I spread four blocks of 5.5 lb Wine Cap saw dust mycelium and then I hand-carried (through the very uneven forest & field ground) about four gallons of water for each area of wood chips that had the Wine Cap inoculated - 14 areas (256 gallons total). Yeah that was a good workout! Then I covered each area with plastic with holes in it - for air and water to get through - but also to slow down evaporation rate! The original sawdust blocks are also in plastic with just one little air hole fabric mesh spot - about 2 inches diameter...they don't get watered after they're mailed out and can last maybe six months in the refrigerator....
So last night it looks like there was 3/4ths of an inch of rain! And there was also 3/4ths of an inch of rain a few days ago! This gives me hope but I still have to go till the end of the month before I can water the wood chips again.
I wonder how much water they will need to stay moist? hmmm. This will be the ultimate Winecap Mycelium endurance test!
I have another "half" of the mycelium left to spread and I get the 65 gallon water tank at the end of the month - so that will ensure good watering if that works out for hauling the water and using a gravity-feed garden hose.
Yesterday I bought the actual Garden Hose thread adapter to the male 3/4" NPT thread for the 65 gallon tank female NPT 3/4" opening (see above image)....then the bungee garden hose (300 feet total) I bought has a turn off valve... to hold the water in when I'm not draining it out. hahaha.
It took two of the workers at Tractor Supply to work together to find this adapter plastic product in the store - it was in a side wall sliding door shelf. haha. First I tried the garden section - nope. Then I tried the farm section of the store. Nope. This was in the septic section of the store I think.... but not in that one septic shelf section that I was first directed towards by the staff. Thanks for helping me find this!
It's going to be hot again up north but still pretty cold at night so the field grass will have dew on it. Hopefully the dew condensation will also keep the mycelium moist!!!
No more rain for the next week!! I will deliver more wood chips soon...I suppose I can figure out a way to also haul water?! five gallon buckets with lids.... so if I get 12 buckets - that's the equivalent of 60 gallons of water - the same as the water tank that I ordered! (65 gallons).... plus I need room for the wood chips...
I think this is doable.... $30 for the lids and $45 for the buckets...=$75 to water the mycelium in two days from now....Yeah that's the same day it gets super hot again up north - so I better go for it!!
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