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Mushroom cultivation => PF - Tek => Topic started by: AguSky on April 19, 2008, 08:36:52 AM

Title: I Need information about Casing.
Post by: AguSky on April 19, 2008, 08:36:52 AM
Hello there fellows,

I'm new at Shroom World, i've been reading teks and teks on this or other sites like forever, and yet i don't understand some details about the casing method.

ASA i'll receive my spores, i'm planning for my first attempt to innoculate and mature the tinnies following the PF-tek, and once i'll get the first Pins i'd like to train on the casing thing. But about that :

_the casing tek on this site indicates to put the cakes in a non-transparent box or whatever casing, with a peculiar melt of verm and other stuff, but once that is done, what to do ? I mean you seal your container and spray some watter in it once or twice a day and that's all ? are there no parameters to manage like Temperature (even if the myc is developping it's own temperature), or else ? And more than all, where do you store your casing ? In many pictures of shrooms i see casings in Transparant plastic or glass boxes (quite tall btw), but is there anyway to buy/build/find a substitute to those giant aquarium like thingies i don't even know where to find ?

_then for the container of the casing, i was planning to use some aluminium cake tin, Would that be correct ? (except for the sterilization part in the microwave i suppose no?) And should it be Higher or Larger to have the better colonization?

*About the process now:
_You case the cakes once the pins comes out right ? (with the tiny winnies like shroomies.) And then myc will keep growing and Settle over all the Casing stuff that's right ? And will finally mature again to make the final Shrooms we are expecting that much... right ?

_What are the special manipulation to practice during this casing phase in overall ?

Thanks for your time reading my questions and sorry if you have already read those elsewhere. BTW i'm not a native english speaking and mine is quite lame so be gentle on vocabulary during the explanation plz :)

                                                                          Looking forward your Answers !
Title: Re: I Need information about Casing.
Post by: anno on April 19, 2008, 10:28:51 AM
>the casing tek on this site indicates to put the cakes in a non-transparent box or whatever casing,
> with a peculiar melt of verm and other stuff, but once that is done, what to do ?

As it says at http://www.fungifun.org/English/Casing :

"Give the casing layer a good spray with clean water and cover with a piece of aluminium foil. Put in the incubator or leave at room temperature for 3-7 days. After the day 4 check on the progress by lifting the foil a bit and peeking underneath.  As soon you see first strands of mycelium starting poking through the casing layer take off the aluminium foil, give it a good spray with water and put into your fruiting chamber."

>then for the container of the casing, i was planning to use some aluminium cake tin, Would that be correct ?

Yes, this would work.

(except for the sterilization part in the microwave i suppose no?) And should it be Higher or Larger to have the better colonization?

>You case the cakes once the pins comes out right?

No, before.

>And then myc will keep growing and Settle over all the Casing stuff that's right?

No, once the mycelium is starting to penetrate the casing laysr, it is time to put it in the fruiting chamber.

>What are the special manipulation to practice during this casing phase in overall ?

Keep the casing moist, not wet, and give it daily air exchange.
Title: Re: I Need information about Casing.
Post by: AguSky on April 20, 2008, 12:26:56 AM
Thanks a lot for your time Anno!

Well i guess i had messed up some information on this site and others... That's quite much new rules and teks to acquire at once ...

So if i understood well, i must Case the Cake fully colonized by Myc only at this point of development, not with pins appearing or else. (i guess it'es for Myc has a damn cell division rate at this time and that should optimize chances to colonise the casing sub ?)

Then many questions come to me concerning the fruiting chamber. I've planned to mkae my Own Incubator as explained in this site, can this be used or considered as a my Fruiting Chamber once casing done ? To do so should i make some re arrangements to make it efficient for this development part ?
If i can't use it, what do you recommend me as a good Fruiting Chamber ? or how to build one if that's possible ?

Once again thank you and i'm hardly LFYA

Cheers
Title: Re: I Need information about Casing.
Post by: anno on April 21, 2008, 01:44:16 AM
>i must Case the Cake fully colonized by Myc only at this point of development, not with pins appearing or else.

Right.

>I've planned to mkae my Own Incubator as explained in this site, can this be used or considered as a my Fruiting Chamber once casing done ?

Yes, and no.  A fruiting chamber doesn't need heating, but it needs air exchange.
The simplest fruiting chamber would be a box covered with a translucent lid or plastic foil. If you lift the lid 1-2 times a day, and mist the casing if on the dry side, you got yourself a fruiting chamber.