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Casing!
Get ready to exceed your
wildest expectations!
TO BE USED WITH YOUR SMALL GROWING CAMBER.
Materials needed!
Listed below is a list of materials that came
with your kit.
Any item that is listed, that was not included with your kit,
will be marked with the symbol '*'.
Grow Chamber This comes exclusively with the purchase of the Kit A, B or the MGK Kit. You will know it by the white 4" disc that is affixed to the tub.
Vermiculite: - Gold, shiny material. This will help to keep the casing mixture moist.
Casing Mix: This is a P. H. balance, and nurturance enhanced, for optimal mushroom growth and potency. This is be a bag that has soil, vermiculite and white crystals within.
Rubbing Alcohol or Lysol: A disinfectant.
Peroxide: This will be used to help control any green mold that might sneak up on you.
Hand Spray Bottle
Playtex Gloves
* Large Mixing Bowl - Microwave able bowl.
* Water: Spring, mineral or well water only (no distilled water please).
Metal Fork - For Mixing
In this phase we will be going over how to introduce the mycelium cake to soil in preparation for fruiting your mushrooms. Proceed with common sense and cleanliness!
This Phase is being rewritten due to the standard Temperature Controlled Growing Chamber that now comes with all models after 2/10/02.
In a nutshell you will be
placing your Growing Chamber into the dry tub (that held your Inserts during
incubation) and set the heating dial to 79F. You are still going to set-up
the chamber with Casing and the standard sanitizing directions below.
UPDATES AND PICS. TO COME.
"CASING"
Make sure you have all of these supplies in one place before you begin the next step.
Step 1: Mix 1-part Peroxide with
10-part Spring Water. Place it into the spray bottle
and sit it aside. This liquid mixture will help with the control of contaminations within the soil.
Step 2: Get your big bag of Casing Soil out and thoroughly mix the dry ingredients. Use a clean bucket to pour the Casing Soil into IF you are not able to mix it in the bag that it was shipped within.
Note: To get the EXACT measurement of Casing Soil needed just pour the mixed, DRY, Casing Soil into the Growing Chamber, up to 1-1/2" in height, even it out by gently shacking the Growing Chamber back and forth. Store the remaining Casing Soil in a dry, cool location until needed again.
Pour the 'measured' Casing Soil into an awaiting microwave able bowl.
Using the spray bottle of the Peroxide and water, spray the mixture and stir it until the soil is moistened to field capacity. What this is meaning is that if you take a handful of this mixture and gently squeeze it into a ball, it should hold its shape but no water should drip out. We want the mixture moist but not saturated... somewhat fluffy and soft looking when FLUFFED with a fork.
Place this into a microwave for about 90 seconds on
HIGH.
Stir again with a fork and microwave it for an additional 2 minute on High.
DO NOT OPEN THE MICROWAVE THE 2ND
TIME!!!!
LEAVE THE DOOR CLOSED FOR 30 MINUTES TO ALLOW THE SOIL TO COOL WITHIN THE
MICROWAVE AND NOT BECOME CONTAMINATED.
While the soil is cooling you are to clean the Growing Chamber with some Antibacterial soap and warm tap water...even the lid! Try to be gentle to the white HEPA filter...I don't want you to force it off of the wall of the Growing Chamber. Turn the chamber upside down onto a clean towel and allow to drip dry.
Step 3: After 30 minutes take out the soil and pour it into the Growing Chamber evenly (as much as possible) so that it covers the bottom of the Growing Chamber. If possible do not touch it with your hands! Shaking the chamber back and forth should smooth things out.
Note: It does not have to be perfect! You are going to mix it one more time in a following step.
Here comes some fun!
Step 4: Remove the lid from one of the colonized substrate jars. Carefully remove the foil and Vermiculite (located on top of the foil) and discard it into the trash. Dump the white mycelium 'cake' on top of the soil mixture. Using your freshly sterilized Playtex Gloves (spray with Lysol or wipe with the Rubbing Alcohol), crumble the cake into small pieces (smaller the better) evenly onto the top of the soil. If you need to apply a second colonized jar in order to finish the layering, then do it. Best to have a little much then not enough. Just sterilize your gloves again before handling the 2nd mycelium. MAKE SURE YOU PLACE THE LID BACK ONTO THE GROWING CHAMBER IN ORDER TO PROTECT AGAINST CONTAMINATION IF YOU ARE GOING TO USE A 2ND MYCELIUM CAKE.
Example...
Open jar, dump mycelium, quickly sterilize glove with alcohol, crumble mycelium
cake... REPEAT.
NOTE: Most people
use two 1/2-pint colonized Insert jars to cover the top layer of
soil. It allows for faster colonization and larger flushes but, it is not
100% necessary.
Place the lid back onto the Growing Chamber and gently shake until the soil is evenly leveled and the mycelium has been 'submerged' into the soil.
Step 5a
Temperature Controlled Growing
Chamber
when combined with your Water Incubator!
You are going to use your Water Incubator to speed things up a little bit.
Take out any jars that might still be in the Incubator and place them in a warm place (as long as it is not higher then 90F or lower than 40F any room will do).
Place the Growing Chamber into the Incubator (set a 86F) for the next 3 days.
This will GREATLY speed up the mycelium growth. It does not require any light during this time, but if the Growing Chamber does get light then that is fine also...just not necessary at this time. It is necessary in the fruiting process (when you take your growing chamber out of the incubator).
So now you are looking at 3 tubs
stacked one on-top of each other.
YOU ARE NOT PLACING THE GROWING CHAMBER INTO THE
WATER!!!! YOU ARE PLACING IT INTO THE TUB THAT WAS HOLDING THE INSERTS
DURING INCUBATION!!!
After 72 hours you can take the Growing Chamber out and place whatever remaining Inserts you have back into the Water Incubator. If you do not have any Inserts left you can leave the Growing Chamber inside the Incubator. Just re-set the temperature to 78F after the initial 3 days of 86F!!! This works great if you have a cold basement or house that is a little too chilly for the fruiting process.
As the white mycelium grows through the soil it should resemble the pictures below.
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Just click picture for a larger image.
Note: If you have one of the old designs that has a hole in the lid of the Small Growing Chamber (no longer needed) just place some Saran Wrap over the chamber and place the lid back onto it. See pictures below.
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If you do not want to use your Water Incubator as a tool for your Growing Chamber your should continue onto Step 5b.
Step 5b Place the Growing Chamber into a closet or under your bed and leave it alone for 7-10 days at room temperature. It does not require any light during this time, but if they do get light it is fine, just not necessary.
As the white mycelium begins growing through the soil it should resemble the pictures below. Just click picture for a larger image.
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Note: Place all UNOPENED jars of colonized substrate in a refrigerator. I am not sure exactly how long they will last until the mycelium is not longer viable. Maybe someone could let me know!
...AND
AWAY WE GO!!!!
This is the last and final phase of the cultivation process; it
is also the easiest and most fun because it is the actual growing and picking of
the mushrooms themselves.
Warning!
For this next step you are to use Spring, Mineral or Well water ONLY! Do not us the
Peroxide/Water mix or Distilled water. If you do so you will retard the growth and greatly
effect the outcome.
After 3 days at 86F or at room temperature for 7-10 days....
Place the Dry Vermiculate (2nd Bag) over the top of the soil (1/4 inch) and water it WITH THE SPRAY BOTTLE thoroughly... soak it... with clean water. This will help hold the moisture within the soil and give the mycelium a little extra humidity during the pinning process.
Lower the temperature to 79F and leave undisturbed for 48 hours.
Spray the inner walls of your Growing Chamber, and the Vermiculite, once a day. You do not have to drown the Vermiculite. Just spray it evenly to keep it moist. When you see mushrooms coming up STOP spraying the Vermiculite but keep spraying the sides of the Growing Chamber once a day.
Do this quickly and thoroughly on a daily basis.
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