Beetle substrate recipe

When did you start the batch? How many bags of wheat bran was used? Was it stored in a breathable bag or tote?

Sorry for all the questions, I want to figure this out the best I could. 

 
So I started it about 24th April and it was in a breathable bag to start with and then I moved it back into a box as it was drying out really quickly due to I guess the small amount I made up.. So i used the 5:1 ratio.. 10l Wood/2lt Bran... which made 12 litres.. I was going to do it on weight, but its hard to weight a big block of Oak and when it was wet, so used the volume method as i could squeeze it into a known size!

So, its still fairly new mixture, but was expecting some reaction after a week or two? Am i not waiting long enough for things to kick off?

 
I don't think so... I guess it didn't work this batch..... 

I'll make some more up and see what happens... I mean it doesn't smell off and has a nice earthy smell, but can't believe its fermented in a week tho? It not summer here, so is being heated in a grow tent...

 
Is it supposed to smell like yeast after the first couple of weeks, or does it lose that smell to continue to ferment? Anyway to tell if its stopped doing it thing?

 
Within the first couple of days it should have generated heat and smell a bit like wine. After it is complete the substrate should be dark and have an earthy smell. 

I find that putting the sub in breathable bags works the best. Even though mixing is not required, tumbling the bag back and forth everyday really helps the process. 

 
Ok, so yes, it did smell like wine for a few days, so it possible it did do it thing with the heat.. but i didnt mix it for a week, but certainly did smell.. Now its kind of smelling earthy, but not that dark.. do i just leave it or has it finished really quickly?

 
I'm giving this a go. The only confusing part (maybe I'm an idiot) was the "more than half" of the pellets without further clarification if the remainder of the bag was to be added to the mix during the current batch or saved for a future batch...

 
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