Suspend cakes in mid air!

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By Chick (Schroomchick) on Thursday, January 24, 2002 - 10:11 pm:

I forget who said it, but someone said they had the idea to suspend cakes in the air so the schrooms can grow from all sides. i think I am going to try this with some cakes i am birthing today. How will I accomplish this, you ask? Well, I intend to put a straw through the center of each (Hawaiian) cake. I will use 2 1/4 pint cakes for this experiment...use a verm casing, leave a space between the 2 cakes, and stretch the plastic straw/cake combo in between 2 empty jars...I think this will work well...I wish I had a camera...well, maybe I'll get some pictures somehow and post them...so i'll let you guys know how the little experiment goes!

By Dr. Cubensis (Shroomzilla) on Thursday, January 24, 2002 - 10:37 pm:

Very cool.

Might have been Tam man... Believe he was talking about suspension... But coulda been anyone!!

Nice to meetcha Chicky....

And

Good luck!

By Chronic007 (Chronic007) on Thursday, January 24, 2002 - 11:14 pm:

I am currently working on something very similar to that using my quart jar "chronic tek". I even took it a bit further and cut the cakes in quarters and suspended all of the quarters in the same quart jar for more surface area. I call it the totem pole. I'm using a coat hanger that stands vertical in the center of the quart jar; I then slid the quarters onto it. Hmmmmmm��..sounds like a pic is in line so I'll post one.

totem pole

Just looking for ways to improve the "Chronic tek". Should have results in a week or so. The reason I'm trying this is because of a post that someone started about a modified terrarium that used sandwiched (cased) flatcakes stood on end in rows in the terrarium to maximize efficiency. I think that totem poles are much more feasible though. Can't you just see terrariums full of little totem poles just like this one. If you put all the quarters' flat edges together (I put mine at different angles �cause I don't case) you could put wet layers of vermiculite between the quarters kind of like cement when laying bricks. It sounds great in theory but soon I�ll have some facts and I�m sure they�ll lead to some of you terrarium junkies experimenting with totem poles.

Take care and be safe.
Chronic007

By Merlin (Merlin) on Thursday, January 24, 2002 - 11:24 pm:

I've been trying to figure out a way to suspend them in nylon mesh bags I found. Suction cups won't stick so I'm kinda stuck.

By plinkerdink420 (Plinkerdink420) on Friday, January 25, 2002 - 12:20 am:

you could just use one of those screw in hooks... well, i don't know what kinda chamber you have, but a silicone glue and you'd be set if it's a rubbermaid...... well, maybe not... maybe too much weight..... although... maybe if you used a hanger and layed it accross the top of the terrarium with the ends poking through and bent into a hook on the inside of the terrarium..... then maybe just use that silicone glue to seal it up.... just some thoughts..... i don't remember where i heard it exactly, i think eatyu, but somebody said that they stuck toothpicks into the bottom of the cake like legs and suspended them that way.... i don't know..... interesting concept though

By Ron (Clubbenguy) on Friday, January 25, 2002 - 12:56 am:

Why not just jam a metal rod thru two holes in the sides of a rubbermaid and slide them right through the tops so its almost like roasting three tiny pigs. Then if you want to get really technical, you could somehow hook up a rotater to the rod so it rotated and all surfaces of the cake would be rotated for even light distribution. I believe this would also help keep the cakes evenly hydrated. Ahhhhh........isnt it fun to mycofantasize?

.........light source
.... _______/_\_______ <--clear lid
....I..__......__.....__.....I
---I-l__l---l__l---l__l---I-.l <--metal rod
....I...........^...............I..l <--STRING
....I.........cake.............I..l
....I----------------------I.{ } <--rotater
Dots used for spacing.

By Ron (Clubbenguy) on Friday, January 25, 2002 - 12:58 am:

Hope you guys enjoy my little symbol pic

By Merlin (Merlin) on Friday, January 25, 2002 - 01:25 am:

Hooks on toggle bolts (like a plant hanger) and then seal with silicone from the outside. Thanks, Plink. It was your inspiration.

By Kenny Keller (Kennieyk) on Friday, January 25, 2002 - 01:47 am:

It be super kewl if you could take magnets and a magnet mat , To somehow suspend them. Wonder if you could put a magnet in a pf jar with no contams. Magnets are fairly cheap.

By Imok Urok2 (Imok) on Friday, January 25, 2002 - 06:02 am:

I like your totem pole idea Chronic007.
But how about using Ron's, idea but hanging the
totem pole off of the cross container support.
Punch a rod thru the center of several cakes with
moist verm in between.
Put a hook on one end of the rod and a thread on
the other(like the rod that holds an old time air
cleaner cover on the carb) with a metal lid
between a nut screwed on the threaded end and the
bottom verm layer.
Put a verm layer on top of the top cake as well.
You could pull one out at a time to harvest or
even dunk in a 2liter.
Just replace the old verm with new after the dunk
and let it hang some more.
Call it a shish-ka-cake :)

By Chronic007 (Chronic007) on Friday, January 25, 2002 - 11:00 pm:

That sounds like a really good idea Imok. I'm petty limited in my experiments 'cause I don't use terrariums but I think we're playing with some good ideas.
Chronic007

By Chick (Schroomchick) on Saturday, January 26, 2002 - 02:57 am:

I like the totem pole, very interesting...we should all do it in a different way and see what works the best. I put the suspended cakes in my cold room overnight, and I may be just overeager, but I think I see the beginning of pins. So far so good, now I have moved them to my 76 deg environment, I am lucky enough to have a nice out of the way room, and due to the marvels of electric heat, I can keep that room at 76, while being able to have the bedroom nice and arctic like I like it (I can't even imagine sleeping in a 76 deg room). I am also lucky to have really cool roommates who don't care if I completely take over the extra room for the growing operation. Next step is to move the computer so there will be NO reason for anyone to come in here. I think I may throw a few more in suspension...it doesn't seem like it could hurt. More jars coming out today...ahhh...the joys of farming

By nuecrew (Nue) on Saturday, January 26, 2002 - 04:12 am:

What if you formed the cakes into balls? Thread the balls together with needle and high test fishing line.

By Imok Urok2 (Imok) on Saturday, January 26, 2002 - 07:55 am:

Dont see a problem if you can form them.
They take on the shape of the container they are
made in.
The only reason I said a rod was so you could put
something on the bottom to carry the weight of
the cakes and keep them from sliding off along
with the verm in between for extra moisture for
the cakes.

By ion ewe (Ion) on Saturday, January 26, 2002 - 08:42 am:

You know what? In the larger production houses for commercial mushrooms, often times they use a technique of hanging...

Basically, it's like the bulk bag tek, but in gigantic, black, tubular garbage bag looking things. These are hung from the ceiling of a room with the correct environment. There are horizontal slits all over the bag, and these are the fruiting sites.

It's a thought...

-ion

By plinkerdink420 (Plinkerdink420) on Saturday, January 26, 2002 - 06:18 pm:

congrats on the pins shroomchick

By Maliki vision seaker (Maliki) on Saturday, January 26, 2002 - 10:27 pm:

This same principle is floating around all over i just started flat cakes using 1/8 inch plastic mesh screen for suport from the outside the mysaeium does the rest if you go into key word search put maliki frame into the search box it comes up the third one down new tek idea is the title

By Seedy (Seedy) on Monday, January 28, 2002 - 04:05 am:

hey merlin that sounds interesting. what kind of nylon bag are you useing. pantyhose? do you think a chese cloth bag would work? so many possibilities!

By Merlin (Merlin) on Monday, January 28, 2002 - 07:06 pm:

The bags I found are like the ones I've seen potatos and onions in except a lot smaller. Probably 1/8 inch mesh or so. I'm not sure what came in them My wife handed them to me one evening and said "thought you might be able to use these for something". Haven't tried them out yet but I'll post results when I do. Cheesecloth would probably work but I think the cloth would be more prone to contams than nylon mesh.

By UnkyHerb (Notapplicable) on Monday, January 28, 2002 - 07:16 pm:

Too much complication.. why not just double-end case? The mushrooms that would fruit on the bottom of the cake will grow from the bottom edge where the verm meets the cake.. Or I could just be to lazy to mess with new supplies when I have something that works nice ;)

By Merlin (Merlin) on Monday, January 28, 2002 - 10:46 pm:

I agree wholeheartedly, Unkyherb. This is probably why I keep growing cakes and just looking at the little mesh bags.
I've always been a big fan of the KISS method or maybe we're both just a little lazy. Hmmmm.

By Dr. Cubensis (Shroomzilla) on Tuesday, January 29, 2002 - 12:13 am:

Nah, not lazy....

TO make successful mushies and subsequent successful crops of mushies..

One must work very hard in the first place...

Lazy is DEFINITELY not a successful grower description.