BACK TO INDEX <-ClickTips & TricksThis, is in my opinion, Cubensis in an optimal environment, no fuzzy feet, means plenty of FAE, the color of the caps, length of the stems, width of stems represents sufficient lighting, and further supports good FAE, if there is a goal to aim for, your mushrooms looking like these should be it:
(These were grown in my GH, the cakes are 1pint)

Sniff it when you birth it

Smell your substrates, smell your spawns, smell your cakes. It should smell like a mushroom if colonized with mushroom mycelium, if it stinks or smells sweet, it's contaminated with bacteria and should be tossed. Please note that many edible and medicinal mushrooms smell different, and this tip is mainly aimed at Cubensis and Paneaolus.
If you're growing Cubensis or other 'active' species, do not tell anyone about your grow. When I say 'anyone' I mean not even your best friend, not your mother or any other family member, nobody needs to know. Don't even tell them you have some Cubensis. Tell them "I know a guy who has some".
Do not label your jars, syringes or any other items with the actual species of mushroom you're growing (If you're growing a psychoactive species)
Label the jars as "Agaricus" or "Ganoderma" or "Shitake". If you've received a pre-labled syringe from a vendor, remove the label, write on your own with a permanent marker -
TmethylShit for noobs
https://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php/Number/17186530Use the "Advanced Search Function" to weed out all outdated/misinformation.

-
Notahacker420Oh, tyvek sleeves for a SAB can be sterilized in a jar and reused indefinitely. Oats, not rye, oats. They are 10% the cost and have the same size and consistency as rye. I prep exactly like I would rye. Soak grains in weak coffee or hpoo tea not water, its the key trust me. -
WillSolvemIf you've got a question to ask, take a good photo of the problem before asking -
Guy1980Use newspaper or a towel to dry your grains lay them flat out and wait till they are cold! This advice for me really was gold, as I seriously doubt I could get the moisture content right with simply shaking and tossing alone!
With Pf tek be aware that your needle might clog. Seriously there were many funerals in this corner of the world for many sadly missed cakes these last few weeks and I believe shooting like 3 or 5 times too much solution into the jars may well have been the cause! Possibly...
Dont pull air into your syringe easy noob mistake to make! Put needle inside a flame and then pull! When I started out I hadn't even considered this eventuality!
Pack pf substrate in loose, but also dont make your verm layer too deep, as even if you did make your substrate nice and loose that aint gonna help much if you've crammed it down under a great load of verm.
If your a noob then your probably best of making a proper filter for your PF jars, as I doubt very few people, like me will be able to resist spinning them around and inspecting them at least 5 times every hour. Better yet stick them in a box with a padlock and swallow the key!
Go with spore prints and not syringes! I bemoaned the fact that I couldn't get syringes, but making your own syringes will teach you everything you need to know about sterile technique and gives one a real sense of growing confidence after the first few times of clean knock ups. After that you wont be second guessing yourself so much and will have a nicer understanding of how there is at least a little room for error and sloppiness! Also will save money!
You dont necessarily have to shake all your myc up vigorously in order to open up new innoc points. I found even a light rolling and gentle shake around of a very small ball of myc served to open up new growth points in areas where they were badly needed!
Try to look for a shotgun chamber with a nice gluey looking plastic, hard to explain but for me I found the one I bought was pretty impossible to fuck up when drilling, as did many other cheaper boxes I practiced on before I began. The glassy plastic tends to crack. No idea if I'm making sense on this one, but suffice to say some plastic boxs are very drill friendly and some aint!
Measure your holes with a ruler, and follow the RR 2 inch specs. So many people come on here with SG's that look like some greedy mad woodpecker has had a go at them having obviously thought that the tek called simply for a big box full of holes!
When it comes to tyvek polly-fill, micro pore tape, SFD's, rubber injection ports, RTV silicon etc buy the whole lot, you will find many uses for all of that stuff and especially with things like the RTV and micro-pore... Oh and you will need a drill, I would never have thought before hand (drill and mycology?) but mine is now utterly indispensable!
And finally patience is the most difficult part of all! Best way to forget about a grow is to start a new one, and start worrying about that one! Worrying about the new one? Why start another and worry about that one! Course its a recipe for insanity, a severe lack of shelf space, and a grumbling missus but hey it works for me! -
Wolf8312After you shake up a syringe and the 'plug' is swapped for the needle, squirt out a bit of solution from the needle tip, THEN flame sterilize. That little drop that gets exposed to the air = instant first jar contamination. Something obvious yet overlooked -
ImaAdd a touch of vinegar to PC water to make sure your jars don't get cloudy on the outside -
zManIf you're doing grain quart jars, don't forget to wipe the threads and the inside of the very top of the jar clean before you put the lid on before you PC... just like you would a pf jar... I think a lot of people forget to do this or don't think they need to.
tip #2- learn and build a fool proof lid design that you trust... and if you're using metal bands with tyvek... be sure you take a pliers and squeeze that inner band all the way flush so it doesn't cut through your tyvek. like so..

-
FahtsterPatience....
Forstner bits for drilling lids...
Holesaws/spade bits for drilling monotub/SAB holes...
Also, this tip from my SAB tek about drilling holes:
1. Place your tote on it’s side where the armholes will be and drill forward, from the inside, to start the hole.
a. The holesaw will lock-up against the tote once the Arbor is all the way through and the edges hit the container.
b. Switch the drill to reverse, then SLOWLY, with a slight rocking motion, work your way through the tote. DON’T force it! You’ll crack your tote, let the saw do the work.
i. I don’t remember who said to run it in reverse, or even if they were being serious, but it works way better than going forward. I haven’t cracked a tote since using this method w/ the holesaw (see picture).
ii. If you’re doing this outside and it’s cold, you may want to warm up the tote w/ a hair drier for a few seconds. This will reduce the brittleness of the tote where you’re drilling. -
TrancendingLifeWatch it, buy it.
http://www.mushroomvideos.com/ -
TwistedtyMake a template before you drill your shotgun.

-
Khii KwaayUse the short 1/2 pint jars, not the tall ones -
mjmihalovDon't try to save contaminated jars.
Take things in steps; i.e. don't jump straight to bulk.
Learn to share your excitement here and not with your friends/family, it could keep you out of trouble.
Mark your jars with symbols or dots instead of names, that way if someone accidentally sees them they won't scream Ps. Cubensis Golden Teacher (or whatever). Allowing you to simply play them off as edibles.
Keep a journel, that way you can track what does and doesn't work.
This one is more about the forums and how to help keep your post from being skipped over, but I felt like it would be helpful for noobs none the less.
Break up your thoughts, and don't talk like some high school girl texting her "BFF" -
Wire5Vermiculite and pearlite are both important, although they are not interchangeable.
Vermiculite - is used to help keep moister in substrate, and to help keep your substrate from becoming too dense.
Pearlite - is used to keep humidity in you FC, or even better your properly built SGFC. It doesn't work correctly in left submerged in water -
IwannbemroDon't get so stoned that you fuck shit up!
But seriously,
Here are some:
Don't cut corners.
Spray the air with a fine bleach/water solution before doing sterile work
Make more spawn than you need.
Buy a mycology book
Become obsessed -
Oeric McKennaThe #1 tip I can possibly give to a noob is to leave your stuff the fuck alone.
Think of it like a cat. It wants attention when it wants attention. It'll usually accept more (up to a point) when it doesn't really want it, but it won't like you as much. And there are a few things you can do to just completely make it hate you with no chance of reconciliation.
Bottom line - do it right the first time and then let it do its' thing. If it doesn't look right, throw it out, think about your procedure some more and start again. The same goes for mushrooms.

-
36fuckin5BAG FRUITING INFORMATION:
1. Basics: REMEMBER. The bag contains a living organism. It will die if you neglect it. Fungi need moisture, light and fresh air. Light quality is important and most commonly overlooked; natural light thru a window is best, indirect but bright. Other sources include florescent or LED light. The brighter the better. High humidity is essensial for pin formation and development. We provide you with a piece of woven fabric called reemay which should be moistened and draped over your open mushroom bag at all times. Keep the reemay misted with a fine mist sprayer or soak it in water three or four times a day minimum. Fresh air allows for normal development of most mushrooms. By cutting the bag open, you are providing the spawn plenty of fresh air to grow.
2. Storing your bag:Store your bag at room temperature until you are ready to open it. If you want to keep your bag in storage for long periods, refrigeration is best. In general, the warmer it is the faster development occurs.
3. Cutting open the bag: When the bag is fully colonized, (completely covered in fungus), it will begin to form primordia or “pins” which are essencially baby mushrooms. At this point, either refrigerate the bag or cut it open. Keep your block somewhere that you frequent often, like the kitchen You can set the bag on a dinner plate or in a shallow tupper ware. Remember it needs light. Fruiting temperatures between 50 and 75 are ideal for most species. Depending on temp and humidity, outside might be better than inside. For instance if it is cool and misty or rainy, stick the block outside on covered porch or window sill. If it is hot and sunny or below freezing, bring it in. The higher the humidity the better. Once you cut the bag open, no turning back!! Follow the directions for each species below.
a. Reishi- several options. In high co2, the reishi will form “antlers” right in the closed bag. These antlers are considered highly medicinal and are quite valuable. You can let the antler form grow in the bag as long as you like. When you do cut the bag open and fresh air enters, the form will change to the typical shelf fungus form. Cut the very top of the bag off, fold the edge and clothspin or chip clip it closed to conserve moisture. Reishi can also be fruited out of the side of the bag by making several small slits along the side wall of the bag.
b. Shiitake-IMPORTANT! Shiitake must “brown” and “bark” INSIDE the bag! Do not open the bag until it is entirely brown. In addition the surface of the block will take on a roughened texture, called “popcorning” or “barking”. This process can take up to three months from spawning date! Once this has occurred, spank the bag! Give it ten good spanks with your hand. NO JOKE! This triggers fruiting! Next, cut off the entire bag and wrap with reemay. KEEP MISTED and get ready. Shiitake fruits madly.
c. King Oyster, Beech and Enoki: These benefit from high co2 levels. Once pinning occurs, cut the very top to the bag off, fold the edge down and clip it with a cloths pin or chip clip. Unclip as the mushrooms approach the top of the bag.
d. All other oysters, including Elm: Require a lot of fresh air and bright light to produce normal fruits. If the pins form mostly at the top of the bag, you can cut the bag off right at the level of the pins, (no bag wall). If the pins for all over the block, you can cut the entire bag off and wrap the block in reemay. KEEP IT MOIST! Oysters love water.
e. Lions Mane: Can be top fruited. Cut bag top off, leaving about 2 inches of bag wall intact. Drape reemay over the top. Or even better, make two 1 inch slits anywhere along the bag where thick white fungus is prominent and the fruits will grow out of the slits. It’s a site to see! Be sure to drape the reemay over the bag so it keeps the developing fruits moist. But watch out for the fruits growing THRU the reemay.
5. Harvesting: Cut the fruits off with a sharp knife right where they come off the block. DO NOT CUT INTO THE BLOCK! COOK until Golden brown!! You derive little to no nutritional or medicinal value from fungi unless they are thoroughly cooked. AND THEY TASTE BETTER!! 30-40 minutes on medium heat is reasonable.
6. Second flush: Let the block rest for up to a week, then immerse it in tap water for 24hrs to trigger a second flush of mushrooms. Exception is Lions Mane, which will fruit again out of the same holes. Take the entire bag off at this point. Wrap in reemay! Keep moist. Look for new primordia.
7. Eventually, your block will contaminate. This is normal, usually after the first or second flush. You might observe green or black mold, similar to what you would see on cheese or bread, growing on the surface of the block. At this point, put your block outside if it is above freezing and it will typically fruit another time or two. If it is winter time, put the block in a black plastic garbage bag and store in your basement or garage till spring. Then soak it and stick it outside. DON’T GIVE UP ON YOUR BLOCK! We have had blue oyster blocks fruit a dozen or more times, each flush slightly smaller than the last. -
Amanita VirosaSick of spraining your wrist opening stuckjar rings? Flip the jar upside down and tap on the table at all around the ring. This will allow you to easily open.

-
Galactic_Smurf