I'm currently ATTEMPTING to grow some b+ strain mushrooms and they're in the terrarium right now. For humidification I'm using the perlite method. I made the terrarium on friday and still see no signs of humidification. I saturated the perlite for about 2 minutes and laid it out and covered it with a thin dry layer of perlite also. So does it just take a while for the evaporation to take place or am I doing something wrong? Thx
layer of dry perlite is unnessecary. make sure your cakes aren't in direct contact with any perlite at all. how much perlite are you using? how big is the container? what temperature? how often are you fanning/venting? we need a bit more information, and perhaps pics, if you need help
1). about an inch and a half 2).the container is fairly small, about a foot and a half wide by 1 foot. 3).temperature is about 71. I know this isn't optimal but I figured I'd just leave it. If this is the reason I can make changes. 4).fanning at least twice a day, sometimes 3. I don't have a digital camera so I can't provide any pics. Sry,but thanks for trying to help me out. If anything changes I'll post.Thanks again
you may or may not see signs of humidification anyway. water only will condense in little droplets on the side at very high RH, and only will form real drops at outrageously high RH.... i suggest getting a small digital hygrometer and a calibration kit for it from an online cigar shop. shouldnt cost too very much, and will give you a digital readout of the relative humidity, providing far better estimates than you or i ever could alone. if you are really having trouble with the perlite, you can get some small humidifying devices for a humidor, too. they are designed to establish a relative humidity of around 70%, but adding an extra one or two will help it get higher for you need to
thanks a lot.I'm going to look into buying a hygrometer definitely and then see what happens from there.
You might want to add another inch, but it might not matter. Also, make sure it is thoroughly drained. Perlite that is too wet, especially if there is standing water, will not humidify as efficiently as drained perlite. And as Nesta said, there is no reason to put a layer of dry perlite on top. In my opinion, this is your greatest problem. Relative humidity is, after all, relative, meaning that the warmer air is capable of holding more water. 100% RH at 71 degrees is not the same as 100% RH at optimal temperatures. Make sure you mist the air overtop of your substrate whenever you fan if the RH is too low.
