20 replies to this topic

[Shroomerman]

Ok, so today AFOAF located a place which had vermiculite yesterday. Having already obtained coir quite some time ago, he was prepared to make some casing. He proceeded, following scatman's tek, and by the time he went to bed, he had 12 jars worth of casing (by the way, he tells me he'd have much more, if he'd had more jars; a damn brick of coir makes a really incredible amount). So, anyways, my questions: he intends to use this to case Visions LBs, how deep should the casing be, and should he go ahead and mix some of this casing in with the straw as he's layering the basket? He's not intending to use manure, so I thought this might be a good idea for him. He has 12 jars of popcorn with B+ (which I've seen, and they are an asskicker; rhizo-city) and 12 jars of coir/vermiculite mix, and he intends to make 3 baskets. Oh, also, when pasteurizing a monster batch of straw, say 3/5 bale, how much hydrated lime should be used?

[mycobri]

b+ might get pretty big off some straw baskets :teeth:
verm and coir sounds good to mix in-between layers
Best of luck. are you going to give the baskets lotsa fresh air and daily mistings?

[Shroomerman]

b+ might get pretty big off some straw baskets :teeth:

That was definitely the idea behind that recommendation. ;)

This is some hearty stuff too; he tells me that this was the first time he ever did 12 jars at once and had all of them turn out perfect.

verm and coir sounds good to mix in-between layers

That's what I thought; he figures to have extra, and it seems to me that could hold some extra moisture.

Best of luck. are you going to give the baskets lotsa fresh air and daily mistings?

Yeah. He'll have them in an area which gets fairly good air exchange, and I'll instruct him to mist them at least once daily.

[Shroomerman]

Bumparoo


Anyone else have any thoughts or suggestions? My FOAF is getting close to D-day.

[Freaky]

Your friend might want to shake the jars up to break the grain apart, then let recover for a day before spawning. This can be done before straw pasteurization, then when straw is ready so is the spawn ready and recovered.

Amount of lime for 3/5 of a bale I can't compute an exact amount. You might want to just mix say 1/4 cup in water and stir it around before adding your straw.

Also, is your friend going to chop his straw? Its highly recommended as it will hydrate better and colonize quicker.

The layers of casing/spawn mix will work fine.

Best of luck :)

[apokalypse]

What's the quantity of lime for a whole bale? * 60% (or 3/5, it's easier for me to think in percent)

I remember visions LB, when I first joined here I had a dialog with him over it, very nice tek :)

[Shroomerman]

Your friend might want to shake the jars up to break the grain apart, then let recover for a day before spawning. This can be done before straw pasteurization, then when straw is ready so is the spawn ready and recovered.

Thanks. I was debating in my mind over whether to recommend he shake it up a day prior, or directly prior. I had forgot to ask. Johnny on the spot, you are! ;) :rasta:

Amount of lime for 3/5 of a bale I can't compute an exact amount. You might want to just mix say 1/4 cup in water and stir it around before adding your straw.

Cool. I suppose this probably isn't that important, but I wanted to be sure not to add too much.

Also, is your friend going to chop his straw? Its highly recommended as it will hydrate better and colonize quicker.

Yes. I understand from past experience that a gas weed-whacker gets the job done fairly well, and it so happens he has one!

The layers of casing/spawn mix will work fine.

Best of luck :)

Great... I'll tell him to use it all. If things work out well, perhaps I can procure a camera and get him to snap a few photos; if they work as well as I suspect they might, they could make for some decent myco-porn. :headbang:

Thanks again. I'm a mycotopia guy from way back in the day, and was mostly around in 2003 up until now; this site was, and continues to be, an invaluable resource.

ETA: by the way, Visions was a damned genius. I've been looking through the archives a lot lately, and between his LBs, his pressure-box, and his general advice, he really added a lot.

[Hippie3]

a couple drops of soap in the straw water helps soak absorbtion considerably
might even use the antibacterial kind [salicylic acid]

[Shroomerman]

a couple drops of soap in the straw water helps soak absorbtion considerably
might even use the antibacterial kind [salicylic acid]

Hippie! Thanks, man. That should help considerably, considering the format of the LB.

[Freaky]

:thumbup:

And yeah, less lime is better than more or adding too much to it.

The soap is a good idea, I didn't think of that one.

[Shroomerman]

*Update Time* Well, there was a change of plans, and rather than doing LBs, my FOAF decided to do dub-tubs. But he had a major scare. As I said previously, he prepared casing via Scatman's technique, but in place of the powdered oyster shells, he used hydrated lime. So, when he went to do the dub-tubs, which he planned to do rez-effect style, he had a tough choice: shit-can the existing casing, or go ahead and risk it. Well, that was tuesday, and yesterday he opened the bins to find out that, not only did the casing not burn the existing corn, but the thing had taken off, and a thin casing layer needed only be scattered for even coverage. He plans on going ahead and starting the pinning process Sunday. So a question: was he just super-lucky that the lime didn't burn up the mycellium, or is it okay to use that much lime in making 50/50 Verm/Coir casing? I think part of it might be due to the fact that you pour wet vermiculite over the lime-soaked coir, thus washing some of it off. Or maybe lime is okay there; I don't know. All I know is clear tubs with cut-off black garbage bags works well for colonizing bulk substrate. Sorry for the giant paragraph; for some reason, this bastard keeps nixing my line breaks.

[Hippie3]

this was pioneered by Visions, a long time member here,
and compiled / edited by Chronic, another respect member here who is known for his 'chronic quart jar tek'.
Visions’ (L.B.) Tek

Intro.

One of my best qualities is being able to look at seemingly complex problems and to simplify the understanding of what is going on. My goal when I first started was to simplify everything, and to Keep it Simple Stupid (K.I.S.S.) All I did was try to understand how mushrooms grow outside and what we were doing wrong by trying to control their man-made environment. Trust me when I say I have had many more failures than successes, but without those failures I wouldn't understand what is going on and how simple it really is!


Spawn prep.

The first step toward your very own Vision Laundry basket will be the preparation of your spawn. Once you have chosen a grain to use for spawn, (I use Hard Red Winter Wheat Berries,) put the grains in a large pot and cover completely with water. Next bring temp up to 160*-180*. Once you have reached this temp zone, cover with a lid, turn off heat, and let soak 24hrs. While the grains are soaking cut a 3/4" round hole in the lid of a Qt jar and fill that hole with Pollyfill or cover with other suitable filter material. Fold and compact the Pollyfill, then pull it through the hole. It should be pretty tight and will look like a large ball on each side of the lid. The Pollyfill will act as a filter without which you won't get much growth.


After the grains have soaked for 24hrs, rinse very well, drain well, then fill your Pollyfill filtered quart jars no more than 2/3 with grains. Put lids on with the rubber side down (the way they are meant to be on,) and PC for 75min. Take the jars out as soon as the pressure goes to Zero and tighten the lids. Let them cool completely then inoculate (preferably in a pressure box as mentioned below.)


The next optional step will greatly increase the turnover time of each basket but is optional. You will need to acquire or build a simple pressure box for around $50 that you will use to do grain to grain transfers. Once you have successfully colonized a Qt jar or two, you will use your pressure box to complete Grain to grain transfers thus multiplying your spawn by 10-20X. When I do grain to grain I use about 2tbs to inoculate the new jars and most finish in 5 days. If you do grain to grain transfers you should have your crop between 5 to 7weeks tops


Substrate Pasteurization

The next step is the preparation of the substrate that will be spawned with the grains prepared in the previous step. We will be using straw with some added manure in an open aired environment (more air = Less Contams) so pasteurization will be used to knock bacteria and microbe levels down to a suitable level. Pasteurize your straw by submerging it in 160 degree water; Mix in little by little, as you add the hot water, approximately 1/5 cup bleach and 5 large heaping tbs. Hydrated Lime(I use Hoffman's) to approximately 1/5th bale straw(one basket worth). As you add water to your straw the straw will compact so keep adding and pressing down till you used around 1/5th a bale. Make sure all the straw is submerged then cover it and let soak till it reaches room temperature. Once water has cooled to room temp poke holes in your bag or pull your drain plug and allow to drain WELL then spawn.


Spawn Transfer

Now that your spawn is completely colonized and your straw is pasteurized you are ready to begin your basket. The baskets are 1 bushel, 12” tall and approximately 18" in diameter. You can find them at Walmart for $2 each; the size is perfect and easy to work with. Layer the straw and spawn into your basket (with many holes drilled in the bottom to avoid pooling water and add air circulation) so that it is uniform throughout. 3Qt jars of Hard Red Winter Wheat Berries is enough spawn per basket. I use 4Qt, not because it is needed, but because I like to use a lot of spawn. When I use Millet however, 3Qt jars are plenty. Millet breaks up finely and gives great coverage. You may also layer in some pasteurized manure at this point, (I use "Brooks" sold at "Frank's" nursery) which will help hold in some moisture but this is optional. Once your basket is nearly full it must be cased on top. Your casing material should also be pasteurized in bleach water (1/4 tsp bleach per Gal. water). Once soaked, squeeze out excess water and put 1 1/2"-2" casing on top of the basket of straw and spawn layers.

Basket Maintenance

Now that your straw has been spawned and cased it is time for colonization and fruiting. Remember, nature is not perfect so we need not be perfect either, but your basket will need some nurturing. First off remember that more air = less contams so do not cover your basket during colonization; the stale air will only give mold and bacteria a chance to thrive. If your room is dry (very low humidity like mine is) mist heavy a couple times a day if you can. Remember that the mycelia likes it moist not wet. Wet will slow it down. Straw holds a lot of water. You could mist up to a Qt of water over the course of a day per basket. Try not to let the casing dry out, especially when you see the mycelia poking through the casing which should happen about two weeks after spawning. When you see the mycelium poking through the casing that's when you can lightly cover the basket in a clear plastic bag, leaving room on the sides of the basket(in other words don't close it up tight). Fresh Air is the Key!


Once it starts pinning you can water the hell out of it(one big watering.) Excess water will drain out all the holes you will drill in the bottom of the baskets. I keep my temp in my grow room between 72*-76*, everything dries out less, less stress on the mycelium, and they prefer to fruit at these same temperatures. If you water it properly, you will get everything in one flush

[Patrick]

I have a laundry basket very similiar. Damn thing is overflowing with dirty clothes instead of magical fruits though. Damn! HaHa :eusa_snoo

[dial8]

Me too, cap. It is a bad ass tek though. Those shrooms are real nice and meaty. Plenty of air exchange with this tek too. post, 3.

my favorite tek ive never used!!! :lol: :D
soon, tho :D thanks hipster :)

[Scroto Baggins]

Approximately how much manure should be used in the substrate mixture per basket? Also, can one pasteurize the straw and manure in the same pillow case?

[Hippie3]

that would depend on basket size but a 50/50 mix, by volume
works.
you can pasteirize them together but might be better to do apart as the straw takes a bit longer and needs more soak time.

[funkzeitment]

hey wazzup guys wonderin if you can help me out.... jus some quik ques.... i use this tek but haven't yet mastered it..... how much poo should i be using per basket and also how mangy qt jars per basket... right now im using 2 but it would have to make sense if i used 4 it would be much faster and stronger?? also i am using store bought poo.... should i order poo from online... buffalo??, horse?? aslo how do i establish a better pin set?? does nitrogen and oyster shells and other additives make a big difference along with the poo??? and last but not least are there some super heavy fruiting fast colonizing strains out there that some one can turn me on to... right now i found the brazillians to be the best i've experienced with you guys are awesome and i would appriciate any and all help love and light peace