Updated Bottle Tek New and improved - Mushroom Cultivation

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MudaFuka
Poppin bottles

Registered: 12/14/13
Posts: 18,648
Loc: Canada

Updated Bottle Tek New and improved

82
#21168958 - 01/23/15 09:22 PM (8 years, 2 months ago)

It's been a while since I first started growing mushrooms in bottles. I figure its time to update this tek with a few more options.

Bottle growing has been around for ages. It is used prolifically in Asia for large commercial edible mushroom operations. over the last couple of years. I've used bottles for many edible, medicinal and active mushroom grows.

Over this time, I've noticed many benefits to this method of cultivation and only one real drawback. The only real down side to bottle growing is the number of containers it requires. loading, prepping and eventually washing tons of bottles can get to be a bit tedious. Now lets talk about the advantages. The biggest pro in my mind. Is that you can use basically anything mushroom mycelium will eat as your substrate. Since everything gets sterilised and stays closed until fully colonised. Highly nutritious substrate materials like dog food, bran or BRF can be added. another great benefit is the fact that no spawning to bulk is required. once colonised your mycelium never needs to be broken up. this makes contamination less of a worry. It also saves your mycelium from wasting energy on recovering after a shake. also the smaller contained substrates retain water better and have better bio efficiency for notably higher yields. it's also nice not having all your eggs in one basket. If you put one contaminated spawn jar into a bulk sub. the whole sub becomes contaminated. if you have one contaminated bottle sub. only that one bottle is lost.

I could go on and on about the benefits of bottle growing but I think that's enough bullshit for one post. lets get to the tek.

choosing a container

You could really use any PCable container but I wil lis only 3 options.

* Ziploc twist N lock 1 quart PP5 plastic.

These are my current favorite. Simply because they allow for easy harvesting. even side pins are a non issue. when it's time to harvest just pop the substrate right out.

* Wide mouth pint mason jars.

These are my second choice. they also allow you to remove the substrate for easy harvesting. However they only hold 1/2 the substrate of the quart Ziplocs. they are a good option if you are growing on a smaller scale.

* Wide mouth quart mason jars.

I've used these a great deal with lots of success but as you can see side pins are a bit of an issue. they are a pain to harvest in general. they hold more substrate than pints and the tapered neck is handy for holding down your substrate when it comes time to dunk. Harvesting difficulties leave these guys as a last resort option for me.

Substrate options
The great thin about bottles is you can throw pretty much anything in them. Fore cubes I've used:
Dogfood
wheat bran
RGS
WBS
oats
wheat
popcorn
hemp seed
coir
vermiculite
shredded straw
coffee
whole wheat flour
BRF
dextrose
LME
manure
worm castings
gypsum
Basically if mushroom mycelium will eat it. It's good to go. feel free to play around with different recipes. Just remember. You need a good balance of nutrition and water retention. If you use nothing but grains and flours. You wont have enough water. Use nothing but coir or manure and there wont be enough nutrition.

I will give you 2 of my most used recipes. They each require there own preparation method. I separate my prep methods into 2 categories. Straw based and coir/manure based. I have a third method for edibles involving sawdust but this tek is written with actives in mind. there is a lot of info out there already regarding edible bottle cultivation.

Straw based bottles

Recipe for 10 quart bottles:

4 quarts of slightly packed shredded straw.

2.5 quarts of whole oats.

2 pints of wheat bran

1.5 pints of brown rice flour

1/2 pint of coffee

1 random ass small handful of gypsum.

Preparation

Step1
Measure out all of your dry ingredients and dump them into a large pot.

Step 2
Mix all your ingredients well and fill the pot with hot tap water.

Step 3
place the ot of ingredients on the stove and set it to high heat. bring the water to a hard boil. then reduce to medium heat and let the mixture boi for roughly 30 minutes. stir regularly to ensure the flour and bran don't stick to the bottom and burn.

30 minutes is just an estimated temperature you will know you're ready for the next step when the oats are plump, somewhat transparent and soft in the middle.

I like to leave them slightly under hydrated. this way they can absorb any excess water during the sterilisation cycle.

Step 4
Strain the water from your substrate mix. For this I like to use a 5 gallon pail filled with small holes.

I simply dump the pot into the pail. Spin the pail back and forth by the handle to work the water out of the substrate.

shake the pail for several minutes to let as much steam escape as possible. Now just let your substrate sit for a few minutes, stirring occasionally.to work up steam and redistribute moisture.

by the time your substrate mix has cooled it should be dry enough to use. It should be wet but not dripping wet. a SMALL amount of excess water is fin as the oats will absorb most of in during the PC cycle.

Step 5
Load your chosen containers with substrate. Don't over fill your Bottles. you want enough space on to for a good shake at inoculation and a casing layer at fruiting.

Step 6
put on your lids. for Ziplocs I use an un modified lid. I simply unscrew it roughlt 3/4 of an inch to alow for gas exchange.

If you are using mason jars you will need to modify the lid by adding a gas exchange hole covered with a filter. There are lots of good lid teks out there so I wont go into detail here.

Step 7
Cover your lids with tin foil and load your pressure cooker.

PC for at least 90 minutes at 15PSI I personally PC for 2 hours. better safe than sorry.

Step 8
once the pressure has dropped on its own. Remove your bottles from the PC. Give them a good shake and set them aside to cool. Once cool they are ready to inoculate.

Coir based bottles

Recipe for 8 bottles

4 cups of whole oats

4 cups of whole wheat

2 cups of wheat bran

1 cup of ground dry dog food (optional, may be replaced with more grain)

2 cups of vermiculite

160 grams of coir (1/4 brick)

1/8 cup of fresh coffee grounds

1/4 cup of gypsum

3.5 liters of tap water

Preparation

Step1
Mix your grains, dog food, bran, coffee and gypsum together in a large pot

Step2
Fill your pot with 3.5 liters of tap water. Mix it up, place it on the stove and bring the water to a boil.

Once the water is boiling lower the heat and set a timer for 30 minutes. stir regularly and maintain a nice light boil. You may need to add a small amount of water as it boils off but be carful not to add too much.

Step 3
Place your coir and vermiculite in a decent size tub or bucket. I wouldn't use anything much smaller than 5 gallons. Split your coir with a knife or screwdriver. then crumble and mix into your vermiculite by hand.

Step 4
Now that things have been boiling for 30 minutes. your grains should be plump and full of moisture.

Dump your pot of wet ingredients into the tub containing your coir and vermiculite. mix it all together really well and let it sit until it is cool enough to handle.

Step 5
Now that your substrate is cool enough to handle. get in there and really mix it up by hand. at this point your substrate shouldn't be too wet but it might be to dry. bring it up to field capacity by misting it with a spray bottle and mixing in the water by hand. The mixture should be wet but still fluffy. Pick up a handful no water should drip from it until you give it a good squeeze. even then it should only be a few drops.

Step 6
Scoop your substrate into your bottles. tap them on the counter as you fill them. to eliminate any air pockets. You want to leave a decent amount of space on top of each bottle. This will make it easier to shake things up at inoculation. It will also leave room for a casing layer when it's time to fruit.

Step 7
place a lid on each container and cover it with foil.

I used to modify all my lids by adding self healing injection ports and synthetic filter disks. now I leave my Ziploc lids un modified. Now I just unscrew them roughly 3/4 of an inch for gas exchange.

Mason jar lids still need to be modified but there are lots of good lid teks out there. So I won't go into detail here.

Step 8
load your pressure cooker and PC for at least 90 minutes at 15 PSI. I prefer to PC for 120 minutes. Better safe than sorry.

Step 9
Once the pressure has dropped to 0 on it's own. take your bottles out of the PC. Remove the foil and give them a good shake to redistribute moisture. If you are using plastic lids. be sure to tighten them before shaking. set your bottles aside to cool. I like to let mine cool in a tote or still air box. once they are cool they are ready to inoculate.

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Inoculation

Sterility is very important during this stage of the tek. It should be done in a SAB or in front of a laminar flow hood.

Step 1 Prepare yourself. You are the biggest source of contamination. Some people like to shower and brush their teeth or put on tyvek sleeves. Personally I just put on gloves and a face mask. then I cover my gloves in 70%iso alcohol.

Step 2
Prep your work station. Close all windows turn off all ventilation systems and fans. Basically just do what you can to eliminate air movement in your work area. Now mist the inside of your SAB with soapy water to trap any contaminants on the walls and floor of your SAB. There is no need to use bleach or peroxide. We aren't trying to kill anything. The key to a SAB is still air. Load your bottles into the SAB, mist once more and leave the room for a few minutes while the air settles.

Step 3
Choose your inoculant. I recommend using LC (Liquid Culture) or LI (Liquid Inoculant). Others have used colonised grain spawn with success. Agar wedges might work but colonisation takes a lot longer.

Step 4
Now that the air I your SAB has settled. Coat your gloves in 70% iso alcohol and wipe down each of your bottles with a Lysol wipe or alcohol soaked paper towel. you also want to wipe down your inoculating syringe at this point.

Step 5
before each inoculation it is important to flame sterilise your needle.

I prefer to use a butane torch but any flame will do. DO NOT wipe the needle with alcohol after flaming. The first few drops of inoculant to pass through the needle will cool it.

Step 6
My preferred method is to simply crack each lid for inoculation. If you choose this method. be sure to loosen each lid when you are loading your SAB. It can be a real pain trying to fight with a tight lid in a SAB.

Some people like to use Self Healing Injection ports or SHIPs.

Which ever method you use the process is basically the same. Inject between 5 and 15 CCs of inoculant into each jar. make sure the numbers on the syringe are facing you so you can deliver consistent doses of inoculant.

Step 7
Once you have finished inoculating your bottles. Take them from the SAB and shake them very well. This will distribute the inoculant more evenly throughout the bottle.

Label each bottle with variety and date. Then put them out of the way to colonise. I keep mine in the same monotub they will be fruited in. There is no need to incubate them or keep them in the dark. I try to keep mine between 68F and 75F during colonisation.

Step 8
Depending on the amount and type of inoculant used. you should see growth in 2 to 5 days.

full colonisation should be reached within 2 weeks.

Fruiting

These guys can be fruited in pretty much anything. SGFCs and green houses both work but I have found momo tubs to be the easiest fruiting solution for bottles.

Step1
Making a mono is really easy. I start by drilling 8 1 inch holes around the top a 6 around the bottom. I stuff the top holes with very loose poly fill.

I cover the bottom holes with 2 layers of eco felt but tightly stuffing them with poly fill works too.

this is how I make a mono from a 66qt tub.

Any size tub will work but the hole placement will be different with other sizes.

Step 2
Once your substrates are fully colonised. They are ready for fruiting conditions. I like to add a simple vermiculite casing layer at fruiting. Other materials like coir and jiffy mix will work too but vermiculite is the quickest and has given me the best results. I have found that vermiculite is perfectly safe to use straight from the bag. If you are paranoid you can bake it in the oven to kill any molds that may be present. Take the lid off each bottle and spoon on 1/4 to 1/2 inch of vermiculite.

As you case each bottle. p,lace it in your mono tub.

Now give each casing a good mist. really soak them down.

Step 3
Your bottles can now be fruited. Put the lid on your tub and place it in your fruiting area. Your substrates require a decent amount of fresh air. the more you can give them with out drying them out the better. If you are forced to fruit them in a closet like me. Keep the door open as often as possible. The more substrate in each mono tub the easier it will be to keep humidity up. So load those suckers up.

You will need to dial your mono in for the correct balance of fresh air and humidity. If your substrates are drying out. tighten the top poly to raise the humidity. You want as much fresh air as possible though. So keep those holes as loose as possible without drying things out. If dialed in properly a mono tub should be pretty set and forget but don't be afraid to mist if things get dry. It takes some practice but eventually you will learn to read your mycelium. it will tell you what it needs.

Step4
Your mushrooms need light to develop properly. Specifically they need light on the high end of the colour spectrum. 6500K CLFs work great. So do florescent shop lights. Your lights should be on a timer. mushroom mycelium has a circadian rhythm. your grow will be happiest with a consistent 12hour on 12 hour off light cycle.

Harvesting and repeat flushes

Step1
If you were smart you used Ziplocs or wide mouth pins. in this case harvesting couldn't be easier. just pop out your substrate and cut off the fruits with a knife or scissors.

If you are lucky they will come of as one big cluster.

If you went with quart jars you may have a fight on your hands. I tend to just twist and pull my fruits out of qt jars. This can damage the substrate. so be carful. If you have side pins to deal with. a long kitchen knife can be used to get down inside the jar but it's a bit tricky.

Step 2
After each flush it is important to rehydrate your substrate. first rinse off your substrate and the bottle with cool tap water.

Put the substrate back in its bottle, fill it with cool water and let it soak for at leas 2 hours. recently I have been soaking for 12 hours with good results.

After your substrates have been soaking for a few hours. give them one more rinse and put them back into fruiting conditions.

you should be abled to get 2 solid flushes from each bottle. You can go for more but yields tend to drop off pretty significantly after the second flush.

Well that's about it. If you do everything correctly. You will have lots of healthy fruits in no time.

Edited by MudaFuka (12/18/16 12:30 PM)

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