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** Tip - To maximize subsequent flushes, you may dunk the substrate block in distilled water overnight, then dab the excess water off with a paper towel and place back into the bag. To close the bag, just fold the top over and use either a clothespin or paper clip to hold the fold in place.

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I purchased a grow bag from "The Mad Season". It seemed like an easy, and cheap way to grow for my first time.

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fastfred said:

Quote:

I purchased a grow bag from "The Mad Season". It seemed like an easy, and cheap way to grow for my first time.

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LOL!  You haven't been paying attention have you?  I never get why people insist on skipping the easy ways and demand to go straight to other methods.

Grow bags are a fairly shitty way to go under any circumstances.  For a first timer it's certainly foolish.

Good luck anyhow.


-FF

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Cervantes said:

Here's my 10 steps to using a grain grow bag:

1. Unfold the bag (So the filter patch can do its thing).

2. Inject the substrate. Inject between the plastic wall of the bag and the substrate, allowing your spores to run down the inside of the plastic bag. This allows spores to cover a lot more surface area than if you just inject the middle of the substrate. You should be able to see the needle between the substrate and the bag before you inject. DO NOT INJECT THE MIDDLE OF THE SUBSTRATE or your bag may not grow anything. Like the next step, this step is VITAL.

3. Mash the bag by hand (Yes, mash it... bags feel like bricks when you get 'em... after inoculating, you must mash the substrate inside the bag... mash it good... once it feels like potting soil, you're all set.). Don't worry, bags are strong, they can handle this step. Just don't poke them with anything sharp. The goal is to loosen the soil and to spread the spores around. This step is VITAL.

4. Wait 3-14 days until you see growth (Usually 4-6 days).

5. Once you are certain you see growth, MASH the bag again. Try and move the patch of myc all around the bag. (When you mash the mycelia, the myc will seem to disappear, this is normal so don't worry, it will spread like WILDFIRE when it grows back... greatly speeding up colonization time).

6. After the bag recovers from the LAST mash (usually 2-3 days), MASH again. The goal here is to move the colonized substrate around so it comes in contact with the uncolonized substrate... to spread the myc. Once again, the myc will seem to vanish as it is mashed. Don't worry, you should know by now, it'll be back and better than ever.

7. Let the bag finish colonizing. If you mashed correctly, full colonization should only be 2-3 days away. You can mash again if needed ( especially if you still have large patches of uncolonized substrate), but be patient. If you mash every day, it'll never colonize. Mashing is not required, but it greatly speeds the colonization process... which helps the bag retain moisture for its first flush.

8. If you haven't exposed your bag to the light, do this once your bag is colonized. There is no reason to keep your bag in the dark (but may people still do it). I prefer keeping the bag in the light, so I can watch it grow.

9. Pins should come 1-2 weeks after full colonization... and shrooms should follow. Shrooms take 4-10 days to grow from pin to mushroom. Once you have pins, just pat yourself on the back and be patient. Pins are a good sign. They mean you will almost certainly get shrooms. Only people who mess around with their bags too much at this point seem to fail. Sure, once in a while, you can pick your bags up to get a better look, but keep physical contact with the bags to a minimum, lest you abort your prescious pins.

10. Cut open the bag and harvest your shrooms... spray the inside of the bag with a little water and re-seal the bag... or dunk your cake in the bag for 12-24 hours (Keep the patch dry... it is easier than it sounds, just don't pour water over the patch). Do not open the bag before the first flush. Yes, if you open the bag you get more fresh air exchange and that is a good thing, but by keeping the bag closed until after the first flush you have a higher likelihood of succeeding, ESPECIALLY if it is your first time growing. When you pay for a bag, you want it to work.

* Repeat steps 9 and 10 until bag is done fruiting (Most cakes contaminate when they're done producing... don't feel bad if your bag contams after 3-4 flushes.)

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This site of full of assholes like that.  If you dont do things the way they do you are foolish and stupid.  Seems like a lot of teenagers prolly hang out here.  Thats ok, if you get past the assclowns there is a lot of good info to be found.

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po0dingles said:

fastfred said:

Quote:

I purchased a grow bag from "The Mad Season". It seemed like an easy, and cheap way to grow for my first time.

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LOL!  You haven't been paying attention have you?  I never get why people insist on skipping the easy ways and demand to go straight to other methods.

Grow bags are a fairly shitty way to go under any circumstances.  For a first timer it's certainly foolish.

Good luck anyhow.


-FF

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I don't see how making cakes is any easier than injecting a bag and neglecting it in a closed for a couple weeks. Growing mushrooms doesn't appear to be rocket science. Seems like it's just a game of sterility, humidity, temperature management, and patience.

It's only because there's so much information out there that people get confused. Everyone seems to have their own special technique which is fine.

But as the saying goes; Opinions are like assholes, everyone's got one.

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fastfred said:

Quote:

I purchased a grow bag from "The Mad Season". It seemed like an easy, and cheap way to grow for my first time.

---

LOL!  You haven't been paying attention have you?  I never get why people insist on skipping the easy ways and demand to go straight to other methods.

Grow bags are a fairly shitty way to go under any circumstances.  For a first timer it's certainly foolish.

Good luck anyhow.


-FF

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