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Fungamental
Stranger
Registered: 07/05/11
Posts: 6
Last seen: 13 years, 6 months
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Young shrooms not growing well, caps are dark and shrivelled up, and some other issues.
#14721940 - 07/05/11 06:23 PM (13 years, 6 months ago) |
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Hello everyone,
I recently bought a all-in-one mushroom growkit because figuring how to do everything myself would take too much time for me. However, I currently have some problems, especially with some of the smaller mushrooms.
Instead of the relatively bright orange/reddish brown, their caps are a much darker brown, some caps being all shrivelled up and ugly and some even with a blue/greenish hint to them. Furthermore, a significant part of the smaller shrooms, as well as some of the larger shrooms whose caps look normal, are covered with dark stains.
I'm trying to figure out what has caused this, and if it's any cause for alarm.
The stains don't really look that different in colour from regular psilocin bruises. Some have a green hint to them (as well as some of the ugly caps having a greenish hint) though this is mostly on mushrooms that are yellow in the unstained areas. I've read that a green mould could be trouble, however I am confused about how green something should be for me to worry. Some say that slightly green is fine because yellow (well, slightly off-white) mushroom stem + dark blue stain = dark greenish blue stain, on the other hand the pics I've seen of green mould look greenblue to me, so I'm not sure what to think.
I should also note that the biggest stain is in a cluster of mushrooms out of which I picked one mushroom a while back, but I mishandled it up a little so might that be the reason why the rest of the cluster is fucked? As I see it, in the best case all my problems can be explained by me being a clumsy moron and physically damaging some shrooms when picking others near them, I don't want to have to toss my kit after not even getting a complete first flush out of it 
I will take some pics tomorrow, but can anyone explain to me the difference between green mould and psilocin stains (and how to identify which one I'm dealing with) in the meantime (or link me to an explanation, I couldn't find one using google or this forum's search function).
Keep in mind I'm new to the whole mushroom growing deal (which is the reason I got myself one of those all-in-one "just add water and boom mushrooms" kits).
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Sea_Goat
Strangest

Registered: 06/25/11
Posts: 143
Last seen: 13 years, 3 months
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Re: Young shrooms not growing well, caps are dark and shrivelled up, and some other issues. [Re: Fungamental]
#14722021 - 07/05/11 06:48 PM (13 years, 6 months ago) |
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You said you bought a kit, but that doesn't tell us anything about the specific conditions you are growing your mushrooms in.
What you probably have is bruising, because it is unlikely that you would get mold growing on the mushrooms themselves without growing on the substrate too. Pictures are always helpful in these cases.
What I will suggest and most other people here would suggest is to learn about the life cycle and needs of the life form you are growing so you can decide for yourself how to make them grow healthy. Start by going to www.mushroomvideos.com and learn how to do it from scratch. Then read these forums like a madman.
This is all the advice I can give based on your post.
Good job getting fruit though, even if they aren't in prime shape...you did it.
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Fungamental
Stranger
Registered: 07/05/11
Posts: 6
Last seen: 13 years, 6 months
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Re: Young shrooms not growing well, caps are dark and shrivelled up, and some other issues. [Re: Sea_Goat]
#14722371 - 07/05/11 08:16 PM (13 years, 6 months ago) |
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Yes, I do plan on reading up more on mushrooms, however due to other priorities I don't currently have that much time to spend. Soon I will, which will also be around the time I plan on enjoying the fruits of my current efforts 
The kit is from www.growkit.com (although bought in a local store), the Mexican one, but I suspect a mixup in the packaging since the mushrooms look more like the psilocybe cubensis. The growkit has been in my room, on top of a cabinet. The temperature has been differing while the kit has been growing, between 15 and 30 degrees C I estimate. For the rest I'm not very sure about the conditions, I haven't really actively kept track of them.
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nixon
Funguy



Registered: 11/26/10
Posts: 836
Loc: Psych-ward
Last seen: 4 years, 6 months
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Re: Young shrooms not growing well, caps are dark and shrivelled up, and some other issues. [Re: Fungamental]
#14722620 - 07/05/11 09:04 PM (13 years, 6 months ago) |
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Quote:
Fungamental said: The kit is from www.growkit.com (although bought in a local store), the Mexican one, but I suspect a mixup in the packaging since the mushrooms look more like the psilocybe cubensis. The growkit has been in my room, on top of a cabinet. The temperature has been differing while the kit has been growing, between 15 and 30 degrees C I estimate. For the rest I'm not very sure about the conditions, I haven't really actively kept track of them.
The "Mexican" one are psilocybe cubensis.
-------------------- masspan said:
in your 2nd pic that mushroom is actively standing on its head for sure
nearhorn said:
what does that mean? its active?
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Fungamental
Stranger
Registered: 07/05/11
Posts: 6
Last seen: 13 years, 6 months
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Re: Young shrooms not growing well, caps are dark and shrivelled up, and some other issues. [Re: nixon]
#14722798 - 07/05/11 09:41 PM (13 years, 6 months ago) |
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Quote:
nixon said:
Quote:
Fungamental said: The kit is from www.growkit.com (although bought in a local store), the Mexican one, but I suspect a mixup in the packaging since the mushrooms look more like the psilocybe cubensis. The growkit has been in my room, on top of a cabinet. The temperature has been differing while the kit has been growing, between 15 and 30 degrees C I estimate. For the rest I'm not very sure about the conditions, I haven't really actively kept track of them.
The "Mexican" one are psilocybe cubensis.
Actually the Mexican ones have "stropharia cubensis" under their name, while the Thai ones have "psilocybe cubensis" written there. Although, I'm no expert, I'm not really clear on the differences between the two, and google images thinking you must be looking for "psilocybe cubensis" when entering "stropharia cubensis" and automatically inserting results for the former between the results for the latter doesn't help either.
On another note I just took some pictures and examined the bad mushrooms a bit more. One of them turned out just to be lying there, it had completely been removed from the ground (presumably while picking a bigger one).

It's a small one, about 4 cm. I guess the ugly dark caps and blue stains all over smaller mushrooms mean they might have been damaged and died off? Are these still safe to eat?
Here's some pics of the kit itself (taken out of the bag by exception, normally I keep it in and only stick my clean hand in there) and one of the loose mushroom. The quality of all pics is a bit shitty but it's the best I could do with my webcam unfortunately.

Focused on a problem area:

Might try to take better pictures later.
Edited by Fungamental (07/05/11 09:46 PM)
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nixon
Funguy



Registered: 11/26/10
Posts: 836
Loc: Psych-ward
Last seen: 4 years, 6 months
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Re: Young shrooms not growing well, caps are dark and shrivelled up, and some other issues. [Re: Fungamental]
#14722847 - 07/05/11 09:48 PM (13 years, 6 months ago) |
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Theyre all psilocybe cubensis with fancy names to sell, and theres nothing wrong with your kit, the dark colors is general bruising which is common and harmless
-------------------- masspan said:
in your 2nd pic that mushroom is actively standing on its head for sure
nearhorn said:
what does that mean? its active?
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Fungamental
Stranger
Registered: 07/05/11
Posts: 6
Last seen: 13 years, 6 months
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Re: Young shrooms not growing well, caps are dark and shrivelled up, and some other issues. [Re: nixon]
#14726512 - 07/06/11 03:03 PM (13 years, 6 months ago) |
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Thanks guys, that puts me at ease. So what should I do with the ugly-looking mushrooms? Some are not growing/developing anymore and I suspect they've been "dead" for a couple of days. Should I leave these in the kit, or pick them? What should I do with them if picked, toss them or dry them like I'm doing with the healty ones?
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wally_world
Mr. Cook

Registered: 02/01/09
Posts: 171
Last seen: 6 years, 2 months
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Re: Young shrooms not growing well, caps are dark and shrivelled up, and some other issues. [Re: Fungamental]
#14726698 - 07/06/11 03:39 PM (13 years, 6 months ago) |
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Those bruised ones like really dry, are they dry or is it just b/c of the picture quality?
Also, could you take a picture of the outside of the kit?
-------------------- ^False and fictitious.
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Fungamental
Stranger
Registered: 07/05/11
Posts: 6
Last seen: 13 years, 6 months
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Re: Young shrooms not growing well, caps are dark and shrivelled up, and some other issues. [Re: wally_world]
#14727933 - 07/06/11 07:44 PM (13 years, 6 months ago) |
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The one that's loose is the only one I've touched. It wasn't dry as in dried-mushroom-dry, though I guess somewhat less moist than fresh mushrooms. It'd been in the kit the whole time so if the plastic bag has done its work the air in there is quite moist.
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wally_world
Mr. Cook

Registered: 02/01/09
Posts: 171
Last seen: 6 years, 2 months
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Re: Young shrooms not growing well, caps are dark and shrivelled up, and some other issues. [Re: Fungamental]
#14728313 - 07/06/11 09:02 PM (13 years, 6 months ago) |
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Yeah they shouldn't feel dry at all, they should all feel relatively similar. You might want to get a hygrometer and check the rH.
If I understand correctly, you are growing in mycobags? Also, what temp is the room that your kit is in?
-------------------- ^False and fictitious.
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Carl Sagan
Time Dilation Analyst


Registered: 04/19/11
Posts: 922
Loc: Myco-tek.org
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Re: Young shrooms not growing well, caps are dark and shrivelled up, and some other issues. [Re: Fungamental]
#14728337 - 07/06/11 09:05 PM (13 years, 6 months ago) |
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If it has a black or dark cap its an abort. Pic it, and anything else that breaks off the sub. You don't want rotting mushrooms in your grow area.
-------------------- “Sacred cows make the best hamburger”
Mark Twain
Independant Research Foundation
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afrosheen
9Lives the cat



Registered: 03/06/10
Posts: 1,878
Last seen: 3 years, 3 months
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Re: Young shrooms not growing well, caps are dark and shrivelled up, and some other issues. [Re: Carl Sagan]
#14728845 - 07/06/11 10:29 PM (13 years, 6 months ago) |
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Kits are crap. If that's a mexican strain I understand why they're long and skinny, but if it's a normal strain I'd blame the kit and lack of fresh air.
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Fungamental
Stranger
Registered: 07/05/11
Posts: 6
Last seen: 13 years, 6 months
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Re: Young shrooms not growing well, caps are dark and shrivelled up, and some other issues. [Re: afrosheen]
#14730305 - 07/07/11 09:15 AM (13 years, 6 months ago) |
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The growkit.com kits are basically:
1. Put water in plastic bin containing substrate 2. Wait half a day 3. Drain water from bin 4. Pour water in plastic growing bag 5. Put bin in bag 6. ??? 7. MUSHROOMS
Or at least that's the way to use them from the instructions. I've occasionally added water to the bin as well. As I said before, my room has been between 15 and 30 degrees C while the kit was here.
Sagan: abort as in pick and toss out the dark capped ones?
Edited by Fungamental (07/07/11 09:16 AM)
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Carl Sagan
Time Dilation Analyst


Registered: 04/19/11
Posts: 922
Loc: Myco-tek.org
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Re: Young shrooms not growing well, caps are dark and shrivelled up, and some other issues. [Re: Fungamental]
#14730393 - 07/07/11 09:37 AM (13 years, 6 months ago) |
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Quote:
Sagan: abort as in pick and toss out the dark capped ones?
An abort is a mush that the substrate is giving up on. It will no longer get bigger.
Don't toss them out, there is nothing "wrong" with them. So pick and dry as normal.
-------------------- “Sacred cows make the best hamburger”
Mark Twain
Independant Research Foundation
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reel1936
Stranger


Registered: 07/04/10
Posts: 49
Last seen: 8 years, 8 months
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Re: Young shrooms not growing well, caps are dark and shrivelled up, and some other issues. [Re: Carl Sagan]
#14733955 - 07/07/11 11:03 PM (13 years, 6 months ago) |
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This is mainly due because of lack of fae/humidity, imo. I had the same problem with my first fruiting in a mycobag. Did let the bag colonize then fruit, with poor results.
When the bag was dunked with tap water, drained. The pin set was much bigger. Opened the bag three times a day and fan it with a shirt, misted on sides daily... and voila
http://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php/Number/12849634
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