70 replies to this topic

[highflyer]

I see no problem with steam pasteurizing after a lime soak.

[sinthetic]

i'd like to see pics of this steam pasturizer, i'm guessing industrial?

[altered_states]

HF, would you recommend draining the straw or drying it before steaming?

I'm making a 3 foot log using 7" Diameter FoodSaver tubing.

Thanks!

[Hippie3]

just drain it,
won't hurt the steaming process if straw is already damp

[altered_states]

Awesome. Thank you very much Hippie. I found my Vicks warm mist on sale this morning at a pharmacy after the ritualistic pre-grow trip to Lowe's.

Also, I started researching compost/composting some more after you sent me that link. I now realize that composted cow manure with humus is fine because humus is compost, hence the manure is pure, like you said.

I can be quite absent-minded.

Sinthetic, the link to the composter is in a thread called Straw Wars that I posted in the Fungi forum. Now I'm going to read about posting links, again. I hate it when I read an entire page and then realize that I wasn't paying attention. Never made it into long-term memory.

Peace

[altered_states]

Lord Vader is planning another attack. The rebellion must soak all of it's straw in lime water before the Imperial Star Destroyers get close enough to pasteurize the rebel stockpiles for their own evil purposes. Luke and the gang are poppin' photon caps into the Destroyers' tailpipes to slow them down. The straw must be strong with lime in order to resist the Dark Green Side of the Force.

A Wookie steps through the door and asks, "Shall I use hot or cold water for the lime bath, and for what period of (Earth) time shall I soak respectively?" One rebel asks, "Since when can Wookies speak any language other than Wookie?" He got bitch slapped into a low orbit by that fuzzy bastard. There were no more questions asked about the ways of the Wookie.

The Wookie has everything ready to lime soak and live steam pasteurize the precut straw. He must do this quickly so the straw can be spawned with rye grain, stuffed into plastic tubes, and loaded into the Mycelium Falcon before the Empire is in range.

Should he use hot or cold water and how long should he presoak?

[destroy_erase_improve]

a foaf personally never uses any water hotter than his tap water can go. he uses one cup of bleach per ten gallons of water, and 1/2 a cup of lime per 14 gallons of water.

he just mulches the straw, submerges it in the water and goes to sleep. when he wakes up (around 8 hours later) he just drains and spawns into it.

hope this helps
good luck with the force

[altered_states]

The Wookie is very well versed in the ways of the Myconaut. He is trying something entirely different this time.

[altered_states]

Your Padawan thanks you, Obi-Wan Rodger.
What do you think of the plan to presoak in hot lime water before draining and steam pasteurizing? I would prefer to simply pasteurize in a hot water bath as stated in your log tek, but living arrangements negate that option at the moment.
Have you ever tried live steam pasteurization? It seemed like entirely too much hassle until the Hippie supplied a link to a composter/pasteurizer constructed from a Vicks Warm Mist Vaporizer, styrofoam cooler, and hardware cloth used to hold the straw above the bottom of the cooler.
Stamets mentions live steam pasteurization in TMC before mentioning hot water immersion, the latter stated as being more practical for the home grower.
Dou you think that lime soak/live steam will be as effective as immersion for your straw log tek?

Thanks again... I'm off to buy a pair of garden shears (broke all the scissors)

P.S. While I'm on the topic, what would be your choice of power tools to cut the straw into 1-3 inch pieces without turning it into confetti and ruining the structure of the straw?
String trimmer? Mulching leaf blower/vac? Manual hedge trimmers?
The mulching vac certainly seems to be the easiest and least messy option, which leads me to the conclusion that it is probably too good to be true. I still have doubts concerning whether it will jam constantly and/or destroy the structure of the straw along with it's water retention capability.

May the Force be with you

Found Hip's link: http://mycotopia.net...s/5/109874.html

[altered_states]

I should probably go into more detail concerning my question about chopping methods. I am currently on the market for a straw shredder of some variety. My first attempt at a straw log using a string trimmer failed. I no longer have access to that string trimmer or anything that can chop straw. You said that the log failed because I chopped the straw into confetti, destroying it's tubular structure and water retention properties. The next time I used the string trimmer, after discussing my problem with you, it gave me good results.
I'm just trying to get some advice. I can't justify purchasing a chipper/shredder, but I also don't want to continue cutting bales of wheat straw into 1-3 inch pieces with garden shears.
I'm just asking what you would buy if you were in my situation. I can get a string trimmer, lawnmower, mulching vac, etc. for roughly the same price. If one product is superior, that is the product that I will purchase.

[destroy_erase_improve]

black n decker has a leaf blower.
its a 2 in 1. its a mulcher blower. it sucks the straw right into the mulcher and then shoots it into a bag that is attatched to it. its rad. a foaf has it and it cost her 40 bucks . its handheld and breaks apart for easy storage. it is what she uses everytime.

and when it snows she puts it on blower and clears the snow without hurting her back. btw its a plug in kind. so no fumes either. although it is semi loud so there is no hiding that

[altered_states]

Tonight was it's first run; Everything seemed to go very smoothly.
That's a 62Qt. cooler.
Inside of it are white racks, just like the things under the steamer in the pics.
They seem to provide more than adequate lift and load-bearing properties for the hardware cloth basket that rests on top of them.
After the steamer got going, it took about a half-hour for the substrate to reach 160F.
I unplugged it at about 162F, then plugged it back in 5 minutes later because the temp dropped below 160F.
The temperature regulated itself perfectly; I simply let the steamer run for 2 hours and the temp stayed dead-on at 160F.
There are two 6mm holes drilled in the lid, one of which is occupied by a meat thermometer in the photographs.
The weights were added because the lid starts to warp after prolonged exposure to heat, sagging down in the middle and allowing excess steam to escape around the edges.
This thing is filled with composted horse manure, a brick of expanded coir, a handful of used coffee grinds and a cup or so of hydrated lime.
I took Hippie's suggestion, and placed a thin layer of straw on top of the hardware cloth to prevent the other goodies from falling through.
This poop's cooling down as I type.
Pictures of the pasteurization's aftermath and the inside of the cooler will be here tomorrow.
There's a LOT of substrate in there, and the Wagner had no problem keeping it at 160F.
Hopefully, I got the moisture somewhere close to correct.
Until I open the lid tomorrow, I can only dream.
This is way way way way way better than pasteurizing in hot water, assuming that the thing worked.
I see no reason why it shouldn't work...
Everything went like clockwork on this project... Too easy...
Anyway... My friend's cat liked it too... Pilleurizer? Pasteurillo? Either way, the warm hose apparently made a good pillow. That cat didn't move very much for two hours.
Looking forward to tomorrow's results
Peace,
AS

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[jrogers311]

Way to go altered! Is the steamer expensive? It is used for removing wallpaper and such in the real world right?:eusa_clap