8 replies to this topic

[abaca]

I can't find coir at the moment and am not in a situation to order it online. I have vermiculite, worm castings, potting soil, calcium carbonate, hydraited lime etc. I'm looking for opinions on a casing recipe.

[perrch01]

Go to any pet store they should all have it in the reptile or hermit crab section, one of the name brands is bed-a-beast

[WiteSpy]

hydo store?

[OZ]

forget coir man, straight verm makes for a good casing on its own..... otheres will recommend peat

[suckerfree]

Yeah I don't really care for coir either..... tends to overlay. I stick to straight verm.

[vitamin_d_added]

IME The classic 50/50 peat and vermiculite is the biggest bang for you buck.
Far less problems with overlay than with a coir based casing. The mycelium just dosent seem to colonize the peat as readily. Just dont forget to raise the pH into the optimal range.

Also I have found the addition of some king of "aggragate" to help with mushroom formation. Most often I just use about .1 part (1/10) of perlite, but I have also used crushed oystershell, egg shells, and even little plastic beads. The perlite sems to work the best IMO.

[OZ]

desont perlite in the casing layer kinda defeat the purpose? the casing layer is supposed to hold moisture, and perlite gives moisture off dont it?

[InfectedMushroom420]

desont perlite in the casing layer kinda defeat the purpose? the casing layer is supposed to hold moisture, and perlite gives moisture off dont it?

Perlite give's moisture off as it holds it and retains it well thats why it's used in fruiting chambers to keep the humidity up :)

[Hippie3]

a mix of verm and soil would work,
keep it light in texture, mostly verm