Panaeolus on Alfalfa

[slacker]

For those of us living in the city horse manure can be very hard to find and once found it must be dried. Having large trays or tarps covered in horse manure probably isn't the best way to maintain a low profile with the neighbours. Straw isn't that easy to find except around halloween and it's very bulky and time consuming to chop.
Alfalfa cubes may be a good alternative. Most pet stores sell it for between $1-2 a pound. The cubes are preferred to alfalfa straw/hay because it's cheaper, takes up less space for storage, and it's already chopped to a size that works well.
Each cube is about 1.5"X1.5"x2" and weighs about 40 grams, about 11 cubes to the lb.
One cube equals about a cup when it's moistened and squeezed of excess water.

The following recipe will make enough for 6 of the 350ml deli containers.

3 C alfalfa (approx, 1.5 cubes)
3 C vermiculite
1 C soaked/waterlogged and drained wild bird seed
4 Tbsp millet flour or brown rice flour
175-200 ml water.

Put the alfalfa cubes in a sock and smash them up a bit with a hammer so that they absorb water faster. Place the alfalfa in a bowl and cover it with about 2-3 times of hot water. When it's fully soaked strain the water and squeeze all the water out. The alfalfa should feel moist not look wet.
In a separate bowl mix the vermiculite, WBS and flour then add the water. Mix with the alfalfa. Fill the deli containers about 1/4-3/8" from the top and add dry vermiculite the rest of the way. Place lid on with several holes in it and cover with tin foil. Pressure cook for 1 hour at 15 psi.
Casing is standard 5 parts peat:5 parts vermiculite: 1 part limestone powder and sterilized in oven.
Incubation was 2 weeks.
Casing colonization was 3 days
Pinning in 3 days
Harvest in 2 days
All done at 80-84F.
The strain in the pic is Pan. tropicalis Sandoz domesticate. Similar results were obtained with Pan Goliath and Pan cyan Vietnam.
Next a bulk grow will be attempted with pasteurized alfalfa.
Hope this makes it a little easier for other city folk.

[golly]

[eatyualive]

great! always love the alternative subs!

[feralronin]

cool idea and looks like it worked like a charm. the pic of the alfalfa compressed looks like some dirty dirt that is around here at them moment.

[slacker]

Originally Posted by feralronin

cool idea and looks like it worked like a charm. the pic of the alfalfa compressed looks like some dirty dirt that is around here at them moment.

Thankfully I haven't seen Mexican dirt in a couple of decades.
Sorry, spelt Sandoz wrong, should be Sandose.
Certainly makes things easier for urbanites. Just a little tweak on the Waylit Tek.