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Idkleine
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Registered: 02/23/14
Posts: 81
Last seen: 2 years, 6 months
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pictures from the farm
#21969024 - 07/20/15 03:02 AM (8 years, 6 months ago) |
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Here are a few pics of mushroom farm projects if anyone is interested. I am new at this profession and have no loan, and no formal training to work from, however I have made a lot of progress from my first project in January of this year. My best week so far was 30 lbs of oysters. I need to learn how to get a better second flush. Its challenging because I only have one growing space but do not yet have the capability to fill it all at the same time. I need ideas for hydrating the blocks after the first flush. wondering if anyone uses a hypodermic needle and syringe to inject water into the blocks?









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Idkleine
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Registered: 02/23/14
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Re: pictures from the farm [Re: Idkleine]
#21969033 - 07/20/15 03:05 AM (8 years, 6 months ago) |
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poofterFroth
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Registered: 03/15/14
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Re: pictures from the farm [Re: Idkleine]
#21969442 - 07/20/15 06:32 AM (8 years, 6 months ago) |
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Nice set up & sterilizer.
If your having issues with your sub drying out and not getting much yield from second flushes try poking holes in your bags after they've colonized instead of removing the tops completely.
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solarity
mm... my favourite food



Registered: 03/31/09
Posts: 1,590
Loc: UK
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Looks good
But why are you sterilising and using expensive patch bags to grow oysters?
Also you may know this but you NEED to wear a mask, around oysters if you are anything but a hobby grower.
Don't fill it all at the same time, add 1/4 the space per week, 4 weeks to fruit is usually enough to get 2 flushes, then throw them out to outside fruiting and keep rotating.
-------------------- Commercial exotics farmer for 8 years - now sold up!
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t3chnobily
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Re: pictures from the farm [Re: solarity]
#21970391 - 07/20/15 11:58 AM (8 years, 6 months ago) |
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Wear your mask!
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Idkleine
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Registered: 02/23/14
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Re: pictures from the farm [Re: t3chnobily]
#21970872 - 07/20/15 02:04 PM (8 years, 6 months ago) |
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Mask I have not been wearing. Thx for the warning. I need to suck it up and wear it. even if you only poke holes in the bags for fruiting, the water content of the mushroom comes from the substrate right? so a half pound of mushrooms harvested off of a 6lb block, and your loosing about .45 lbs water I would think. But yea maybe I am loosing more to evaporation that I think I am. I have started doing holes instead of cutting the tops off.
And in response to the expensive bag question, yea I dont know. I pasturize in the bag, which is why I am using P.P. bags, but it does feel pretty dumb. I need a new system. any tips on that? If I pasturize before bagging I feel like theres a lot of exposure to the air for enriched sawdust substrate.
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poofterFroth
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Re: pictures from the farm [Re: Idkleine]
#21970974 - 07/20/15 02:24 PM (8 years, 6 months ago) |
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Are you pasteurizing or sterilizing? I'm a bit confused given the big ass autoclave pictured, but you mentioned pasteurizing in your filter bags....
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solarity
mm... my favourite food



Registered: 03/31/09
Posts: 1,590
Loc: UK
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Now I am even more confused!.. why are you growing oysters on enriched sawdust? Sterilised? Pasteurised?
Grow oysters on straw, pasteurised with either lime, hot water or steam. Use lay-flat tube to make 6ft logs. There is a raft of info on here about it. If this is a commercial operation it seems you are growing very few oysters in the most expensive way possible! More FAE would be good if you can.
Oysters on straw, soaked in lime water and stuffed in bags with holes cut:

-------------------- Commercial exotics farmer for 8 years - now sold up!
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beastcoast
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Re: pictures from the farm [Re: solarity]
#21973220 - 07/20/15 10:02 PM (8 years, 6 months ago) |
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nice work. I just got my small farm up and going.
I'm sitting on 30 pounds of oysters and much more on the way, all of which I have nothing to do with! Selling them is the hard part.
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Gr0wer
always improving


Registered: 09/16/03
Posts: 6,056
Loc: El Paso, TX
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Re: pictures from the farm [Re: beastcoast]
#21973436 - 07/20/15 10:45 PM (8 years, 6 months ago) |
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Nice looking grow. Your pc makes me jealous. What size grow bags do you use? If they are xl bags they could be packed a lot heavier. I pack 4-6 kilos of substrate in one XL bag. But as the other guys said straw logs would be more economic than grow bags. You could lay them flat in your shelving or remove some shelves and hang them as shown above.
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Idkleine
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Re: pictures from the farm [Re: Gr0wer]
#21973701 - 07/20/15 11:45 PM (8 years, 6 months ago) |
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Well, I am growing on sawdust and coffee grounds because it is free, and straw is kind of spendy here in AK. The big ass autoclave is not online yet, I am steam pasturizing in a old 80 gal kettle in the bags. I am planning on growing other kinds of mushrooms, so that's why I have the other equipment. I do my own agar work, grain spawn, and sawdust spawn, which is unsuplimented and sterilized. I inoculated 30 bags of bulk sub with one sawdust master. They colonize in 15 days and I have had no contains at all, probably because I'm being way to careful. I would like to try the tubular bags, but am concerned about them contaminating when I fill them. Maybe I'm worrying too much. I would like to use a simpler process for the oysters, and use the process I am using now for shiitake, and king oyster. Does that sound logical or am I just being silly?
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Idkleine
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Re: pictures from the farm [Re: Idkleine]
#21973766 - 07/21/15 12:03 AM (8 years, 6 months ago) |
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The straw log seems expensive in its own way to me, since you need 6 jars of grain spawn to do a single log, plus straw cost money, especially organic straw, which isn't even available here. I use one jar of grain spawn to inoculate 2 big fat sawdust spawn bags, and use those to inoculate 30 bags of bulk substrate. Therefore the only cost is the bags. I can't figure out how to pasturize my sawdust/coffee grounds substrate without bagging it first, because if I steam it or boil it the coffee grounds will get over hydrated and soggy. Any ideas on this? I need a solution!
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TheHerbalColorado
Center of the donut.



Registered: 10/21/13
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Re: pictures from the farm [Re: Idkleine]
#21975153 - 07/21/15 10:55 AM (8 years, 6 months ago) |
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No rural areas around to source straw from? You could probably find more than you need on the cheap for a little car ride. Looks like your maximizing your space! I am starting an oyster project soon and I was going to opt for the tubes, but looks like this way works too. Good to see. One question: Why are you more concerned about contams with the tubes vs the blocks?
-------------------- If you get to old to cut the mustard, lick the jar.
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Gr0wer
always improving


Registered: 09/16/03
Posts: 6,056
Loc: El Paso, TX
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He is in Alaska. Not much wheat being farmed up there.
If the bags are working keep with it. The bags are pricey but $1 bag isn't bad considering all your substrate is free. Also with the coffee I hear a lot of contam risk and grow bags are a safe bet to ward off contams.
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knomadic_niki
A mile high



Registered: 06/30/14
Posts: 1,275
Loc: 6200' Colorado
Last seen: 6 years, 5 months
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Re: pictures from the farm [Re: Gr0wer]
#21980046 - 07/22/15 11:48 AM (8 years, 6 months ago) |
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hey bud, if its working for you, don't let everybody confuse you. we all have different resources to work with. looks good! the bags shouldnt dry out as much if you only cut holes to fruit. i am able to get 3-4 flushes without rehydrating
-------------------- My trade list In search of sporeless oyster cultures
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Idkleine
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Registered: 02/23/14
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Last seen: 2 years, 6 months
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Cool thx! I'm trying a new fruiting method of flipping the bag upside down with the filter patch folded under the bag, and cutting two x's in the side half way up. I am doing this because if I leave the bag right side up and fruit from holes in the side, I get a bunch of junk growing on the top of the block inside the plenum of the bag. I figure this is because of oxygen comming in the filter and triggering fruiting. So far it's working alright with the Phoenix, but don't know if my strain of pearl is going to cooperate as well with fruiting where I want it to. Anyhow, I bought 1000 grow bags so I got em quite a bit cheaper than a dollar each. I do want to try a log bag style technique with my substrate, but I am unclear whether or not you can pasturize polyethalene bags in a steam box? Can someone straighten me out on that? Also I can't have the holes pre punched because it would fuck up the moisture content, and leak coffe grounds.
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Gr0wer
always improving


Registered: 09/16/03
Posts: 6,056
Loc: El Paso, TX
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Re: pictures from the farm [Re: Idkleine]
#21980205 - 07/22/15 12:43 PM (8 years, 6 months ago) |
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I think you will run into issues with logs with your substrate. Straw is a lot lighter than coffee grounds and sawdust, your logs would weigh a ton. Also inoculation would be a pain if you pasteurized in the logs. Typically with logs you pasteurize loose substrate then spawn and pack your tubes with spawn mixed in. When I Fruit off grow bags I roll and clip the rolled up part with heavy duty metal paperclips. Your flip method should work just as well if not better. If your blocks are that big you should experiment with different amount of holes, two holes sounds low for large blocks. I make at least 6 holes in my 10 lb bags. Unless you want larger fruits like with kings.
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knomadic_niki
A mile high



Registered: 06/30/14
Posts: 1,275
Loc: 6200' Colorado
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Re: pictures from the farm [Re: Gr0wer]
#21980278 - 07/22/15 01:17 PM (8 years, 6 months ago) |
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no, you pasteurize the substrate, then stuff the polyethylene bags. which is very difficult with sawfust. i agree with grower, don't use sawdust in "logs" or tubes
-------------------- My trade list In search of sporeless oyster cultures
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zinglebery
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Registered: 04/19/15
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Re: pictures from the farm [Re: Idkleine]
#21988577 - 07/24/15 05:31 AM (8 years, 6 months ago) |
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Those whites look amazing!Congratulations,you are obviously doing something right and should stick with what you are doing.Sure experiment a bit but keep your main crop constant.I tried different things across the board and came unstuck. Good luck with your massive p.c I'm envious as I spend 3 x 8hr days watching and lissssstening to my p.c for a spawn run.One day I will build myself a decent one like that.
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kiksen


Registered: 06/04/15
Posts: 60
Last seen: 2 months, 25 days
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Re: pictures from the farm [Re: zinglebery]
#21998173 - 07/26/15 01:09 AM (8 years, 6 months ago) |
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Good job looking good!
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