got introduced to mushrooms 3 month ago, with a golden teacher growing kit.
as total noob, there were many ups and downs, but i guess we all have to make our own experiences. keeping my growing kit in a warm place 20-24°C, with enough ambient light, and misting/fanning every 12h, i was able to receive merely 180g of fresh product in 2 month, still harvesting following with 10-20g/week.
i can´t get shrooms to grow evenly, so i end up picking grown up schrooms here and then, before the caps open up.
my general concept is that i´m the biggest error factor in any kind of situation, so the more i sleep and less interact with the outer world, the less harm i can do.
now i´m getting some pf-tek cakes ready, and want to minimize my interaction with product to bare minimum. an auromated fruiting chamber is a must do.
so my biggest issue was fanning and keeping just right moisture, and not going into the extremes of drowning mycelium in water vapour.
a simple compressor should have done the trick. i found some blueprints which basicaly have following system. compressor->sealed water tank-> fruiting chamber

easy to get and to build. i can always put additional 4-6mm filter inside a hose, to minimize the contarmination risks, and my cakes should have constant supply of fresh air and preassure 24/7. additionaly i can put a minifoggler/minimistifier, into the sealed tank to top humidity, but i´m afraid it might be to much for mycelium.
i´ve looked into shotgun chambers, and ways to heat them up, and actually found a nice small heated greenhouse which prisewise would cost actually the same.

there is a heating shell, and inner shel with holes so i would actually be able to heat up water, which should provide more stable and moist enviroment.
so the following concept emerged:

the heater tank is filled up to half with water, which provides stable and moist enviroment. it is regulated via thermostat which should turn on and of somewhere between 20-25°C - growing chamber air temperature, not water temperature. i scrapped the watertank, and inserted a long airstone diffuser on to the bottom of the growing chamber - submereged it should provide constant supply of humid air. the hose with air should be as long as possible, going through heater tank and water, bringing them at the same temperature. growing chamber should be filled with perlite, ensuring storage of humidity, and surface for the cakes. the air output should be on perlite lvl, or even below, to ensure no CO2 build up.
there is still little maintenance in changing water and vermiculite, but i guess, it kann be done every few weeks/ once a month.
basicaly that´s the idea.
and here are the questions.
1) air circulation. is it propperly done? the humid air should be easier than CO2, so it should rise up, and constant air supply should ensure enough preassure to constantly push out any gases. i don´t think i need to many holes for the system - 8 medium sized holes on cake lvl should surfice.
2) perlite. perlite is used to store humidity. but i´m afraid, that submered in water it might become contarmination source. so that´s the question should i have any problems, how often do i have to change it, etc. another thought - since i´m constantly providing my chamber with humid air, there isn´t much use for storing the stuff. should i get rid of it entirely, by replacing it with a metal grid to make cakes float mid air? also in that case i might end up making dual air/humidity system, splitting air flow into two lines - heated water bubbler on the bottop, and watertank/mistifier on top.
thank you for the feedback.
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While i enjoy designing and building, the sgfc is pretty well automated for pf cakes if thats what you're going for.
Many people who get the grow kits have bad instructions or just bad luck. I could give you advice and pictures on an automated GH i use for my edibles, but if you're just wanting pf cakes, build a SGFC.
In mushroom cultivation and getting started they have tons of links for you to follow.
A SGFC with holes drilled in all six sides, then you fill with soaked perlite, then you put your cakes on top and close the lid. Natural air currents rise up through the bottom, the air is moistened by the perlite and flows out the sides and top. Its automated for a few weeks before you may need to resoak the perlite.
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