Monotub fully colonized, how do I initiate pinning? - Mushroom Cultivation. Getting the most out of your casings!, A pinning strategy. - Casing. We will start with the use of cakes to make casings as most newbies will be starting this way.
Once you get the hang of it you can then apply this to any casing. (rye, wbs, straw, straw/dung, etc;) Lets begin with your cakes they need to be incubated at optimum temps (for best results) 82-84 degrees until colonized fully this means not just the surface but throughout the cake. This will usually happen 3-4 days after the outside has been colonized. I then suggest a 24hr. fridge dunk in "clean" water after the cakes have been cleaned of all pins/knots (anything that can be wiped off the surface) under the faucet using cold water, don't worry about contams because you washed your hands with anti bac. soap didn't ya?
And fully colonized cakes are very resistant to contams. If you do not have one of these then don't mist it's not that critical at this point. This is the hardest time waiting but if you coincided everything (FAE, light, drop in temps) you will have knotting to worry about Wait! Late casing. Hi there, I've been using a method called late casing...
It's basically very simple and just how it sounds; applying the casing only after knotting has started and a few small pins start forming... so far it's been working great. I'm sure it'll have many rebuttals, but I say give it a try for yourself and see what ya think.. I know youz use hyphae's casing strategy and from what I can see, it also works great... this is just another way about it. disclaimer: all of this is IMO and experience you can use whatever method you find fit, but I just want you to listen to why I think it's a good idea: 1. 2.
Notice in that pic how the casing layer is barely colonized if at all. 3. The amount of time it took this bin to get from here (right when the sub started pinning and the casing was applied) to looking like this... was a mere four days. Heres other bins that have been late cased: all are 54 Qt bins except for the last tex bin, thats just a shorter version of the 54 qt. Getting the most out of your casings!, A pinning strategy. - Casing. Let's Grow Mushrooms! 1 2 Casing Layer Preparation.
Why case? Why not? The casing layer serves 4 purposes: 1.)
To protect the colonized substrate from drying out. 2.) To provide a humid microclimate for primordia formation and development. 3.) To provide a water reservoir for the maturing mushrooms. 4.) To support the growth of fructification enhancing microorganisms. The 1st(main) 3 elements all are ancillary manifestations to the substrate's requirement for water.
Newbies fear casing for a few reasons, none of which are flippant: 1.) Casings can be better than straight cakes because: 1.) 50/50+ Casing Tek. Here is a real easy casing mix that works great for cubensis, panaeolus, and other species.
Our growers and people worldwide have had great success with this very easy casing method. At the end of this document, look and read the updated 50/50 (PLUS) Casing Tek. We highly recommend the 50/50 tek over any other casing tek out there. The addition of limestone and crushed oyster shell to the 50/50 mix makes a huge difference. We suggest using plastic trays. You can cut and tape these to fit the exact size of the bottom of your aquarium, leaving about a 1/2" space around your trays so moisture drips down the sides of the glass and not into your tray.
OK, now the fun part! Take vermiculite, first mix in a bowl with water until its real moist, squeezing out any excess water. ***Note*** We recommend cutting out any uncolonized part of the cake/substrate first. Your substrate depth should be no more than about 4" thick. Within a week to 2 weeks it will be almost completely covered in mycelium.
How to do Coir. I have been asked several times how do I prepare my coir, so here is a quick step by step on how I prepare my coir.
I have done it this way about 20-25 times with no contamination's before the 3rd flush. This is a very elementary tek but it works wonders. Supplies Needed 1 Brick of Coir2 Quarts of Verm5 Quarts of SpawnA 5 gallon bucket with a lid For the above recipe I pour 4 or 4.5 quarts of water into a pan or in this case my Pressure Cooker. I place 1 brick of coir in a 5 gallon bucket.
Pour 2 quarts of vermiculite into the 5 gallon bucket with the coir. Take the boiling water off the stove. Pour the boiling water into the 5 gallon bucket over the coir/verm mix. Put the lid on the bucket and let it sit for 30-60 minutes. After the 30-60 minutes you need to come back and stir everything up really well.
MUSHROOM CASING TECHNIQUES (TEK) MUSHROOM GROWING.