permaculture

[David Buitenveld <sarcasticboy@thechicken.coop>]

thanks for the lab info -

on the mushroom front, I am working from memory here, so do check with 
the experts at fungi.com, but I think Paul was using King Stropharia in 
a wood chip bed - since this was his drainfield, I assume it was 
considerably moist. The Kings are edible and I know Paul has done some 
really interesting stuff looking at how mushroom break down toxins so as 
to remain edible, but I think I would check whether he is feeding his 
septic Kings to his daughter before eating myself! One question I cannot 
answer is how to get a viable substrate for the mushrooms to get started 
on.. I know Paul uses an industrial retort (I think he called it) which 
is basically the world's biggest pressure cooker for sterilizing 
wood-chips/sawdust/straw for the beds - something that is WAY beyond the 
average budget, so I'm not sure what they would recommend on the 
sterilization front (if anything)


david


roxann wrote:
> Hi David -
>
> Thanks for the idea of fungi! The area where my ponds will be located is in a 
> wooded ravine, so this will likely be an ideal thing to work with. Are there 
> mushrooms that can grow in high moisture levels? I'm thinking of the 
> possibilities...sunken pots of media for the mushrooms in the ponds? The 
> bottoms would be very wet but the tops could be dry enough if i raise them 
> high enough, i suppose. and then how do mushrooms do as compost - these 
> wouldn't be edible, would they??  I've heard of Paul Stamets and I believe I 
> saw where he will be giving a talk somewhere in my region soon...I'll have to 
> look it up.
>
> As for monitoring your water, there are some Hach brand test kits for field testing of these things, but we never use them at the lab because they're not all that reliable and our clients must submit their results to the DEQ. The instruments we use are too expensive for an individual to want to have it at home, and the reagents used might be difficult to purchase on your own. I would recommend working with a local environmental laboratory. It would cost around $100. But since you don't have results to report to any agency, the Hach colorimetry test kits might work out just fine for you. I'm planning to check mine twice a year after it's good and established. I have no idea how long it will take to reach that point, though! 
>
> Roxann, NW AR
> http://blog.ancientearthwisdom.com
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