Should I case my Monotub?
When you start to see hyphae knots or pins you’ll want to case your monotub. You can now safely remove the lid from your bin. Add a thin 1/2 to 1 inch casing of 100% coco coir to the bin and spray the bin with water until the casing is showing signs of being fully hydrated.
Does casing increase yield?
The use of a casing layer enhanced the yield by 141% over non-cased substrates. When casing and substrate supplementation were combined, the yield increased 179% over no cased/non-supplemented substrates [16].
How do you make a mushroom casing layer?
Common casing recipes
- Straight vermiculite: 100% vermiculite.
- 50/50: 50% vermiculite and 50% peat moss.
- 50/50+: 40% vermiculite, 40% peat moss, 5% agricultural hydrated lime and 15% crushed oyster shell.
- 60/40 Vermiculite and Coco Coir: 60% vermiculite and 40% coconut coir.
How do you case a mushroom substrate?
Spread the casing mixture out in a layer of uniform depth (between 0.25 and 0.5 inches) across the top of the colonized substrate with a clean, gloved hand. Make sure the casing remains reasonably loose (do not pat it down). Reseal the bag of colonized substrate with the mushroom bag clamp.
Is a casing layer necessary?
To achieve a high yield it is necessary to use an adequate casing layer which may supply environmental conditions favorable to mushroom fructification (Colauto et al., 2011).
What can I use for mushroom casing?
Many different materials can be used for a casing layer- including garden soil, sphagnum moss, coco coir- but the most commonly used is material for casing is peat moss. Peat moss is cheap and widely available, and is excellent at retaining moisture. Another excellent casing material is vermiculite.
When can I fruit after casing?
Once the casing is applied, you can simply place the newly cased blocks in the fruiting chamber and wait. The humidity doesn’t have to be as high as it would if there was no casing, but be sure that the casing layer doesn’t dry out completely. After 4-7 days, you should start to see pins coming through the casing.
Should I pasteurize casing layer?
Finally, the casing layer must be free of parasites and competitors; accordingly, pasteurization or chemical treatment of the material before use is recommended.
What can I use as a casing layer?
How thick should a casing layer be?
The optimal layer thickness is 5 cm, this kind of layer holds a sufficient amount of water and creates a favorable microclimate for mushroom growth.
Do you let casing colonize?
You should let your casing layer colonize 50-75% before introducing fruiting conditions.
Should I sterilize casing layer?
Step 2: Pasteurize There is not much nutrition in a 50-50 mix of peat moss and vermiculite, so full sterilization is not necessary. That being said, any casing layer is prone to some form of contamination, so it is generally a good idea to pasteurize it before applying to the top of the block.
Do you need to sterilize casing layer?
How long does it take for casing to colonize?