The following points are written to assist mushroom farms with a set of guidelines on how to prepare Harte Peat casing soil before applying it to the compost.

These points are only guidelines and growers will adapt the procedure to suit their timing schedule and growing methods.

1. Store the bags in a clean, dry, and dust free area.
2. Calculate how many bags you need to prepare. For example 500m² of growing surface multiply by .05m (5 cm) deep casing layer = 25m• of casing to be prepared. This equals 10 bags. (10 x 2.5m• bags)
3. Take the 10 bags from the storage area and wash the surface of the bag before bringing to the mixing area.
4. Before emptying the bags, make sure the floor is clean, washed and disinfected.
5. Cut open the 10 bags on to the floor.
6. Spray with water using a hose with a rose head.
7. Spray the pile evenly allowing the water to be absorbed by the peat.
8. Turn the peat over into a new pile and then spray again.
9. We recommend 100 litres of water per m³, but growers must assess their individual situation in terms of their equipment and its ability to manage heavier casing.
10. We recommend that the preparation (re-hydration) is done over a 2-3 day period before casing.