3 replies to this topic

[mycro]

I've been studying the Popcorn TEK section.

https://mycotopia.ne...-fruit-popcorn/

I'm trying to determine a simple, effective place to start fruiting popcorn in a ~6 qt shoebox (probably with a second shoebox as a lid). Would a 3-4 inch layer of 1:1 colonized popcorn to pasteurized coco coir be a reasonable starting point? Thanks.

[PJammer24]

1:1 popcorn to coir will work for you... I would suggest adding a little vermiculite to the mix for water retention... If you are just using verm and coir, you can do one of the easier pasteurization teks. Neither the coir or verm is a nutritious substrate so if you put it in a cooler or a bucket and pour boiling water in and then wait for it to cool, you should be good to go.... I like to put my substrates in a mesh laundry bag like the ones you can get super cheep at Wally World or in a jersey knit pillow case... That way, when you are done pasteurizing, you can hang it to dry over night so it reaches field capacity and is ready to go... If you use many typical types of pillow cases, the weave is often too tight and won't drain properly leaving your substrate too wet.

[mycro]

Thanks. It seems the garden variety has a risk of coming enriched with trich and the recommendation is to get it from a pet store.

 

Is this it? https://www.petsmart...ding-54535.html

 

(I hope outbound links used in this way are allowed).

[PJammer24]

I have used the coir bedding from pet smart... It will work just fine... I have more often used the stuff from the hydro/grow shop... To my knowledge, there is only one brand that infuses trich into their mix... Stay away from the "Canna" brand and you should be fine... I have used a few different ones from the grow shop with great success... The stuff from the pet store is perfectly fine also... I think it is a little cheaper to get the kind that is pressed into blocks rather than the bag of loose coir but I am not 100% on that, just pretty sure...

 

I typically eyeball my substrate mixes but if you are going to add vermiculite, I would probably mix it 1:1:0.50 or 1:1:0.3... corn:coir:verm... The substrate mix is really forgiving though, I would not worry about measuring it out, if you get close to those ratios, you will be in position to get acceptable results baring some other, unforseen issue.

Edited by PJammer24, 13 December 2020 - 03:29 PM.