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AbbeyRoad



Registered: 12/13/11
Posts: 419
Last seen: 1 month, 23 days
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Latest project - Shiitake + Poplar, tips appretiated (updated 1/25)
#19259455 - 12/11/13 10:23 AM (10 years, 1 month ago) |
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Checking in with some of my latest projects...
Besides the Kings and Pearls which are my staple strains, I am delving into some other species that I am yet to become familiar with.
- I have 2 Shiitake blocks going. On 10/21 I spawned quart of rye to approx 6 lbs sterilized sawdust pellets lightly enriched with wheat bran (<5%). Both appeared to colonize well and are about 50-80% brown popcorn (I am showing the least colonized side of the bags, the other sides look further along). Looking for guidance on how much longer to wait for slap and cold shock prior to putting in the GH? Fruit in bag with top cut down or birth from bag to fruit? Also temp are running about 60F in GH...
- 1 Black Poplar (far right). Same spawn and substrate setup as above but only spawned a couple weeks ago (forgot to write date). Ripped through the pellets, and finished colonizing a couple days ago. Looking for thoughts on best way to fruit this species based on experience.

Edited by AbbeyRoad (01/25/14 11:13 AM)
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Amanita virosa
botanist by day


Registered: 12/04/11
Posts: 2,458
Loc: north kakalacky
Last seen: 6 months, 17 days
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Re: Latest project - Shiitake + Poplar, tips appretiated [Re: AbbeyRoad]
#19259467 - 12/11/13 10:27 AM (10 years, 1 month ago) |
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those shiitakes got a while. don't panic when you see the popcorn. let them brown up more and then remove the bag completely, give them a rinse and a slap and they will fruit. pull off any mutant blobs beforehand.
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AbbeyRoad



Registered: 12/13/11
Posts: 419
Last seen: 1 month, 23 days
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Re: Latest project - Shiitake + Poplar, tips appretiated [Re: Amanita virosa]
#19259488 - 12/11/13 10:31 AM (10 years, 1 month ago) |
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Thanks AV, so should I be looking for it to be 100% brown popcorn as a sign of readiness? The other sides of those bags are about 90% brown.
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Amanita virosa
botanist by day


Registered: 12/04/11
Posts: 2,458
Loc: north kakalacky
Last seen: 6 months, 17 days
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Re: Latest project - Shiitake + Poplar, tips appretiated [Re: AbbeyRoad]
#19259735 - 12/11/13 11:46 AM (10 years, 1 month ago) |
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yea, 90-95 percent is fine. if the bag is adhered to the block in spots, sometimes it will not brown in those spots. carefully pull the bag away and the browing will continue. somewhere between mostly browned and not too many blobs is ideal. problem with pulling too soon is the blocks are much more likely to contaminate in spots. once fully ripened, a shiitake is amazingly resistant to mold. we have some blocks that have been reduced to the size of soft balls; flushed over and over inside then outside on the ground and still have no trich. BTW.... if you put a whole quart of rye in there you may have some mutes at first, depending how close to five percent your bran was. they are still yummy, just malformed. and generally, the blocks grow out of it as they consume the excess carbs.
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AbbeyRoad



Registered: 12/13/11
Posts: 419
Last seen: 1 month, 23 days
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Re: Latest project - Shiitake + Poplar, tips appretiated [Re: Amanita virosa]
#19260688 - 12/11/13 02:56 PM (10 years, 1 month ago) |
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AV your TC Tag is well earned...thanks. For the Shiitake I will go back to anxiously awaiting some fruits, and will post my some results.
Any thoughts on what I should do with the Poplar? I think Ive seen folks just rolling down the top of the bag while inside the GH? Looks ready for GH in next couple days to me.. or should I wait for pins first?
Edited by AbbeyRoad (12/11/13 03:02 PM)
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AbbeyRoad



Registered: 12/13/11
Posts: 419
Last seen: 1 month, 23 days
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Re: Latest project - Shiitake + Poplar, tips appretiated [Re: AbbeyRoad]
#19471511 - 01/25/14 11:10 AM (10 years, 6 days ago) |
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Promised I would come back for an update 
1/25:
Poplar Block: End up stripping the Poplar block about 5 weeks ago, got a minimal amount of fruits on first flush. I suspected there was bacterial contam riding in the block so it got pitched to the spent log pile in garden. Perhaps I will get lucky with a 2nd flush in the spring.
Shiitake Blocks: Was patient as hell with these 2 blocks until I started seeing large pins in the bag. I actually left the plastic on the bottom 1" of the block to fruit since the very bottoms weren't browned up well. Both are in my GH fruit now. One bag was a little slower but below is the one that's farthest to date as of yesterday. Im feeling happy because my caps were all nice with hardly any mutant blobs. My first Shiitake blocks!! Now Im searching recipes for dinner..
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Jeff
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Registered: 10/06/12
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Re: Latest project - Shiitake + Poplar, tips appretiated [Re: AbbeyRoad]
#19471626 - 01/25/14 11:44 AM (10 years, 6 days ago) |
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Congrats!
-------------------- Myco-tek
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Ganzig
It's for the street cred


Registered: 11/29/06
Posts: 8,206
Loc: Oregon
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Re: Latest project - Shiitake + Poplar, tips appretiated [Re: Jeff]
#19471645 - 01/25/14 11:47 AM (10 years, 6 days ago) |
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Definitely. That is a handsome block of shiitakes.
--------------------
I must keep reminding myself of this. I must keep reminding myself of this. I must keep reminding myself of this. I must keep reminding myself of this.
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AbbeyRoad



Registered: 12/13/11
Posts: 419
Last seen: 1 month, 23 days
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Re: Latest project - Shiitake + Poplar, tips appretiated [Re: Ganzig]
#19472072 - 01/25/14 01:06 PM (10 years, 5 days ago) |
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Mucho Gracious
Checked the date on the bag and it was date 10\21, so about 3months from spawn to harvest. They were trying to bust out of there by the time I pulled the bag... Went with a slight supplementation of wheat bran guessimating 2-3%, but used a whole QT of rye spawn for each block. Seems to be about just right to me but have nothing to compare it to 
--> So what do you do with these blocks between flushes; Slap, soak, cold shock, call it names, whisper in its ear, shake a chicken foot at it, or combination of above??
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Amanita virosa
botanist by day


Registered: 12/04/11
Posts: 2,458
Loc: north kakalacky
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Re: Latest project - Shiitake + Poplar, tips appretiated [Re: AbbeyRoad]
#19474027 - 01/25/14 09:04 PM (10 years, 5 days ago) |
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Rest for a couple weeks is nice. Then soak and spank. I usually throw ice in the soak water. When you get bored with them, stick them outside in the shade. They will keep flushing for months.
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Jeff
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Registered: 10/06/12
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Re: Latest project - Shiitake + Poplar, tips appretiated [Re: Amanita virosa]
#19474312 - 01/25/14 10:24 PM (10 years, 5 days ago) |
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I like the chicken foot idea. I haven't tried that one yet.
-------------------- Myco-tek
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curry
Stranger


Registered: 01/09/11
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Re: Latest project - Shiitake + Poplar, tips appretiated [Re: Jeff]
#19474396 - 01/25/14 10:48 PM (10 years, 5 days ago) |
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I bet your problem with the Black Poplar was inadequate humidity. It requires close to 100%, whereas shitake is pretty flexible (60-90%). Research it a bit using the search button... very nice shitake BTW.
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Jeff
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Registered: 10/06/12
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Re: Latest project - Shiitake + Poplar, tips appretiated [Re: curry]
#19474450 - 01/25/14 11:00 PM (10 years, 5 days ago) |
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Not sure that I agree with you on that one curry. The pins are sensitive and will abort if shocked, especially if they are introduced to fresh air. Casing helps, but they seem to be fine at ~80% or even a bit less. They are a simple guy to grow out and take no where near as long as the OP had his bags going. There had to be something wrong with that bag.
-------------------- Myco-tek
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AbbeyRoad



Registered: 12/13/11
Posts: 419
Last seen: 1 month, 23 days
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Re: Latest project - Shiitake + Poplar, tips appretiated [Re: Jeff]
#19480585 - 01/27/14 09:57 AM (10 years, 4 days ago) |
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Quote:
Jeff said: I like the chicken foot idea. I haven't tried that one yet.
No?? Its a standard on my myco-toolbelt for those stubborn strains 
Quote:
curry said: I bet your problem with the Black Poplar was inadequate humidity. It requires close to 100%, whereas shitake is pretty flexible (60-90%). Research it a bit using the search button... very nice shitake BTW.
Appreciate those thoughts, wish I would have some advice back a couple months ago on the Poplar! For what its worth I kept the poplar in the bag probably too long, as I usually dont fruit until I see some pins out of habit. Plus what I say below..
Quote:
Jeff said: Not sure that I agree with you on that one curry. The pins are sensitive and will abort if shocked, especially if they are introduced to fresh air. Casing helps, but they seem to be fine at ~80% or even a bit less. My GH is running at about 85% RH. They are a simple guy to grow out and take no where near as long as the OP had his bags going. There had to be something wrong with that bag.
Agreed Jeff, as mentioned I think I had some bacteria riding on my culture. Plan on plating the culture and cleaning it up before I try it again. The little batch of Poplar fruits I got were tasty 
But the Shiitake is now my favorite cultable\edible so far! (as Abbey promptly noc's a couple more SHT jars...) 
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AbbeyRoad



Registered: 12/13/11
Posts: 419
Last seen: 1 month, 23 days
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Re: Latest project - Shiitake + Poplar, tips appretiated [Re: Amanita virosa]
#19480610 - 01/27/14 10:05 AM (10 years, 4 days ago) |
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Quote:
Amanita virosa said: Rest for a couple weeks is nice. Then soak and spank. I usually throw ice in the soak water. When you get bored with them, stick them outside in the shade. They will keep flushing for months.
AV - Again thanks for the sage advice
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