Personal log -
Pinning strategy for cased substrates:
1.Allow proper amount of time for spawn run and 7-11 days post 100% colonization without disturbing the substrate to further consolidate the hold on the substrate.
2.Introduce colonized (Cased) substrate into fruiting chamber(s) with a humidity level of 80% range. Doing so will cause for more evaporation of moisture in the substrate.
3.Start your 12/12 light cycle by introducing very bright, direct sunlight for no longer than 5-10 minutes. After this is completed use normal 6500k lighting or ambient sunlight.
4. Mist substrate heavily. Casing layer should be "shiny".
5. Once misted, immediately fan for 5 solid minutes. Repeat this 3 times a day and normally fan 4-6 times a day. Make sure your casing layer never totally drys out by misting as much as you are fanning.
Objective: Evaporate as much moisture from your substrate as possible without drying it or depleting necessary moisture for fruiting. Once pinset is achieved, it is no longer necessary to fan for five minutes at a time or continue to evaporate moisture. Return humidity level to 95%-100%RH during fruiting.
Notes:
A. Casing layer should be "fluffy", or easily passable by circulating air and light through your fruiting chamber.
B. Test results have been done in shotgun FC and martha green house.
C. Other fruiting chambers will not be able to out-perform without the use of a third party air circulation device (usually a humidifier).
D. Having your FC in a room with a slow moving fan is vital for a good air circulation.
E. Fluctuation of fruiting temperatures between 75-85F have made no difference in result.
F. Introducing 5 minutes of intense direct sunlight seems to cause a better performance.
G. Don't over do your casing's thickness. 0.5' - 1.5' recommended.
H. On average a 16 OZ bottle of water was used each day in misting.
I. Place your light source roughly 6-10 inches above your substrate and no higher. You are aiming to penetrate the surface mycelium to stimulate a pinset.
