Easiest Bulk Substrate for Apartment Growing

[p2k1]

Hey everybody I'd like to get some opinions on the best bulk substrate for apartment growing in the city. Obviously this means a couple factors like mess and smell need to be accounted for (you cant carry a bale of straw up the stairs through your apartment for too many reasons). Being in the city also obviously makes it hard to get quality cow or horse manure and nevermind processing it. It seems like coco coir may be the obvious choice, though I havent worked with it before. Worm castings also seem like they may be a possibility, atleast as an ingredient, as well as some organic compost maybe? And you could ammend with some verm as well. Although I remember reading about straw pellets? If those came bagged they might be useful?
Im just wondering about this cause Im ordering some mycromix bags from hippie soon and I may want to spawn some to bulk
Thanks

[OZ]

I think we're in the same boat, and the easiest stuff I've ever used was this pre-chopped,pre pasteurized straw pellets called "critter country" and coco coir.

50/50 ratio, expand the coir first, pour in the pellets, and then wet and mix the two until field capacity. Colonizes fast for me, seems nutritious enough, both come pre-pasteurized, hot tap water is all I use, and sprinkle in some lime when I'm spawning, and that's that. Easy to find in any city as they are both carried by Petco, and no smell, at least I can't smell anything when using them

[p2k1]

Sounds like a good mix, could probably toss in some verm too. Maybe some gypsum or lime if its needed, personally ive never used either. A bit of worm castings too would make it a nice blend.

[OZ]

I've seen people get great yields with worm castings, but the times I used them, the myc didn't want to colonize it. I wonder if mine came with fungicide in it....

[Thre365ive]

Coir, for sure. Coir's my preferred bulk anyway, just because it's so clean. Add some vermiculite and some worm castings and you'll be set.

[masterplain88]

does any one or do some people oven steralize there coir before use.
my next bulk will be coir/warmcastings/verm/maybe straw and planed on mixing it all up then wetting just above feil capacity as normal for the oven tek then use after it cools. was just woundering as i see some people just prep their cor without pasturization.
thanks,
masterplain88

[Rhyno]

Don't think the coir needs any preparation. Simply hydrate with boiling water and use.

[Thre365ive]

I would pasteurize it at least. There's no reason not to, and I've heard that some kinds of coir actually add trich to the bricks.

[p2k1]

Can you guys provide any links or exact names for the right kind of coir and straw pellets? Ive been searching online stores and not having luck

[MLBjammer]

As far as coir, you want the bricks from pet stores used for reptile bedding. The coir from a hydro/garden shop is purposely laced with trich (which means you would need to sterilize that).

I can't help you with the straw pellets, never used them.

[p2k1]

At this point im going to go with the supercake mycromix bags and when theyre ready ill consider fruiting them invitro or whipping up some sandbags. If I do the sandbags ill use coir bricks and try to find some straw pellets, probably mix some verm in too. Itd be nice to mix in some worm castings and organic compost too but that may be a bit much.

[floppypeter]

pls be mindful that your rights to privacy are greatly diminished when you live in an apartment. Stealth is recommended.

[Soliver]

20 invitro jars are as much of a PITA to hide as one bulk tub, and IMO, they're more
suspicious looking.... a single bulk tub sitting up on a shelf will attract less attention than
a bunch of colonized jars sitting in a plugged-in incubator, I'd guess. The great thing
about the hobby, unlike growing MJ, is that it's portable if done correctly and doesn't
require any funny lights. Stick to battery powered lights and tubs, and you'll be AOK



soliver

[p2k1]

Im describing using bags which have a number of advantage over jars. They could easily be thrown in a garbage bag put in a duffel bag and transported in an instant. Try that with jars without a clinky clanky disaster.
I've played "make the monotubs disappear for the landlord" before and its no fun
Never seen the need for an incubator either, seems like more trouble and problems than its worth, room temp is fine and the jars in a room at room temp are clearly significantly hotter from the heat they generate
Bags can colonize in a bag ready for transport and when fruiting simply open the bag containing them and run a fan in the room, and whenenver youre not around just zip it back up

[Soliver]

Sounds like a plan I've never used bags, but for this purpose, they seem like a
good option.




soliver

[Boboso]

Depends on how high your bed sits. I have enough space under my bed to stuff 4 64quart Sterilite tubs side by side with some inches for airflow. This is just a twin bed...

Just remember to get those nifty/classy looking bed skirts. Your landlord shouldn't be trying to look under the bed... At that point, I think it would be a definite case of invasion of privacy.

[Pure Madness]

I live in an apartment in a city and I use coir and spent coffee grounds. coir is lizard bedding and everyone drinks coffee out here so its nothing suspicious. And I dont case so all you really need is wbs, coir, and coffee.

[viewer6922]

will be my number one choice....it has nute's , bought correctly, clean of contaims. Although I can smell it when I use it, of course I smell a crickets farts from 20 feet away.
Worm casings sound like a lot of punch for babies, although I have yet to use them.
Straw? You can buy small amounts of it at craft stores....easy to pastuerize in an apartment setting
I have found straw/coir to be the Easiest to find, the least odor, and babies love that stuff!

[ishkaboo]

Coir, straw, worm castings are your best bet.

I live in an apartment reminiscent of a condo so I use anything I wish.

[masterplain88]

when i store my inoculated jars i put them back into the cardboard case the jars came in. lable the case then place them in my big styrofoam cooler for incubation. i have only used hpoo/straw as a bulk sub so far but because of the slight smell i am useing coir and a coir somthing mixx(havnt decided yet) for my nex bulks.
masterplain88

[kcmoxtractor]

Yeah coir seems to be a really nice substrate from seeing it used here. I have used earthworm castings and they are great for their moisture holding abilities. W**M*** carries castings in my area, and they are actually on sale for about 2.75 right now because they are out of season.

Smaller bales of straw can be purchased at some feed stores, and just put in a sterilite container to be brought in and out the door, it's just laundry, right?

[slowmow]

I've used coir quite a few times with mixed results. Sometimes I get a million half inch little turd fruits from coir. Other times I get good all normal size fruits. I would recommend a mix of coir and straw. This is a pretty good combo in my opinion. The coir helps the myc run through the straw quickly and the straw provides nutes for the long haul. Just be careful when hydrating the coir. Coir soaks up alot of water and you can overhydrate without even knowing it. Craft stores carry those little prechopped bales of straw. I go to Joanne frabrics. They are really expensive compared to a large bale of straw, but not haveing to chop the straw might be worth the extra money. Also they are very easy to conceal from sight. Laundry indeed.

[KTBR]

I live in an apartment and well I didnt read all your post's so this might already been stated but this is what I do...

I live in and apartment with my gf and a roomate that is agianst weed and shrooms and all that and has no idea that I dry weed and grow mushrooms here...

easiest cover up for this is to get some anoles the little green lizards there cheap and easy to maitain if you need a reason this is what I did..

now as for a sub you can buy the eco earth compressed coir, comes in a three pack for 8$ from any pet store carrying anphibian stuff..now you can also get compsted cow manure from h*me dep*t or l*owes anywhere that has a garden center...and just put it in a non-see thru tub and carry it up...THIS DOESNT SMELL LIKE POO JUST DIRT...and the easiest way to get it to feild capacity is to first put it in a pillowcase AFTER you sift the sticks out of it...now both of these things you will have to pasturize easiest way to do this is inside five gallon buckets WITH LIDS...just get a stock pot to boil large amounts of water...now the WBS if you have a balcony get a bird feeder everything you need to have you can have an excuse for if needed...

I always use either strait coir and spent coffee grounds or 50/50 coir/composted CPoo...you can also use straw pellets I prefer to smash them up before I use them.. and you can never use poo on its own its too dense

but your safe with Cpoo compost and coir...case with strait verm and you'll be good check out my log PE & OI tubs and you can follow my results, except the PE tub is a fluke the OI tub will be increadible...LOL...any other questions just ask and remember that the dumpster outside is used by many ppl but your finger prints are your own NEVER throw anything away without gloves on and with mail in it use a seperate bag for all your xperiment garbage

[alpiner]

between coir and straw pellets other than price and ease of use coir is expensive $30 for 20 lbs compared $17 for 50 lbs of straw pellets and the coir bricks are a pain in the ass to use compared to pellets that you throw in a bag and soak for a hour.
the coir bricks I need to wet, break up and then soak unless I want big dry clods.

when either are properly pastuerized and drained well enough they perform about the same, add a little poo to either for best results in my experience

be prepared for your mileage to vary widely when just hydrating either without a hour or so in either a water bath around 160 or a trip to the oven.

also, casing your tub grows really does help quite a bit for few reasons no matter what you use as a sub

[copelandiaKidd]

coir coir coir!!!!!

[eatyualive]

keep a lock on everything. bagged and dried substrates are the way to go. you can easily store the substrates your going to use in a plain cardboard box. then tape the hell out of it so that you have to cut it open with a box knife everytime you use it. this way, when you look at that box you know if it has been tampered with. then just stick the boxes in your closet stacked. put some things over them. real easy to hide. and it looks like cardboard boxes.

so now you can use any substrate you want. keep it stealthy and as i read above. real good idea to have explanations for what you use with bird feeders and lizards. that may cost you and be more maintenance with keeping animals. but its a good idea.

or if you have an apartment with a garage or patio. you can get those locking storage cabinets to store your supplies in.

also the bed idea is really good as well.

[viewer6922]

I Can smell Coir, But I think it has great nutes in it....from what I am learning...I have started using a coir/verm cake topping(and bottom) for all my cakes...I think coir rocks.