Vermiculite substitute

[star rider]

I can not find vermiculite in any of the stores where I live. Would someone kindly give me some alternatives I can use to get the mycelium growing
Thanks,
Star rider..

 

[st0ned ¤ crazy]

Were you planning on using BRF/verm? If so you could just use grain instead but your probably gonna still end up needing verm in the long run. For BRF there isn't really any alternatives to verm that I'm aware of that will work as good. If you can't find it locally your best bet would be to order online. If you have a PC you can just go get some WBS (wild bird seed) and inoculate that and just spawn it to bulk. Its still better to mix some verm in the WBS but you can get away without it. I'd throw a little gypsum in before you PC it tho so it doesn't stick together as much if you don't use verm tho. Just a little. Gypsum=crushed drywall

 

[ophiuchus]

the idea of vermiculite is simply to absorb and hold moisture and to keep the substrate from getting packed densely. use brown rice and this isn't really necessary.

if one is determined to not use brown rice and use brown rice flour instead, then alternatives for vermiculite would be perlite or straw (somewhat finely chopped, though still coarse). these should be pasteurized before use of course.

 

[st0ned ¤ crazy]

^Good idea. I was going to try that at first when I couldn't find it already powdered lol. Would the perlite have to be crushed or anything? Because I would think brf might clump up it if were hole. Never tried it though. And good luck finding a grocery store or health store that DOESN'T sell whole brown rice.

 

[ophiuchus]

well perlite comes in several different grades. i personally would go with a medium grade or coarse, then one could always crush it smaller vs having perlite powder which would be far too fine.

yeah i can't really overstate the advantage of whole brown rice. with flour, the humidity is tricky to gauge, but with rice, all one needs do is cook it properly and it will be about spot on in terms of humidity. one can fluff it a little with a sterile spoon, this way, when it cools, it will stick to itself in that fluffy position. = easier mycelial growth

 

[Matthalamew]

OK - Let's just say that I want to combine WBS and Verm with the appropriate amount of water (? 50/50). Now pasteurization would be superior to sterilization because of the extra time colonization would have to do its thing.
Also, using 1/3 ratio for colonized rice cakes would be how much better than spore inoculation? -to clarify one cake to 2 parts bird seed.
Finally would you recommend the gypsum if your final intention was to take the colonized WBS and pour it on the bottom of a tub as bulk substrate or is the verm good enough?
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[ophiuchus]

wbs? im not sure i follow you...

 

[star rider]

Thanks to everyone who has commented in this thread. I will go out today and see if I can find perlite. Otherwise I will just use the whole brown rice.
Star rider

 

[ophiuchus]

OK - Let's just say that I want to combine WBS and Verm with the appropriate amount of water (? 50/50). Now pasteurization would be superior to sterilization because of the extra time colonization would have to do its thing.

i re-read this. a little difficult to understand precisely what you're asking but i believe that when using perlite, vermiculite, etc, one should only use a MAXIMUM of about 1/3 perlite/vermiculite to 2/3 substrate, but this is concerning brf tek, im not sure about wbs, but one would certainly need less, since whole grains and seeds are going to be fluffier and less dense, though wbs is more prone to drying out... 1/5 ratio? better for someone else to comment about wbs.

Also, using 1/3 ratio for colonized rice cakes would be how much better than spore inoculation? -to clarify one cake to 2 parts bird seed.
Finally would you recommend the gypsum if your final intention was to take the colonized WBS and pour it on the bottom of a tub as bulk substrate or is the verm good enough?

vermiculite, perlite, and gypsum are all interchangeable. i think just picking ONE and sticking to that would be best.

as far as using cakes vs spores. cakes will grow infinitely faster, thus will also be less prone to contam. i also think that 1 cake to 2 parts wbs is a bit overkill, but it will yield fast results, that's for sure. realistically, if your staying sanitary, you could at least double up on the wbs. it will take a little longer, but yields may be worth it

 

[Matthalamew]

Thanks Ophiuchus, I'm sure Star Rider and others are better prepared for your efforts - one other question - I'm wanting to go the pasteurization route for the wild bird seed (wbs).
Instructions on this are some what sketchy - tips would be welcome.
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