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globos
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Registered: 04/09/10
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Newbie question - growbox (mycelium box) (turned into a growlog along the way)
#14304815 - 04/17/11 06:11 AM (12 years, 9 months ago) |
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A FOAF ordered a few goodies at Avalon; he got one Mazatapec growbox http://www.avalonmagicplants.com/mushroom-growbox/mycelium-magic-mushroom-growset-mazatapec.html He's got a few questions that I can't answer to, so I'm passing them on to people who know a lot more.
The box was shipped 7 days ago and when it arrived about 4 days later, my friend had no time to care for it, so he put it in the fridge. Now he thinks it's time to give it a go, so he wants to know if the 7-8 days of pause (only 2-3 of which in the fridge) could have damaged the stuff. Should he let the box get to room temp before soaking? Any special tip to overcome the pause the box went through?
He's a total first-timer with no experience whatsoever, but he wants to maximize the returns, so he wants me to ask: should he take spore prints? Which is the easiest, most foolproof tek for harvesting spores? Can someone provide a link?
He's planning to dry the fruits in a food dehydrator at 70 C and then possibly freeze/grind. Sounds good?
Edited by globos (05/05/11 08:06 AM)
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Doc_T
Random Dude




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Re: Newbie question - growbox (mycelium box) [Re: globos]
#14304829 - 04/17/11 06:17 AM (12 years, 9 months ago) |
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I'd take it out of the fridge and proceed as normal.
Next time, make your own and save money while you learn more.
-------------------- You make it all possible. Doesn't it feel good?
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globos
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Re: Newbie question - growbox (mycelium box) [Re: Doc_T]
#14304836 - 04/17/11 06:24 AM (12 years, 9 months ago) |
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Proceed while the substrate is still cold?
Yes, next time he would like to try making his own, that's why he keeps blabbering about spores, only he doesn't want to fuck up the prints and he's not so good at such precision jobs, so he's asking for the very easiest, foolproof way of getting it right without special expertise and equipment.
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Doc_T
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Re: Newbie question - growbox (mycelium box) [Re: globos]
#14304841 - 04/17/11 06:25 AM (12 years, 9 months ago) |
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Place cap on foil, cover with jar, wait. Remove jar, remove cap. Put print in bag.
In a glovebox.
-------------------- You make it all possible. Doesn't it feel good?
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globos
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Re: Newbie question - growbox (mycelium box) [Re: Doc_T]
#14344037 - 04/24/11 03:44 PM (12 years, 9 months ago) |
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Ok, so the friend-of-a-friend found a suitable moment and soaked the substrate. In 12 hours he'll get all the water out of the box and start waiting. He'll keep me posted.
P.S. He says he's got no glovebox... well I guess we'll see after the first flush comes out!
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globos
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Re: Newbie question - growbox (mycelium box) [Re: globos]
#14348328 - 04/25/11 10:19 AM (12 years, 9 months ago) |
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My friend says he's not spraying daily and he didn't even add some water in the bottom of the filter bag. Will that be ok?
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globos
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Re: Newbie question - growbox (mycelium box) [Re: globos]
#14365719 - 04/28/11 08:16 AM (12 years, 9 months ago) |
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They were soaked on the night of April 20. Does the box look OK?
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Doc_T
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Re: Newbie question - growbox (mycelium box) [Re: globos]
#14365763 - 04/28/11 08:31 AM (12 years, 9 months ago) |
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It looks fine. How often do you open the bag and fan it out?
-------------------- You make it all possible. Doesn't it feel good?
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globos
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Re: Newbie question - growbox (mycelium box) [Re: Doc_T]
#14365811 - 04/28/11 08:52 AM (12 years, 9 months ago) |
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My friend never did. The instructions don't mention ever opening the bag - or re-soaking between flushes, even! So he's in doubt since this is his absolute first time.
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Doc_T
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Re: Newbie question - growbox (mycelium box) [Re: globos]
#14365936 - 04/28/11 09:28 AM (12 years, 9 months ago) |
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I'd flap it open three or four times a day, puff the air in and out. Mist as needed to replace lost moisture.
-------------------- You make it all possible. Doesn't it feel good?
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globos
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Re: Newbie question - growbox (mycelium box) [Re: Doc_T]
#14365979 - 04/28/11 09:38 AM (12 years, 9 months ago) |
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Allright, I'll tell my friend who will likely take the advice, thanks.
How about re-soaking after the first flush? Should he do it? With the lid on? How long?
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USASpores
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Re: Newbie question - growbox (mycelium box) [Re: globos]
#14365996 - 04/28/11 09:43 AM (12 years, 9 months ago) |
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yes dunk for 8-10 hours after you harvest your first flush.
-------------------- http://www.gofundme.com/steven-harold-fund if you donate send me a private message and i'll ship out a free print for helping out a family in need!
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globos
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Re: Newbie question - growbox (mycelium box) [Re: USASpores]
#14378639 - 04/30/11 05:01 PM (12 years, 8 months ago) |
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My friend has opened the bag just a couple of times since I told him about your advice - and he was rewarded with two pretty little mushrooms! As soon as I get some pics from him I'll post them up. Thanks!
He still has a request about spore printing - what's the most idiot-proof tek that doesn't require a glovebox?
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Doc_T
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Re: Newbie question - growbox (mycelium box) [Re: globos]
#14378649 - 04/30/11 05:05 PM (12 years, 8 months ago) |
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It's not that hard to take a spore print. Foil, mushroom, cover. Wear gloves. Good job getting mushrooms, pleae post pics soon.
-------------------- You make it all possible. Doesn't it feel good?
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globos
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Re: Newbie question - growbox (mycelium box) [Re: Doc_T]
#14382054 - 05/01/11 11:00 AM (12 years, 8 months ago) |
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Here you are 

By the way, perlite and vermiculite aren't that easy to find here. If I should decide to grow my own without resorting to ready-made (and sweetly reliable!) grow kits, could I use some substitute? There are so many teks here that as a total mushroom beginner I feel lost. Could you knowledgeable guys point me to the easiest one?
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OneU
Registered: 03/19/11
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Re: Newbie question - growbox (mycelium box) [Re: globos]
#14382488 - 05/01/11 12:48 PM (12 years, 8 months ago) |
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globos
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Time to harvest? Re: Newbie question - growbox (mycelium box) [Re: OneU]
#14404081 - 05/05/11 08:05 AM (12 years, 8 months ago) |
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My friend has got a few questions - three actually.
1. Is time to harvest the first flush yet? There are only 2 patches of growth - half of the case is fruitless. The caps are quite pale, and a first-time cultivator has many doubts, never sure he's doing it right.
In the pics it is possible to see some mushrooms grown inside the box, trapped between box and substrate, or even grown downwards with the cup stuck deep in the substrate.
2. Should they be picked to avoid molding in future flushes? In some of the pics, some green mold is visible on the trapped mushrooms.
And last but not least:
3. Do the larger mushrooms look ready for spore printing?
Edited by globos (05/05/11 08:17 AM)
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Perun
Mahapralaya...



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Time to harvest? Re: Newbie question - growbox (mycelium box) [Re: globos]
#14404110 - 05/05/11 08:14 AM (12 years, 8 months ago) |
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1. Give it more time so the veil brake!
2.If u can reach them,yeah pick them!
3.If u want to print you need to let the caps open!
-------------------- First: Then:
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globos
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Time to harvest? Re: Newbie question - growbox (mycelium box) [Re: Perun]
#14404432 - 05/05/11 09:47 AM (12 years, 8 months ago) |
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What if I can't reach the mushrooms stuck in the substrate? The last 2 pics show some green stuff (mold?) growing around them, and I'm afraid it will spoil the next flushes. Is it OK to disturb the substrate and mix it up a little in order to remove the offenders?
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sporesmores420
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Time to harvest? Re: Newbie question - growbox (mycelium box) [Re: globos]
#14404519 - 05/05/11 10:11 AM (12 years, 8 months ago) |
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Let them open up if you want to spore print them, you have to cut the cap off and set it on tin foil. the spores will fall from the gills.
Don't case next time you will have more pins on the surface or at least your side pins will be able to push their way up.
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OneU
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Time to harvest? Re: Newbie question - growbox (mycelium box) [Re: sporesmores420]
#14405010 - 05/05/11 12:16 PM (12 years, 8 months ago) |
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Your temps aren't high are they? 80+?
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globos
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Time to harvest? Re: Newbie question - growbox (mycelium box) [Re: OneU]
#14406987 - 05/05/11 07:30 PM (12 years, 8 months ago) |
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High 70s - 80 tops. Why are you asking?
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OneU
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Time to harvest? Re: Newbie question - growbox (mycelium box) [Re: globos]
#14407007 - 05/05/11 07:35 PM (12 years, 8 months ago) |
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Sometimes when temps are too high they grow very rapidly and in rare cases too quick for their own good. Do you have an accurate thermometer in the chamber? It gets warmer under a light than outside and I had 2 different thermometers in there at first to see how accurate the readings were.
Could be genetics. When you harvest them and dry them, if they get super thin or a lot smaller than anticipated, it will mean they were very hollow and grew very rapidly.
They look pretty though :-)
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globos
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Time to harvest? Re: Newbie question - growbox (mycelium box) [Re: OneU]
#14408982 - 05/06/11 08:00 AM (12 years, 8 months ago) |
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My friend harvested after seeing the mushrooms grow a bit larger/thicker and the first veils just starting to tear. He says the first flush was 165 g wet, which became 15 g after drying 6-7 hours in a food dehydrator set at max temp (70 C). Not bad for a first flush, considering half of the casing surface wasn't showing fruits.
He tried to get rid of all the underground mushrooms, so he had to disrupt the substrate a little. He hopes it's not an issue, but his sense told him it's more important to get rid of possible mold sources than to leave the substrate/mycelium untouched. Let's hope he isn't wrong.
Harvest was a tad too early for spore printing maybe, but he says he'll see to that with the next flushes - he still needs to get a pyrex with a lid so he can sterilize the aluminium foil anyway. He dunked the case for 6 hours and drained it. We'll see what happens next.
Edited by globos (05/06/11 05:59 PM)
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Doc_T
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Time to harvest? Re: Newbie question - growbox (mycelium box) [Re: globos]
#14409034 - 05/06/11 08:20 AM (12 years, 8 months ago) |
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Clean foil is basically sterile right off the roll. Same thing with plastic bags. They are made in factories full of robots. Liquid material is rolled out and sealed up. Very little opportunity for contams to get in.
-------------------- You make it all possible. Doesn't it feel good?
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globos
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Time to harvest? Re: Newbie question - growbox (mycelium box) [Re: Doc_T]
#14455935 - 05/15/11 12:13 PM (12 years, 8 months ago) |
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Second flush on its way... more about it later (pics probably).
Growing from the mycelium box was so easy that my friend has gotten enthusiastic about it: he wants to start his own next time - and he hasn't even used the stuff yet!
So now the question is: since there's healthy growing mycelium in the box, wouldn't it be possible to start a new tray or something WITHOUT starting from scratch (spores, sterilization etc.)? Could he just take some of that funny white stuff and give it a new place to live, full of nutrients and all?
Pointers, please!
Edited by globos (05/15/11 05:31 PM)
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globos
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Time to harvest? Re: Newbie question - growbox (mycelium box) [Re: globos]
#14460870 - 05/16/11 06:49 AM (12 years, 8 months ago) |
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Here's the second flush. My friend says he's going to wait a bit more before harvesting. And he would appreciate someone answering the questions I relayed in the previous post 
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Doc_T
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Time to harvest? Re: Newbie question - growbox (mycelium box) [Re: globos]
#14460875 - 05/16/11 06:53 AM (12 years, 8 months ago) |
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Although it might be possible to propagate the myeclium from that box, it's not idea for a number of reasons. Better to clone a fruitbody, it's the same amount of work and you'll get better results.
-------------------- You make it all possible. Doesn't it feel good?
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globos
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Time to harvest? Re: Newbie question - growbox (mycelium box) [Re: Doc_T]
#14461302 - 05/16/11 10:05 AM (12 years, 8 months ago) |
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I am a total newbie, so I won't argue: propagating mycelium isn't a good idea (incidentally, why is that? I come from a "plant" background, so I haven't got a clue. Can you advice about a good read for such info?).
So assuming my friend will be willing to clone (which I bet he will), would you recommend the following tek?
http://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php/Number/5874305#5874305
Mind you, he's an absolute first-timer - he simply bought ready-to-go mycelium from a vendor and followed the instructions (asking me for help now and then, so I relayed his questions). He's never even done a PF cake or anything, hasn't got a glovebox or anything. He's got a pressure cooker though.
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globos
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Time to harvest? Re: Newbie question - growbox (mycelium box) [Re: globos]
#14504225 - 05/24/11 12:25 PM (12 years, 8 months ago) |
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2nd flush: 99 g fresh, 7.7 g dried. No pics. My friend had no time to do that or to print spores/clone stuff yet. Maybe on the next flush (if it ever comes).
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Doc_T
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Time to harvest? Re: Newbie question - growbox (mycelium box) [Re: globos]
#14507380 - 05/24/11 10:44 PM (12 years, 8 months ago) |
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Awesome!
To answer the leftover question from before- it just doesn't work like that with fungus, you can't just "take a cutting" whenever you want. There are a number of ways to propagate mycelium, and most are easy. But starting from a pre-colonized growbox isn't a very good method. As much as possible, you want the earliest genetics. As they age, cultures experience 'senescence', the search engine can tell all you care to know on the topic.
-------------------- You make it all possible. Doesn't it feel good?
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globos
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Green mold [Re: Doc_T]
#14561138 - 06/04/11 05:59 PM (12 years, 7 months ago) |
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The third flush was quick to come, with big mushrooms but in low quantity. There is some green mold on the casing vermiculite (as well as on some mushroom stipes), which makes my friend wonder if these are safe to use - should he ditch the whole flush, discard just the moldy parts, or keep the whole quantity?
It's almost superfluous to remark that he's asking just in case some of his friends ask for some, of course! He would never dream of using the stuff himself.
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globos
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Re: Green mold [Re: globos]
#14584205 - 06/09/11 08:46 AM (12 years, 7 months ago) |
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My friend has dried the last flush after discarding the moldy bits; he's keeping it apart from the previous flushes. He would love some feedback on this issue; I have told him to be patient...
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Perun
Mahapralaya...



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Re: Green mold [Re: globos]
#14584861 - 06/09/11 11:00 AM (12 years, 7 months ago) |
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I wouldnt eat anything with mold on it...or around it! 
And...throw that box away...burn it and then burn your place down!
-------------------- First: Then:
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globos
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Time to harvest? Re: Newbie question - growbox (mycelium box) [Re: Perun]
#14661739 - 06/23/11 07:28 PM (12 years, 7 months ago) |
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My friend had 3g dried, ground and capsuled. He said it sure was noticeable, with a few visuals and all, but not such a strong experience as he was expecting. Next time he'll try 4g.
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Perun
Mahapralaya...



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Time to harvest? Re: Newbie question - growbox (mycelium box) [Re: globos]
#14661882 - 06/23/11 07:58 PM (12 years, 7 months ago) |
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MS is the bitch...you never know what r u getting!
-------------------- First: Then:
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globos
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Time to harvest? Re: Newbie question - growbox (mycelium box) [Re: Perun]
#14663760 - 06/24/11 03:36 AM (12 years, 7 months ago) |
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MS? Mycelium senescence? The capsuled stuff was from the first and second batch only...
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veteranva
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Re: Time to harvest? Re: Newbie question - grow box (mycelium box) [Re: globos]
#17325939 - 12/03/12 10:40 AM (11 years, 1 month ago) |
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alright i have a really similar grow box Ive had it for 2 weeks and unlike this box, the mycelium has started to colonize over the casing layer in mine (about 50%) i fan it 3-4 times a day and mist once and never let the temps fall too low. i feel like i have been waiting too long for pinning. will i have to wait till full colonization over the top layer ?? i see that this was not necessary for this grow box could it possibly be becase of the race of the cubensis is texan and Ive heard these take longer than usual somebody please??
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