*It's important to mix the dry peat with the lime before adding moisture or the vermiculite. I also see you didn't add gypsum, which helps to moderate ph swings. In addition, I have not yet seen a probe type ph tester that was worth the powder it would take to blow it to hell. They are designed for soil, and just don't perform properly in peat/vermiculite/manure.
I get a starting ph of 8 to 8.5 by mixing one teaspoon of hydrated garden lime and two tablespoons of garden gypsum to each cup of dry peat. Mix the peat, lime and gypsum, then add water to approximately field capacity, then set aside.
While the peat sits, mix the vermiculite with water in a separate container to approximately field capacity.
Now, you can mix the two together and make the final adjustments in moisture content. Be sure to let it sit for fifteen minutes, then check moisture content again by squeezing a handful of material. When you hold a handful of the casing mix, no water at all should drip out. Squeeze a bit, and a small amount will drip out.
Squeeze hard and a small stream will flow out. This is field capacity.
Pasteurize and use. For home grower amounts, a great way to pasteurize is in quart mason jars sitting in a large pot of water. A pc or large kettle with a tight fitting lid is great for this. You want the interior of the jars to
reach at least 140F for an hour, but not to exceed 170F. The use of quart jars preserves your ph and moisture content. Good luck. PH
*If coir is your substrate you 'can' skip the lime and just use gypsum. Coir has a pH of around 5, which is pretty darn low. Trichoderma prefers a pH of 5, so without lime or gypsum, coir and peat are perfect trich foods. We can get away without balancing coir because it colonizes so fast, but I'd still use gypsum, which tends to set the pH in the mid 6 range. Casing layers should be set to an initial pH of 8 because peat/vermiculite rarely colonizes fully, so you want protection from trichoderma, and a high pH is the best way to do it. For pasteurizing straw, you need hydrated lime. The others won't cut it. 'Hydrated' means water soluble, so it raises the pasteurization bath water to a pH of around 12, which nukes most organisms. Nobody can say exactly how much hydrated lime to use for casing layers. My 1-teaspoon per cup of peat is a safe starting point, but the correct amount to use is what it takes to get an initial pH of 8 to 8.5. PH
*Liquid coffee is slightly acidic, but coir is even more so. Coir runs pH 5 to pH 6.5 depending on origin. Acids lower pH, not raise them. I've found no evidence that coffee boosts potency. It does however; speed up colonization, because it's excellent fungi food. In addition, the lower pH results in faster growth because Cubensis prefers a substrate in the pH 5.5 to pH 6 range. Using a substrate with an acidic pH like yours results in faster colonization and better performance overall, but also exposes the project to an increased risk of contamination, because molds such as trichoderma also prefer an acidic food source. In my area, the mold spore count is so high; I'd never be able to get a substrate that had been hydrated with liquid coffee colonized before parts of it were green from molds. Hopefully, yours will work out. It's almost colonized. Good luck. PH
*While mushroom mycelium prefers a slightly acidic substrate, contaminants do also. What we've found from experience is that by adjusting the pH upwards with lime, the mushroom mycelium can 'tolerate' it, but the contaminants have a harder time. There is usually no need to adjust pH of substrates, but casing layers, which don’t ever fully colonize, can benefit from a higher pH of 7.5 to 8. This will allow the mushroom mycelium to get the benefits of the casing layer, but will slow the onset of mold contaminants. However, remember that after a flush or two, the uncolonized parts of your casing layer are going to be susceptible to molds, so be sure to watch daily and toss out any tray at the first signs of 'green' molds. Good luck. PH
*Actually, you want hydrated garden lime because ground limestone takes too long to break down and go to work. Hydrated lime is water-soluble and goes to work right away. A combination of hydrated lime and gypsum is the best way to buffer a casing layer. The most critical time for contaminants to enter a casing is during the initial colonization and first flush stages. Once the layer is fully colonized, it's very contaminant resistant. Hydrated lime and gypsum protect your casing layer during this critical early stage, where ground limestone or other buffers that take weeks or even months to break down do not. PH CASINGS
*You don't need to pH balance bulk substrates. In fact, mushroom mycelium actually prefers an acidic substrate. We pH balance casing material because it remains partially uncolonized throughout the fruiting cycle, thus is prone to contamination. Bulk substrates colonize fully, thus are resistant to contaminants, so you can leave them slightly acidic and they'll do just fine. Mushroom mycelium is more tolerant of a basic pH than molds, and that's why we add lime to casings. PH
*Pickling lime is hydrated lime. It's my favorite, and many commercial grow operations DO use it. Use one teaspoon of hydrated lime, and one tablespoon of gypsum per cup of peat, and mix into the dry peat. Mix the dry ingredients very well, then slowly bring to field moisture level and pasteurize. If you can't find hydrated lime, you can get it online at www.doitbest.com When you get to their website, do a search for hydrated lime.
PH OF CASING
*A buffers resist change in ph. Lime is not a buffer. Gypsum is an excellent buffer. If you wish to bring the ph of your casings higher, you would want to use hydrated (water soluble) lime. Limestone is for long-term use, such as in a garden. Casings, which flush for a month or so, do not need long-term ph adjustment. They need short term, therefore hydrated lime is what you would want to use. PH CASINGS
*A pH of 8 is a good place to make your casing mix initially. Mushroom mycelium grows and fruits best at a lower pH of around 5-6, but unfortunately, that pH also favors contaminants as well. Mushroom mycelium is more tolerant of a higher pH than molds, which is why we add lime. PH
*Oyster shell raises Ph. Mushroom mycelium grows fastest with a slightly acid ph. You don't Ph adjust spawn.
The only reason we use Ph buffers to raise Ph in bulk substrates is because mushroom mycelium, while it prefers a Ph of 6, is tolerant of Ph up to 8.5, while trichoderma is not tolerant of a high Ph. Thus, the hydrated lime or oyster shell flour makes our substrate selective for mushroom mycelium. PH
*A high pH will slow down trichoderma, as well as helping to prevent trich spores from germinating. It also stresses mushroom mycelium, which prefers a lower pH, but not as much. The mushroom mycelium is more tolerant of high pH than most molds. PH
*For a substrate, 5.5 to 6 will probably give the fastest colonization. It would be the same for casing layers as well, but since molds also thrive at a low pH, we lime our casings to sweet of neutral. A good starting pH for a casing is 8. PH
*In my opinion, a good starting point is around 9-10. I know that's sweet, but the myc doesn't seem to mind much, and most contams like a slightly acid ph. It keeps the little bastards at bay while the myc colonizes your casing. PH
*Lime raises the ph, and gypsum keeps it stable. They both provide calcium, but gypsum also helps with texture. PH BENEFITS
*Squeeze some water out of the casing mix after it has sat for at least an hour, and then measure that with your strip. PH STRIPS
*Contaminants prefer a low ph; a high ph is unfavorable for them. PH
*Gypsum added to an acidic soil will raise the pH.
*Use the chicken manure at up to 5% of the total substrate. It gives a nice boost. Most commercial mushroom farms use it at that percentage. Composted cow manure from the nursery also works well when mixed with coir or vermiculite to cut it a bit. If any bulk substrate you mix up seems a bit 'heavy' just add ten to twenty percent vermiculite to keep it nice and loose. Another benefit of vermiculite in bulk substrates is it makes an excellent moisture reservoir for use during fruiting. RATIO SUBSTRATES
*Break up your pf cakes into four times as much manure. That means one pf cake can inoculate 2 pints of manure. Don't crumble and case pf cakes. It's a waste. If you want to fruit your cakes as is, simply birth them, and then do a dunk and roll and place in fruiting conditions. This is the quickest way to a harvest, and spawning to manure is the best way to a larger harvest, although it takes a couple of weeks longer. PF/MANURE RATIO CASING
*That's about right. 1 cup of hydrated chicken manure per 20 cups hydrated coir would make 5%. Add gypsum at ten percent as well. 1/2 teaspoon of hydrated lime per cup of coir/chicken manure will help give a bit of contaminant resistance, but it's optional. Lime is far more important in casings where part of it never colonizes.
Substrates colonize fully, therefore can hold their own. SUBSTRATE RATIOS
*They use urine as a nitrogen boost to heat up the compost pile. If you're not composting, use aged manure.
COMPOST *Spawn to manure, and then at full colonization, case. 1 to 4 is fine. I usually go 1 to 3 for the extra food the grains provide. SUBSTRATE RATIO
*Use one part colonized cakes or other spawn to three or four parts manure. CAKE TO MANURE RATIO
*After pasteurization, I lift the straw out of the tote with a strainer, allow it to drain for a few seconds, and then place on a screen that is laying in the bottom of a second tote. When the pasteurization tote is empty (of straw), I take potfulls of hot water out of it, and pour them into the toilet to get rid of them. By the time the straw has cooled, it has also drained long enough. Remember, you're going to have holes in your straw log and/or laundry basket, so any excess water will drain out during the first few days, leaving it at the perfect moisture content.
STRAW SUBSTRATE PASTURIZATION RR VIDEO
*I think hydrated lime is the BEST choice for pasteurizing straw. It causes a very rapid swing upward in PH, which is fatal to living organisms, which is the purpose of pasteurization. It's the only lime I use. I don't recommend chemical pasteurization alone for straw. Use 1 cup of hydrated lime per ten gallons of 140F to 150F water and pasteurize the straw for one to at most two hours. Drain and use. Be sure to soak the straw in warm water for two hours prior to the pasteurization to hydrate it. LIME FOR STRAW
*I soak in warm soapy water for two hours, and then transfer the straw to water that is kept at 140F to 160F for 60 to 90 minutes, and then it is removed and drained/cooled, and spawned. I use one cup of hydrated lime for each ten to fifteen gallons of pasteurization water. I don't add lime or bleach to the pre-soak, and don't use bleach at all in the pasteurization. There's a short sample clip of my procedure on youtube and also on my website. It should be enough to give you the basic idea. STRAW
*I use an electric weed whacker with the straw in a tote with the lid on it. I cut a very skinny rectangle out of the center of the lid so I can move the weed eater around in the box to get it all. It takes about five minutes or less to do a 125 quart sterlite container full of straw. I do this right in my living room, since I also live in a condo. There's some mess, but not much. STRAW
*Yea, 1 cup of lime should be plenty for a pillowcase. If the pot is aluminum, the lime will eat through it pretty fast, but it's your stuff, so you make the call. It's easy to boil the water in one pot and then pour it into a plastic tote or bucket with the lime. That way, you don't ruin the kettle. STRAW
*Straw is dry. Therefore, the 'straw juice' is the dirt, pesticides, and other debris that is stuck to the surface of the straw. Don't use it for anything. Mushroom mycelium doesn't want the dirty brown water you wash off the straw. Mushroom mycelium wants to eat the straw itself. STRAW
*Straw has a pretty good texture for fruiting uncased, and the hollow straw holds a LOT of water, negating the need for a casing layer, providing you maintain near 100% humidity at the surface of the straw. STRAW
*Soap for straw would help break down the waxyness of the straw. To absorb water better. Because it's anti-bacterial. SOAP IN STRAW SOAK
*Chopped straw. Wheat and Barley are the two most common ones in the US, and both work fine. STRAW SUBSTRATE
*Straw, something that contaminates the most, does better at pasteurization temps of 140-150. STRAW
*BE up to 200% is fairly common with straw. STRAW
*People need to make a distinction between growing plants and fungi.
Worm castings are an excellent substrate additive material, but not because of nitrogen content. They are lower in nitrogen then either straw or horse manure, which are both lower in nitrogen than steer manure.
Blood meal is high in nitrogen, but is totally unusable to fungi unless it is applied in the composting process, which most home mushroom growers do not do. The use of blood meal added to manure or coir is a waste of resources and actually encourages algae to form on the surface of the substrate or casing layer, leading inexperienced growers to throw out a perfectly fine project thinking they have 'green mold'.
Chicken manure is high in nitrogen, but once again it needs to be added at the composting stage. However, composted chicken manure available in bags at nurseries is an excellent additive to manure or straw because it's already composted, therefore available to the fungi.
Fish emulsion, available at garden centers is also an excellent additive to manure or coir substrates because it has already been composted or otherwise broken down anaerobically at the processing facility.
Gypsum should be added to all substrates for the texture it helps to provide as well as the calcium and sulfur, both essential nutrients for mycelia metabolism. An added benefit of gypsum is that it tends to hold Ph levels steady, preventing wild swings as the mycelium colonizes a substrate.
Coir, worm castings, horse manure, chicken manure etc., are all acidic and should be buffered with lime to a starting Ph of around 8. This high Ph favors mushroom mycelium that is tolerant of sweet substrates, but prevents germination of contaminant spores that favor sour substrates. SUBSTRATES!
*Coir is very close in performance to horse manure. Cow manure can perform nearly as well too, but will benefit from a bit of coffee grinds and some loosening up with vermiculite. As I've said hundreds of times, a combination of substrate ingredients will give better performance than any one by itself. That means, you'll get more bang by mixing cow, horse, and a bit of chicken manure with coir, coffee grinds, compost and straw.
Horse manure is a preferred substrate because its texture is easy for the mycelium to penetrate, and works fine by itself, as do any of the bulk substrate ingredients listed above. Horse manure edges them out a bit in my opinion, but coir runs a close second. My preferred spawn material hands down over all the others is organic rye berries. Rye grass seed would be second, with wbs coming in third. SUBSTRATES
*I have a local source for yard waste compost and it's a great addition to substrates. It works best if you mix it with some manure, and even the composted cow manure from nurseries works well mixed with the garden compost. Add a small amount of bagged chicken manure from the nursery and you have a great substrate. If it seems thick, cut it with a bit of vermiculite and/or coir. You can also add perlite to bulk substrates to fluff them up. The perlite holds air, which comes in handy in manure-based substrates. You can also throw in a few days worth of spent coffee grinds. In other words, the more different things you add to your substrate, the better it will perform. COMPOST SUBSTRATES
*Gypsum yes, but no lime. Mushroom mycelium prefers an acidic substrate, and since we pasteurize horse manure and then allow it to fully colonize, it's resistant to contamination. Therefore, a pH in the 5.5 to 6.5 range is perfect. I used to add a touch of lime to bulk substrates, but no longer do and performance is better. We add lime to casing layers to protect them against molds, since they don't fully colonize with mushroom mycelium.
No lime in manure substrates. Cased or uncased. Performance will be higher. Besides, gypsum tends to stabilize the substrate into the mid to upper 6's. LIME FOR SUBSTRATES
*I have a local source for yard waste compost and it's a great addition to substrates. It works best if you mix it with some manure, and even the composted cow manure from nurseries works well mixed with the garden compost. Add a small amount of bagged chicken manure from the nursery and you have a great substrate. If it seems thick, cut it with a bit of vermiculite and/or coir. You can also add perlite to bulk substrates to fluff them up. The perlite holds air, which comes in handy in manure-based substrates. You can also throw in a few days worth of spent coffee grinds. In other words, the more different things you add to your substrate, the better it will perform. COMPOST
*The coffee you use in substrates is ONLY what you empty out of the strainer or filter after brewing a pot. In other words, leached coffee grinds. Do not use instant or liquid coffee in substrates. Mix coffee in any
*The coffee you use in substrates is ONLY what you empty out of the strainer or filter after brewing a pot. In other words, leached coffee grinds. Do not use instant or liquid coffee in substrates. Mix coffee in any