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bigd17
Say Budget To Me Again...



Registered: 07/31/08
Posts: 334
Loc: Dexter's Laboratory
Last seen: 3 years, 8 months
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mycology 101?
#19409532 - 01/12/14 06:18 PM (10 years, 1 month ago) |
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So I looked through the forums and couldn't find one specifically appropriate to this question... since this forum always has the most people viewing and therefore available to answer and is relatively close to related (on top of being my favorite forum) I've decided to post here. I hope that is ok with everyone.
I want to get into mycology as a field of study. Alas I have no funds to go to a big nice university as I have a child and am a bartender (lol) but there is a community college nearby that has become accredited as a four year university in recent years without much increase in tuition (I'm also already registered there).
If I wanted to start down this path (granting they don't have a mycology specific class) where should I begin?
Biology would seem the most obvious but I already have a relative working knowledge of biology and am simply wondering if anyone has any better ideas.
-------------------- "The secret to success is to make your Vocation a Vacation." -Mark Twain Confucius say,"man who stand on toilet, high on pot." The answer to the question never asked is always no.
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1down5up
Social Ninja



Registered: 11/04/13
Posts: 1,743
Last seen: 1 year, 3 months
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Re: mycology 101? [Re: bigd17]
#19409583 - 01/12/14 06:31 PM (10 years, 1 month ago) |
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the shroomery will teach you more than you can imagine. If you want a professional career, seek it out. If you want to learn to culitvate...read my friend. This place is a textbook of awesome.
edit: if you spend as much time on here, as you would at study, i believe your practical skill would impress even the most skeptical of mushy employers
Good luck man
-------------------- ~~Everything is relative~~ A Simplified Overview of Mushroom Cultivation Strategies - RR says - EvilMushroom666's Take on BRF Cakes - Frank's list of goodies - Cronicr's Goodies No one is placed higher than another no matter race or creed or gender, we must teach forgiveness and compassion for all life. J.L.
Edited by 1down5up (01/12/14 06:35 PM)
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Dense Cake
Vinyl Freak



Registered: 12/06/13
Posts: 184
Loc: PNW
Last seen: 9 years, 1 month
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Re: mycology 101? [Re: bigd17]
#19409585 - 01/12/14 06:31 PM (10 years, 1 month ago) |
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Granted, I have never studied mycology extensively, I can only tell you what I suspect to be the answer from a dedicated mycologist...
And that is that Mycology is a specific set of knowledge based on a very large and deep understanding of Biology and chemistry. It would help you greatly to attend a 4 year university and obtain a degree in biology, even though I know that is the answer you don't want to hear.
4 year bachelor's of science degrees help you gain a very broad and important base of knowledge which then is helpful for proceeding onto graduate school where you declare your specialization in mycology and fungal study. It is very important that if you take this field seriously you have solid ground being able to explain what you know in both chemistry and biology, and even some physics. I'm not saying it's important to know everything just to understand mushrooms, but if you're to become a respected mycologist and treated like a professional for your research, it's really important that you go all the way through school and obtain your MD or Ph.D.
Hope this helps. I know this isn't really the answer you want to hear, but there are plenty of ways to receive the funding you need for your schooling and future projects if you are honest about your ambitions and work with the state/college you are accepted to and want to attend. Especially in the beginning, if you have not yet obtained your bachelor's degree, it will be easy to start taking part time courses adjusted to your schedule.
Edit: And as 1down5up has stated above me, if your goal is simply to become a very experienced cultivator and hobbyist of mushrooms, then stick around and soak up every single bit of information you can from the shroomery. There are people on here, that if you asked an advanced enough question for them to hear, they would probably be able to answer it. This is a forum full of scientists and like minded people.
--------------------
 When I was a boy, I was afraid to die. When I became a man I was afraid to live. But, when I became a little bit wiser, I became a child who walks with death. Now, I play outside every day in a never ending summer; my glory days never faded. And I smile ironically in the face of my doom.
Edited by Dense Cake (01/12/14 06:34 PM)
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36fuckin5
Alchemycologist


Registered: 08/11/03
Posts: 12,081
Loc: Diving into Mystical Territori...
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You'd want classes that focus on microbiology. It's unlikely they'll have a mycology class but they might. Aloha also offers classes.
-------------------- Redd Foxx said: If you're offended I don't give a shit and don't come see me no more. Pat The Bunny said: A punk rock song won't ever change the world, but I can tell you about a couple that changed me. bodhisatta said: i recommend common sense and figuring it out. These are the TEKs I use. They're all as cheap and easy as possible, just like your mom.
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Amanita virosa
botanist by day


Registered: 12/04/11
Posts: 2,458
Loc: north kakalacky
Last seen: 7 months, 11 days
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Try to get into the six month aloha internship program or try to get into a major university. I majored in botany/mycology in grad school at University of Tennessee. Many large colleges offer courses in mycology. However, if you just want to learn for your own sake, you have free access to what I consider to be the largest repository on mycological research on Earth. LONG LIVE THE SHROOMERY!! Mycology, is the study of the Kingdom Fungi, so we are all technically mycologists!
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lessismore
Registered: 02/10/13
Posts: 6,268
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Biology class, to work with bacteria etc. on agar
and buy the RR dvds on mushroomvideos.com/see them there
Malt dextrose agar still air box inoculation loop petri dishes(plastic is best) gloves
alcohol lamp
that is the beginner into mycology
if you want to get more advanced, read some of Paul Stamets books they are both for beginners and advanced mycologists
if you are really into it you could start isolating/identifying from wild prints found in nature using antibiotics etc. on agar identification from spores etc.
there is a lot to mycology, Stamets is a best bet :-) cant go wrong with any of his books, but they dont always teach how to do agar work agar work sometimes teaches itself (to some extent)
RR has some very good advice on these forums on how to isolate away from bacteria/mold quick transfers, sandwich tek, hot pour method, antibiotic etc. and some use h2o2 agar too like I do, reduces bacteria, but you cant grow from spores
agar is nice... just get a tall still air box with 2 holes in
and if you are serious about mycology you should have a good microscope of course, 1000x preferably (cheap on ebay... you can identify from spores then/see contams, it is what they use in school labs/biology labs often)
btw I never took any biology classes myself, but learned agar from this site
any mycologist will know: isolating a strain (monoculture) identifying from spores, and without spores too often cloning cleaning up a culture preserving a strain even mixing strains (mutating strains) to create hybrids (with snake venom iirc) locating strains,substrains etc. on agar the lifecycle of the mushroom (spores, mycellium colonization, hyphae formation, fruiting, habitat etc.)
etc. but that is mostly only guess work the last part, I am not a mycologist
stamets is :-)
TMC: "the mushroom cultivator", paul stamets and also "psilocybe mushrooms around the world, an identification guide" I think, thats a good book too they usually have nice pictures in them and very detailed and easy to read/good overview for the beginner too iirc
Edited by lessismore (01/12/14 08:17 PM)
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bigd17
Say Budget To Me Again...



Registered: 07/31/08
Posts: 334
Loc: Dexter's Laboratory
Last seen: 3 years, 8 months
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haha I know there is tons to be learned from this site, that's how I got interested in mycology in the first place, but I do actually want to pursue a career in it not simply practice as a hobby and unfortunately most employers (or even clientelle if I could be self-employed) would probably prefer some sort of traditional education.
I'm also into natural medicines and the cool thing about fungi is they make up a massive portion of natural remedies for tons of ailments.
Nutritional Medicine is really the field of study I wanted to go into, but I've since realized just how valuable mycology can be to that practice.
The cool thing is I won't even need a grant (unless I do want to obtain a higher degree specializing in mycology of course, which I would like to.) because the college near me offers 4 year programs and they have a Biology program and I have seen Microbiology in the course curriculum and the cool part is classes are only 100-200 dollars per semester and alot of it can be taken online (except the lab portions of course).
But what is this Aloha y'all keep talking about?
-------------------- "The secret to success is to make your Vocation a Vacation." -Mark Twain Confucius say,"man who stand on toilet, high on pot." The answer to the question never asked is always no.
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36fuckin5
Alchemycologist


Registered: 08/11/03
Posts: 12,081
Loc: Diving into Mystical Territori...
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Re: mycology 101? [Re: bigd17]
#19410046 - 01/12/14 08:32 PM (10 years, 1 month ago) |
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Aloha Medicinals. Google it.
-------------------- Redd Foxx said: If you're offended I don't give a shit and don't come see me no more. Pat The Bunny said: A punk rock song won't ever change the world, but I can tell you about a couple that changed me. bodhisatta said: i recommend common sense and figuring it out. These are the TEKs I use. They're all as cheap and easy as possible, just like your mom.
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Citric


Registered: 03/19/04
Posts: 4,490
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http://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php/Number/537405#537405
Pretty good response from one of our sponsors.
Also I believe http://mycology.cornell.edu/
This doesn't SPECIFICALLY have to do with cultivation, but I honestly do not know where to put this thread. This forum is more dedicated to psychedelics, in which case you'd be best off learning with gourmet / medicinal. So I will move it there.
Over all, first hand experience trumps all IMO.
-------------------- Self Healing lid tek ** Update 10.17.17 ** Mini casing pictures: Pins to harvest Cup O' Shrooms Magash: I noticed my contams were in the shape of fingers Hyphae: Yes "Loss of moisture from the substrate" is not a casing trigger. My final Grow!
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Citric


Registered: 03/19/04
Posts: 4,490
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Re: mycology 101? (moved) [Re: bigd17]
#19410092 - 01/12/14 08:41 PM (10 years, 1 month ago) |
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This thread was moved from Mushroom Cultivation.
Reason: If a mod knows a better place, by all means.
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lessismore
Registered: 02/10/13
Posts: 6,268
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Its not unlikely most universities offer courses
eithrr in microbiology or mycology or both
its guatanteed they offer one of those you can pay for the course and exam without being enrolled at uni
or chose an education you like that incorporates it biology/microbiology does work with agar at least
they should have mycology if they are a major university i think but not sure
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bigd17
Say Budget To Me Again...



Registered: 07/31/08
Posts: 334
Loc: Dexter's Laboratory
Last seen: 3 years, 8 months
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Re: mycology 101? (moved) [Re: Citric]
#19410118 - 01/12/14 08:46 PM (10 years, 1 month ago) |
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haha thank you Citric, and your right about experience but I don't think too many businessmen have the same mentality those of us free thinkers here on the Shroomery have.
and I will certainly be looking into Aloha Medicinals now that I know what it is.
-------------------- "The secret to success is to make your Vocation a Vacation." -Mark Twain Confucius say,"man who stand on toilet, high on pot." The answer to the question never asked is always no.
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36fuckin5
Alchemycologist


Registered: 08/11/03
Posts: 12,081
Loc: Diving into Mystical Territori...
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Quote:
mio said: Its not unlikely most universities offer courses
eithrr in microbiology or mycology or both
Usually only in microbology. It's rare to find a good school where you can major in mycology, unless it's a really big school.
-------------------- Redd Foxx said: If you're offended I don't give a shit and don't come see me no more. Pat The Bunny said: A punk rock song won't ever change the world, but I can tell you about a couple that changed me. bodhisatta said: i recommend common sense and figuring it out. These are the TEKs I use. They're all as cheap and easy as possible, just like your mom.
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bigd17
Say Budget To Me Again...



Registered: 07/31/08
Posts: 334
Loc: Dexter's Laboratory
Last seen: 3 years, 8 months
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Yeah your probably right.
But the college near me def offers microbiology courses I just don't know how many courses they offer and how in depth they go.
I definitely hadn't thought of microbiology or chemistry in regards to fungus for some reason. My mind's been all over the place lately lol.
-------------------- "The secret to success is to make your Vocation a Vacation." -Mark Twain Confucius say,"man who stand on toilet, high on pot." The answer to the question never asked is always no.
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RandomFX
protege


Registered: 12/02/13
Posts: 1,015
Loc: North-East, USA
Last seen: 5 years, 2 months
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Re: mycology 101? [Re: bigd17]
#19410859 - 01/13/14 01:14 AM (10 years, 1 month ago) |
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Everything is on the internet. it is that simple. There is no one who has access to the net that can be refused a education. you do not have to buy expensive books, go to classes (which is just someone else teaching you anyways.) or anything else. it is all out there, almost anything you want to learn.
Of course that being said, it is extremely helpful to have people who have walked the path already to talk to and get first hand information or details. a person can spend hours/days merely talking about the specifics of any small thing, if they are intelligent enough to note the specifics. a book or class or anything else will never be able to tell all the details....people however can adapt to your specific requests on the fly. I have already recieved a lot of great specific info from people here, and honestly people who have offered me help in ways I would never expect them to as well. This forum is clearly full of great people and I'll pay it back to the community when I can as well.
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AEL1911
Stranger



Registered: 09/27/13
Posts: 342
Loc: Japan
Last seen: 6 years, 9 months
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Re: mycology 101? [Re: RandomFX]
#19411191 - 01/13/14 04:20 AM (10 years, 1 month ago) |
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I'll agree that you can learn a lot from the internet. With the internet I learned about something, then I felt I needed some "formal" education due to thinking I had to prove my knowledge(to employers) with a college degree. I then aced my ciasses with primarily what I learned via internet. That subject became my major and I was recommended to a job in that field by a professor. When I was working I only came upon problems that years of experience could answer.
Well I guess you could take classes supplement it with real experience and knowledge from this forum so you can blow away future employers.
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bigd17
Say Budget To Me Again...



Registered: 07/31/08
Posts: 334
Loc: Dexter's Laboratory
Last seen: 3 years, 8 months
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Re: mycology 101? [Re: AEL1911]
#19411825 - 01/13/14 10:19 AM (10 years, 1 month ago) |
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Precisely.
Book knowledge vs experience: experience always wins, but sometimes thagt's just not enough to get you where you want to be esp when that experience is from in your house and not with an employer who could give you a good reference.
-------------------- "The secret to success is to make your Vocation a Vacation." -Mark Twain Confucius say,"man who stand on toilet, high on pot." The answer to the question never asked is always no.
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drake89
Mushroom Magnate



Registered: 06/26/11
Posts: 4,168
Loc: TN
Last seen: 4 years, 11 months
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Re: mycology 101? [Re: bigd17]
#19411879 - 01/13/14 10:39 AM (10 years, 1 month ago) |
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sure you can learn 'everything' online, but there is no substitute for learning from a pro. specifically, university should give you hands on experience with equipment in a lab. You're not going to be able to do PCR at home, more than likely. You will also have enough liberty to try things, and if you don't like them, move on.
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bigd17
Say Budget To Me Again...



Registered: 07/31/08
Posts: 334
Loc: Dexter's Laboratory
Last seen: 3 years, 8 months
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Re: mycology 101? [Re: drake89]
#19411911 - 01/13/14 10:49 AM (10 years, 1 month ago) |
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Hell yeah that's the other thing I'm hoping for. Access to a real lab with pro lab equipment!
Maybe figure out how I could go about building my own lab in my backyard or as an addendum to my house.
-------------------- "The secret to success is to make your Vocation a Vacation." -Mark Twain Confucius say,"man who stand on toilet, high on pot." The answer to the question never asked is always no.
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forrest



Registered: 11/16/12
Posts: 1,011
Loc: The Netherlands
Last seen: 4 years, 7 months
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Re: mycology 101? [Re: bigd17]
#19412035 - 01/13/14 11:25 AM (10 years, 1 month ago) |
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if you have no funds to go to a big university, building a lab in your backyard is probably not so realistic...
-------------------- My Trade List
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