Disclaimer: I do not claim this tek as mine. Parts or all this tek have been found on the internet. Although perfected by me through trial and error.
Coco Coir substrate with coffee supplement. A 4 part series.
Part 1: Substrate
This tek as written will yield 8+ quarts of substrate
Things you will need
1 brick of coco coir (brick only, do not use the bags, they contain an antifungal)
1 cup used coffee grounds (they must be used, fresh are very acidic)
1 gallon of boiling water
Approximately 3tbs of pickling lime (calcium hydroxide), (optional but highly recommended)
Vermiculite (optional but highly recommended)
5 gallon bucket with lid
Large oven bags (optional)
Medical or micro pore tape (optional)
Getting started
Place the brick of coir, one cup of coffee and lime, in the 5 gallon bucket.
Pour 1 gallon of boiling water in the bucket, cover tight with lid and let sit 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes you will want to break up the brick of coir that has swollen about 3 times its size, mix well to get coffee and lime mixed. Cover tight with lid and let sit 1 hour.
After 1 hour, mix the sub as good as you can, making sure to get the edges of the bucket, the lime and coffee like to settle. At this point I like to check the PH of the sub just to give the mycelium the best possible chance. 7.5 is optimal. This sub is at 7.0 which is minimum but I will go with it. To raise PH, just add a little more lime, let sit for 20 minutes then recheck.
I am using a $10 PH meter, they work great just take a sample of sub, wet it till it’s a bit muddy, this will give you the most accurate reading
Check for field capacity (proper amount of water retention) when a handful of sub is squeezed and only a small amount of water runs out is perfect, if too wet add vermiculite until desired field capacity. I used 1 pint of vermiculite in this batch.
Ok, sub is ready to either be pasteurized or sterilized. I will be sterilizing this batch, but the prep in a cooking bag will be the same either way.
First fill your sub into an oven cooking bag, squeeze all the air out and use the tie provided to seal the top.
Now we want to make steam vent holes. I cut a few holes and cover with micro-pore or cloth medical tape, this will help the bag vent but not allow water or bad guys to get in. Now PC or oven pasteurize.
I’m gonna drop this guy in my PC @ 15psi for 90 mins. I put a small plate on the top of the bag so it won’t plug the PC vent.
Cont. Part 2 Fruiting Chamber (Dub Tub style)
Edited by AGAMA, 13 December 2014 - 05:36 PM.