been experimenting through the rebuild and thinking of maybe using more passive humidity and relying less on the fogger.  My system has a single filtered fan that then leads to a reservoir that is piped to the FC.  In that reservoir is a fogger and I'm adding airstones.  With just the airstones I have been able to keep about 75-85% on the humidity with the addition of a tub of perlite.  This is also keeping constant FAE.

 

For those keeping track of such things do you find it is always best to keep your conditions static or to fluctuate them?  I was thinking of playing around with something like 85% with a trickle of air with just a few fogger sessions as hydration.  I know some people have said 75% until pinset is in, I've seen people say as high as possible except to fan.  Constant FAE?  Passive FAE?  No FAE?

 

I'm obviously experimenting and have some final touches before I tighten all the nuts down, but I'm just wondering how much flexibility and tunability people find useful for growing multiple species.  I will probably do one small cube grow just to keep my genetics fresh that I've been working on.  

[smellitstinknot]

Static. Fresh air should be continuously moving through the chamber. 99% RH and co2 levels at 400ppm are ideal IME. I don't think mushrooms care much for RH it's just a means to prevent drying out. Higher RH means one can provide more FAE and that is always beneficial.

 

If you want to avoid the use of your fogger you can build a simpler powered system. A completely passive system can be done too but presents a problem which is inefficient use of space. A SGFC for example may be a passive design but in order to attain decent FAE and high humidity around 40-50% of the chamber is filled with perlite and it needs to be full of cakes to further boost the RH. I guess you could fill half a greenhouse with perlite to keep humidity up but I'd personally go for an active system or hybrid.

Edited by smellitstinknot, 22 October 2020 - 12:51 AM.

[Arathu]

My goal is to build as advanced of a system (as is necessary to grow healthy and nutritious mushrooms) as I can without adding "loading" to the utility bills.......

 

Indeed there is/will be trade-off of cost(s).......surplus and re-purposed "stuff" rules IME......

 

Oysters need a metric shit-ton of air and I can water them with a hose as long as they don't sit in pools of water.....other species don't like that too much....

 

I haven't found a be-all / do-all set up......cubes will grow in a filter patch bag or mono-tub without ever opening the damned things......

 

For me it's about developing a good working relationship, understanding, with the particular species AND strains of interest...

 

And I always put some fungus into logs and the outdoors......Mother usually shows the way......

 

A

[Jrotten]

With an old Semperviva bag that has flushed 3 times, but is just hanging out looking pretty right now, and a pan of unknown origin just growing into the casing a bit I’m testing a sort of “breathing” environment.

The system works by having a 12v squirrel cage fan in a hepa filtered box, 3’ of hose connect that to a 5 gallon bucket used as the reservoir. In the bucket is a aquarium heater preset to 78F, 2 cylinder bubblestones and the fogger. The fan and the bubblestones run 24/7 and keep the FC anywhere from 75-90% RH depending on ambient temperatures. The fogger is on a timer to run 4 minutes an hour to rehydrate things, but it has a humidistat override set to 89%. Once an hour it gets a chance to run. Another 4 feet of hose runs from the bucket to the top of the FC. It allows air and fog to fall down through the shelves.

A seedling mat in the floor is currently set to 78F but it can get warmer than that during the day just because of ambient temps. Generally stays right around there.

What I’m aiming for is a constant replenishment of fresh air and just enough evaporation and hydration to trigger pinning. Once/if pins are in I might reevaluate for less FAE, but it seems like a rather gentle and humid fresh air setup. If pans and Semperviva will grow side by side I‘ll consider that success. Honestly if pans grow at all I’ll call that success.

Perlite in a tub will keep the RH plenty high, but I lose a whole shelf to the tub and can’t adjust for lower levels.