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TheCrazedChemist
Stranger
Registered: 09/08/13
Posts: 6
Last seen: 10 years, 3 months
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Soon-to-be first time grower, trying to grow some Lion's Mane indoors
#18819774 - 09/09/13 05:24 PM (10 years, 4 months ago) |
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(Re-posted from the Mushroom Cultivation section, at the suggestion of fungus_tao...)
Okay, so I am extremely new to growing mushrooms (and shroomery.org as well), and so am naturally a bit lost. I've been doing a good bit of reading using many of the resources available on this site, but it's a lot to digest. I want to grow Lion's Mane mushrooms, and have found a reliable source of spores. Now, I don't have the means to do a grow exactly how I'd like it (I want to grow them on logs but don't have access to any, so a bag method is what I'll have to resort to), but I have so far only drawn up some tentative plans for how I can do it as cheaply as possible without just buying some grow kits, unless y'all would highly recommend doing that first even if it ends up being a bit more expensive in the long run. I was just wondering if the tentative plan I have now would be feasible for growing, or if there are any critical mistakes here (very likely), like missing or extra steps, or doing something totally wrong; I just don't feel extremely confident of my understanding of how it all works, so some feedback or any general tips would be super appreciated.
Basically I was planning on following the PF-Tek to make spawn in some mason jars, then putting the cakes in a bag along with whatever the best substrate I can find (open to any cheap and effective suggestions), and just keeping the bags relatively moist and in some indirect sunlight until fruiting. Does this sound reasonable? Any deviations from the prescribed method I should consider, especially anything that will make this easier/cheaper? Also, for the sterilization, is it acceptable in this case to just put everything in some boiling water for a few hours? Ideally I'd like to use a pressure cooker but they can be pretty damn expensive (I found one a while back at a general store for $40, may go back and get it). Also, will I need to sterilize the bags and substrate that go in them as well, or just the mason jars and medium that will be in it?
Sorry for the probably newbie questions. I'm reading up as much as I can on this site but there's a lot of information, so progress is slow.
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thiotimoline
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Registered: 12/01/12
Posts: 898
Loc: Bay Area
Last seen: 6 years, 11 days
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Re: Soon-to-be first time grower, trying to grow some Lion's Mane indoors [Re: TheCrazedChemist]
#18821098 - 09/09/13 10:10 PM (10 years, 4 months ago) |
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Live cultures are available as well as spores, and with these you avoid the wait for germination. You also know you will be getting a high-quality strain, rather than trusting in random genetic recombination. Spores should be OK though if the source is known to be good. (Also note that many Shroomery sponsors offer discounts or freebies if you mention your membership in the "other information" field in your order.)
With the PF Tek you can indeed "sterilize" a flour/vermiculite substrate with only boiling water (not sure whether this achieves total sterility but it definitely buys enough time for successful colonization and fruiting for many people). However Lion's Mane will colonize this substrate slowly (partly because the nutrition is very easily available rather than locked up inside grain kernels, partly because you cannot shake it at 30% colonization to speed up the rest of the process) and flour/vermiculite does not make the best spawn. Sterilized grain will likely yield better results than the PF spawn technique; check whether anyone you know has a pressure cooker you can borrow.
The bulk substrate (sawdust or wood chips) should be pasteurized but does not need to be sterilized.
Lion's Mane has a thin, delicate mycelium that may be hard to see and will look very different from the pictures you see here of Pleurotus ostreatus and Psilocybe cubensis mycelium. Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms warns that Lion's Mane is often eager to fruit even in grain jars with very little air exchange, and that broken-up fruiting bodies are often foci for contamination. Therefore it is important not to leave colonized jars sitting around before use.
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TheCrazedChemist
Stranger
Registered: 09/08/13
Posts: 6
Last seen: 10 years, 3 months
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Re: Soon-to-be first time grower, trying to grow some Lion's Mane indoors [Re: thiotimoline]
#18829640 - 09/11/13 08:00 PM (10 years, 4 months ago) |
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The source I was going to use is in fact a Shroomery Sponsor (SporeDeposit actually), so I assume their spores are at least decent enough for a first time grower (honestly any results at all would be phenomenal for my first try). I was also going to purchase from that site some oak pellets to use as bulk substrate, perhaps grinding them up a bit to make it finer first. And I'll just get the pressure cooker I saw at a general store a ways out of town; it was only $40, so that'll be great, though perhaps I should make sure it's not a piece of crap first... Also, I've seen some people implying I can fruit Lion's Mane directly from some jars. Is that true? Could I really just let them keep growing inside some ~500-mL mason jars and then open them to let them fruit?
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liamtheloser
Advanced Idiot

Registered: 06/07/06
Posts: 1,453
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Re: Soon-to-be first time grower, trying to grow some Lion's Mane indoors [Re: TheCrazedChemist]
#18830136 - 09/11/13 09:39 PM (10 years, 4 months ago) |
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Do the PF tek grow first. I suggest something a little faster like oysters, but if you like lions mane mushrooms and are patient, that will work too.
If you find that you enjoy mycology, and don't get frustrated too much, THEN buy a pressure cooker. And not a 40 dollar one, you'll want a 16 qt or 21-23 qt, that way you can do quart jars of grain spawn and more than one sawdust bag at a time. There's a 23 quart presto pressure cooker on amazon for 75 shipped.
I'm going to try lions mane in a little bit, right now I'm growing some oysters, and used to grow some of the less edible mushrooms with great success. I'm more into edibles now though, so I'm trying my hand at them.
I have a dinky 40 dollar pressure cooker it must be 50 years old. It's an 8 quart and the only way I can do quarts is 2 at a time on their sides. It's a huge pain in the butt, but even I'm not going to buy a new one until I'm certain I'm going to have enough time to grow mushrooms (2 kids, full time job, small business and full time college student).
So in short, if you are going to buy a pressure cooker, wait til after your PF tek grow, and if you really loved it, buy the big one. (don't waste money on a little one)
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Forrester
aspiring sociopath


Registered: 02/05/13
Posts: 9,351
Loc: Northeast USA
Last seen: 25 days, 5 hours
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Re: Soon-to-be first time grower, trying to grow some Lion's Mane indoors [Re: liamtheloser]
#18830526 - 09/11/13 11:02 PM (10 years, 4 months ago) |
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Quote:
TheCrazedChemist said: The source I was going to use is in fact a Shroomery Sponsor (SporeDeposit actually), so I assume their spores are at least decent enough for a first time grower
Do you mean the SporeDepot? If so, you won't be getting spores, you'll be getting a culture. Even better 
Quote:
liamtheloser said: I suggest something a little faster like oysters, but if you like lions mane mushrooms and are patient, that will work too.
Have you ever grown lion's mane? It's actually really fast. Probably faster than oysters, on wood pellets anyway.
-------------------- Repugnant is a creature who would squander the ability to lift an eye to heaven, conscious of his fleeting time here. ------------------- Have some medicinal mushrooms and want to get the most out of them? Try this double extraction method.
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liamtheloser
Advanced Idiot

Registered: 06/07/06
Posts: 1,453
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Re: Soon-to-be first time grower, trying to grow some Lion's Mane indoors [Re: Forrester]
#18830770 - 09/12/13 12:07 AM (10 years, 4 months ago) |
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I haven't grown lion's mane. I will soon though! Glad to hear it is faster than oysters (amazing), my cultures should be coming on Monday, so we'll see if they beat out my oyster spawn on rye berries
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TheCrazedChemist
Stranger
Registered: 09/08/13
Posts: 6
Last seen: 10 years, 3 months
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Re: Soon-to-be first time grower, trying to grow some Lion's Mane indoors [Re: Forrester]
#18849696 - 09/16/13 03:33 PM (10 years, 4 months ago) |
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Yes I did mean SporeDepot. I guess I read the description wrong then! I guess I'll just stick to that then. So my understanding is that since its a culture already, I could just inoculate a bag of substrate and have it grow out of the bag right off the bat, is that correct? Would mason jars happen to work as well?
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Molimo
Fungal Friend


Registered: 02/04/13
Posts: 46
Last seen: 4 years, 1 month
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Re: Soon-to-be first time grower, trying to grow some Lion's Mane indoors [Re: TheCrazedChemist]
#18851064 - 09/16/13 08:23 PM (10 years, 4 months ago) |
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If you have a big pot you could do fractional sterilization until you're ready to buy a pressure cooker. I did it for a year with minimal contamination.
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generalsherman55
MF BOOGNISH


Registered: 09/05/13
Posts: 1,291
Loc: yay area
Last seen: 4 years, 10 months
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Re: Soon-to-be first time grower, trying to grow some Lion's Mane indoors [Re: TheCrazedChemist]
#18851089 - 09/16/13 08:28 PM (10 years, 4 months ago) |
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Quote:
TheCrazedChemist said: (Re-posted from the Mushroom Cultivation section, at the suggestion of fungus_tao...)
Okay, so I am extremely new to growing mushrooms (and shroomery.org as well), and so am naturally a bit lost. I've been doing a good bit of reading using many of the resources available on this site, but it's a lot to digest. I want to grow Lion's Mane mushrooms, and have found a reliable source of spores. Now, I don't have the means to do a grow exactly how I'd like it (I want to grow them on logs but don't have access to any, so a bag method is what I'll have to resort to), but I have so far only drawn up some tentative plans for how I can do it as cheaply as possible without just buying some grow kits, unless y'all would highly recommend doing that first even if it ends up being a bit more expensive in the long run. I was just wondering if the tentative plan I have now would be feasible for growing, or if there are any critical mistakes here (very likely), like missing or extra steps, or doing something totally wrong; I just don't feel extremely confident of my understanding of how it all works, so some feedback or any general tips would be super appreciated.
Basically I was planning on following the PF-Tek to make spawn in some mason jars, then putting the cakes in a bag along with whatever the best substrate I can find (open to any cheap and effective suggestions), and just keeping the bags relatively moist and in some indirect sunlight until fruiting. Does this sound reasonable? Any deviations from the prescribed method I should consider, especially anything that will make this easier/cheaper? Also, for the sterilization, is it acceptable in this case to just put everything in some boiling water for a few hours? Ideally I'd like to use a pressure cooker but they can be pretty damn expensive (I found one a while back at a general store for $40, may go back and get it). Also, will I need to sterilize the bags and substrate that go in them as well, or just the mason jars and medium that will be in it?
Sorry for the probably newbie questions. I'm reading up as much as I can on this site but there's a lot of information, so progress is slow.
i love lions mane! only had the pleasure of finding it once and by god did it make for a delicious curry. good luck on your grow sir!
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Forrester
aspiring sociopath


Registered: 02/05/13
Posts: 9,351
Loc: Northeast USA
Last seen: 25 days, 5 hours
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Re: Soon-to-be first time grower, trying to grow some Lion's Mane indoors [Re: TheCrazedChemist]
#18851966 - 09/16/13 11:49 PM (10 years, 4 months ago) |
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Quote:
TheCrazedChemist said: So my understanding is that since its a culture already, I could just inoculate a bag of substrate and have it grow out of the bag right off the bat, is that correct? Would mason jars happen to work as well?
Well, not so much... I don't think the liquid culture will take directly to a wood substrate. Generally you inoculate grain jars first, then spawn them to your wood substrate.
-------------------- Repugnant is a creature who would squander the ability to lift an eye to heaven, conscious of his fleeting time here. ------------------- Have some medicinal mushrooms and want to get the most out of them? Try this double extraction method.
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