17 replies to this topic

[casgoodie]

not long ago someone posted about michaels small crafting straw bales. well my foaf recently got one in his hands and has these doubts:

is this straw any good for using as a sub or casing ingredient?

how does one prepare it ?

the label says all natural, made in mexico, sun baked

thanks!:pirate:

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[aumbrellaforainydays]

dude i dont see why not use it... "not for human consumption" hee, where did you friend pick it up?

never used straw but it mixes well into poo or coir or castings or peat or compost. bulk would be the way to go!

[waylitjim]

is this straw any good for using as a sub or casing ingredient?

For a substrate, yes.
Casing layer, no.
I've used Michaels straw before.
It's just plain old wheat straw.
Works great.

[Leary's Ghost]

echo waylit.
i've used it w/ no problems

[casgoodie]

wlj: thx, thats great news. should foaf soak or simmer at all?

[waylitjim]

Yes, you'll need to chop the straw and pasteurize it first.

[casgoodie]

thanks, i think my foaf should be ready to carry on now. this must be his first time using straw as a sub

[yerbaadam]

You will want to make sure that if the straw bale is a mix there is LOW alfalfa straw content.

Foaf likes to soak for 24 hours with hydrated lime and then pasturise for an auspicious 108 minutes at 62 degrees in a large pot atop a stove or some such heating element.

BiGGEst HUGS and BEst of LUCk.
Yer friEnd anD servAnt...
NaScaKLeballS dooDley w0OOdlEy snUGley buBLEy wuDdLEy pUDdlEy

[casgoodie]

thx adam, your foaf must be wise:teeth:

[beebopboy]

I think you should look into bleach pasteurization.

I know for me atleast boiling enough water just to start pasteurizing takes FOREVER!

But if you use the bleach, there just aint much too it.

[Xerces]

I still have NO CLUE of where to buy straw

[devster420]

I always use straw (not hay, sry waylit) like that for my substrate...What I do is put the hay in a pillow case, throw it in a big rubber maid tub, full it with water from the hot tap, throw in a cup of bleach, and if you have it, throw in a cup of powdered limestone ( or alternative calcium carbonate, it will pasteurize better and keep contaminates away for the future growing). Let it sit overnight, 6 - 8 hours, even longer is fine, just not too long so it doesn't become too soft. Drain and strain the straw handful by handful, squeezing all the water out, then just mix that with your colonized grain or whatever. Pack down tightly and store in a dark/warm place and it should be colonized within a week.

[waylitjim]

I always use hay like that for my substrate...

Hay is inferior to straw as a mushroom substrate. There is a difference between the two.

Straw: The stems or stalks (esp. dry and separated by threshing) of certain cereals, chiefly wheat, barley, oats, and rye. Used for many purposes, e.g. as litter and as fodder for cattle, as filling for bedding, as thatch, also plaited or woven as material for hats, beehives, etc.

Hay: Grass cut or mown, and dried for use as fodder; formerly (as still sometimes) including grass fit for mowing, or preserved for mowing.

[casgoodie]

I think you should look into bleach pasteurization.

I know for me atleast boiling enough water just to start pasteurizing takes FOREVER!

But if you use the bleach, there just aint much too it.

i'm sure my foaf will use the bleach/lime soak method and boiling as well, time is not a problem for him, he has no PC and does the fractional sterilization which takes days... for his first time it's not a bad idea to try different methods,,, thanx

[beebopboy]

.....throw in a cup of powdered limestone ( or alternative calcium carbonate, it will pasteurize better and keep contaminates away for the future growing). ...

powdered limestone is calcium carbonate (CaCO3).

You can use hydrated lime (Ca(OH)2) or pickling lime although the proportions are different

[Hippie3]

I still have NO CLUE of where to buy straw

look for where folks get bedding and food for animals
also plant nurseries

[cheshire]

hmm where is the best/easiest place to get lime? garden store?

[casgoodie]

any supermarket that has gardening supplies, today i saw my local supermarket has got some new massive blocks of peat, probably enough to cover my house after expanded. but yeah i've never used lime but the big supermarkets have it. i have trouble finding verm... when i go to the nursery the employees always look at me funny, this fool comes and buys tons of verm only...hmmmm