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mushboy
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Re: I Need A Lot of Help to Start Cultivating Mushrooms - Total N00b Here! [Re: Demetrius18] 2
#26502726 - 02/25/20 08:00 AM (3 years, 10 months ago) |
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LSA Woodrose
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Re: I Need A Lot of Help to Start Cultivating Mushrooms - Total N00b Here! [Re: Demetrius18] 1
#26503144 - 02/25/20 12:58 PM (3 years, 10 months ago) |
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Quote:
Demetrius18 said: So I'll start off with saying sorry for not directly answering your questions, I've just read the entirety of the thread and am rather winded, but will likely answer some of them in the following.
First off, THANK YOU so much for your incredibly detailed response. Long-winded is fine by me as, to be honest, the devil is in the details, and when someone takes the kind of time and energy to respond with such a well thought out, detailed post like you just did, I eat it up and really appreciate it!
Quote:
Demetrius18 said: I literally started researching and starting everything this year, so I'm a n00b as well just with a month headstart. I would say the easiest (for me anyway) way to simplify things is to get familiar with the grow cycle or process. As in think in terms of the ecology and environment they naturally reside in, because the only thing you do is attempt to replicate it. So there is no one way, just budget, preference, and circumstance.
Agreed. And my goal here is to simply follow the winning formulae and not try to re-invent the wheel or presume to know more than I do. So, that said, even though I ask a lot of questions, I won't attempt to stray from the program or do things different. My goal here is to basically do as I'm told, and follow the step-by-step instructions without deviating so much as a millimeter.
I think that's why I am asking so many questions. So that I can simply act like an obedient robot and just follow without the slightest deviation.
Quote:
Demetrius18 said:I'll try to lay out start to finish, most people recommend agar to begin as it lets you see any contamination early. You can buy premade plates (petri dishes) or make your own (see agar portal, in site). Several things at this point, I won't drag Bunsen burners through the mud but they are more for heavy usage if you would be doing this A LOT, I have been using a pocket Bic lighter (little bit of extra effort but you need special alcohol for an alcohol lamp so that's another dent on top of the lamp itself).
I was thinking of going this route, but in the end, after researching, reading, talking to people in this forum, and watching a ton of RogerRabbit's videos, I decided to follow the Pf Tek to the very letter. I definitely think that Agar is in my future, but I have already geared up for inoculating jars, and even began forming my Amazon orders to this end. Again, though, in the future, once I start getting this down a little, I am totally open to Agar.
Quote:
Demetrius18 said:You can also make self healing jars, they consist of high temp silicone gasket sealant and a filter of some kind, hopefully someone will step up with tyvek as I am not well versed in if it can be reused or pressure cooked, I dished out (expensive) and bought synthetic filter discs which are cookable and reusable. In a nutshell you dab the silicone on both sides of a hole in the lid, and glue your choice of filter over another hole, you can use the same silicone to glue it in place around the edge of the filter. After that you follow procedure for prepping then pressure cooking (PC) your grain, foil wrapped around the tops so extra water doesn't accumulate. After they are done and cooled place them into your still air box (SAB).
This all sounds awesome, and it may be great for future growing, but my head is already sort of tunnel-visioned into what I have learned so far, which is initially following Pf Tek.
Quote:
Demetrius18 said:Go crazy with your SAB. It just needs to be visible, large enough to maneuver in, and the arm holes can be eyeballed so long as they aren't huge, just enough to twist and bend any way needed during work. Sanitize the SAB before placing jars in there.
Definitely. I have been watching the videos by RogerRabbit, and they are absolutely fantastic. Hopedully someone can answer some of the questions in my last post, and then I will get started immediately. I talked to my Dad, and he is going to drill out the arm holes in the SGFC I want to make.
Quote:
Demetrius18 said:From there if you have multispore syringe(s) (MS syringe) and want to directly inoculate your jars, flame sterilize your needle until red hot (soot is fine it's sterile) and poke through the silicone. It doesn't matter greatly but depending on your angle and hole location some will say against the glass is better, some say middle for faster colonization, hopefully a senior will step up to clarify. Direct grain inoc is frowned upon unless you have sterile prepped syringes (vendor quality) and your own fairly sterile environment, but isn't out of the race.
Yeppers! I am with you. The videos showed that you have to inoculate at an angle and try to see the fluid as you inject it onto the sides of the jar, not the center of the contents. Although, I was planning on using Medical Microppore tape over the four holes at the top of the jar, rather than silicon. I will probably order a Psilocybe cubensis: Golden Teacher Spore Syring from [Leaving name of vendor out] as that species was highly recommended for a beginner like me.
Quote:
Demetrius18 said:From there, you let them sit until the proper amount is colonized to shake and redistribute the mycelium (white fuzzy growth) usually at 20% give or take, hit the jar against something kinda soft like carpet stairs bike tire, your hand, etc. Most mushrooms are subtropical so they grow faster in the warmer end of the spectrum, but there are cold days, so staying within the range is the only requisite.
After they finish colonizing and are fully white, it's time to crack those babies open and smell the music, literally, you want to smell the jars for any potential contamination that wanted to be sneaky and not show externally, bad jars will smell foul or sickly sweet and should be tossed immediately. I will rely on my peers for how it should smell but I would say a forest right after rain, very fresh clean and wholesome. Some slightly sweet undertones can be normal but if it's very fruity that is likely a contaminant, personally mine smelled slightly of fruit loops cereal if you were distanced from it, and seems clean and fine. After confirming they are clean, you dunk them. You can fill the jars or consolidate them into a bucket or sink or whatever clean container full of water. I filled the container it was in as I feel that's most sanitary, however once colonized they are more resistant to contamination because competition sets foot in the grain, so once it is colonized, you're in the clear mostly.
It likely depends on your spawn material, I used rye berries and dunked for 10-20 minutes (brf cakes longer I think?). After that you either shred or break up your spawn into bulk. You can use a compost mix with manure, or coco coir, people have argued and ultimately it's similar yields but manure based will usually be slightly higher yielding. You can do a 1:4 ratio of spawn:substrate(bulk) but the only difference is in how long the substrate will colonize so 1:2 is faster but it's your own discretion.
A lot of this is confusing to me, regarding smells and such. But as I said, I think I will stick with the Pf Tek, and the way he describes it in the video is that the smell when you crack the jars should be like a musky, mushroom smell. The video never mentioned anything about sweet smelling or rain forest smells. So I'm not sure what to make of this other than to look out for the sweet smell you described as indicative of contamination.
Quote:
Demetrius18 said:This is precursor to ^ paragraph but oh well. FRUITING CHAMBER, as I've seen, there are two main types, the shotgun (named for the buckshot-like holes) fruiting chamber, and the monotub. I did not look into the SGFC too deeply as the monotub seemed simpler and less work, dunno about contam or yield as far as the difference goes, but I felt the monotub was better personally. It can be any size or shape, but is recommended to have enough vertical height for any taller shrooms plus substrate depth.
For my first grow, at least, and to get started ASAP, I am going to stick with the SGFC. That's the one I learned from the Pf Tek vids, and it seems preferable to not delay by changing gears so close to my intended start time, as this would necessitate tossing out what I researched thus far, and that would delay me further.
Quote:
Demetrius18 said:To make a mono tub, what I've seen is to drill 2 holes on either side of the wide ends toward the bottom (just above substrate, at mushroom lvl) and one hole towards the top on both sides of the narrow ends, I did 1.5 inch holes but I think the size is proportion to the tub. The holes get stuffed with polyfill (synthetic pillow stuffing), loose at the top, tight at the bottom... gotta love those tight bottoms LOL, but that helps to regulate the evaporation because the idea is to balance humidity with air exchange (FAE=frequent air exchange).
Between grain colonization and fruiting, is pinning. Pinning is after you mix your spawn and substrate, while the spawn colonizes the substrate before fruiting. For pinning you would tape the holes closed to keep humidity in, and let the mycelium establish in the substrate. The lid of the tub should provide enough gas exchange to function for that stage. It remains at the same temperature as it has been.
After it looks mostly (80~90%+) colonized, with hyphal knots (root looking growth) covering the surface, you remove the tape and stuff the holes with polyfill as previously described. There are several factors that initiate fruiting, the biggest being air exchange, next being temperature drop as well as full colonization and other minor details. If too humid increase ambient air with a fan or crack the lid slightly, too dry, mist with water. I've seen a good rule of thumb is condensation on the walls, if it is beading up but not overly so it's about good. Your hygrometer location will change the reading so take it with a grain of salt depending on if it is near a hole or the opposite.
From there you maintain it until fruits begin, I won't go into flushes because that is endgame, and I still need to do my homework, but you can have multiple harvests or 'flushes' after cutting down the fruits of your labor.
This is all very confusing to me, as it sounds like a different direction from what I already researched. So I think its best if I stick to the Pf Tek program in an OCD kinda way lol. At least for the time being.
Quote:
Demetrius18 said:Some general points, light is not a huge deal, the blue spectrum helps the structure of hyphal knots, and light in general makes the mushrooms more thicc. I'm freestyling a bit here, but I believe it tells them they don't need to grow as tall for spore depositing. They will grow in total darkness, but I believe when they experience more light, it means they experience less obstruction so they don't need to compete with say grass or shrubs for sporulation. If you can see them or your hands that's enough light, the cool blue spectrum as oppose to warm is 5000k-6500k and you can find CFL bulbs matching the color temperature.
Yep! This all matches up with what I read on RogerRabbit's page accompanying the four videos for this Tek.
Quote:
Demetrius18 said: Another point is that you want vermiculite mixed into your substrate, however you do not want to make a solid casing layer of verm, that would be for a different species of mushroom.
You could probably use the larger SAB, I'm not entirely certain of the physics so I'll use my phone call life line, see what survey says.
For your tub whether you make a SGFC or monotub, you can upsize it will just slightly change your variables, like if it is wider you may have shallower substrate, which means more frequent humidity upkeep.
So as far as humidity, RH relative humidity is the humidity relative to temperature, or how much water the air can hold at a given temperature. So 70° may read 30% RH, whereas 60° might read 50% because of warm air being able to hold more water vapor. You can think of it in the same mechanics as fog.
A little confused by this. My understanding is I need 30% ambient humidity in my home and over 90% in the chambers they are growing in.
Thanks again!
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Demetrius18
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Re: I Need A Lot of Help to Start Cultivating Mushrooms - Total N00b Here! [Re: LSA Woodrose] 1
#26504292 - 02/26/20 02:01 AM (3 years, 10 months ago) |
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No problem man, as far as humidity I was speaking in general not specifically to the project.
As far as SGFC vs monotub, I saw several people recommend grain and birdseed and unconsciously fell into that rut. SGFC is for cakes, monotub is if you shred those cakes and go to bulk.
Just check out this page, it will literally tell you everything you could need for the moment.
https://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php/Number/21448273
So you can make those jars with self healing ports and still use pf tek, it just reduces contamination because you stab through the silicone so there's no contamination, and the filter patch provides gas exchange. That way there is no contamination because the the stuff is heat proof, you sterilize the whole thing, so you never have it exposed to open air. The only thing going in that jar is filtered air and the syringe tip.
https://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php/Number/20116427#20116427
I'm on mobile so I felt it was easier to write a book than copy and paste from different tabs but I was wrong.
Bulk spawning Tek https://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php/Number/17447797#17447797
SGFC principles https://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php/Number/20195542#20195542
Monotub principles https://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php/Number/20307891#20307891
FAQ and general info https://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php/Number/17286147#17286147
Flowchart of different cultivation options/methods https://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php/Number/24420178
All those are from TNF the noob Tek forum, good luck bro!
Edit: the last link actually goes in depth as to your best options given your circumstance, it may just answer all your questions. Bodhisatta is King. Frank is rival King. Spitball Jedi is space King.
-------------------- This account is purely theoretical, I will be king of the pirates!
Edited by Demetrius18 (02/26/20 02:09 AM)
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LSA Woodrose
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Re: I Need A Lot of Help to Start Cultivating Mushrooms - Total N00b Here! [Re: LSA Woodrose]
#26504379 - 02/26/20 04:46 AM (3 years, 10 months ago) |
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Ugh!!
Okay, I really thought I was starting to get a handle on this, but apparently not. I don't know how to say this without sounding ungrateful, so please feel free to flame or troll or whatever. I am very grateful, by the way. But a week ago I was so overwhelmed that I was like, "Screw this, I give up. I'll stick to MG and HBW seeds, and leave mushrooms to the experts!" The more I read, the more confused and overwhelmed I was getting with six million methods, with factoids all swimming uselessly around in my head.
Then I found RogerRabbit's videos and a light went on, and I was ready to go. I have an Amazon cart filled with stuff (what I thought I needed, but now I'm no longer sure), a PM box filled with more information than I can process, and my thread here, filled with a dozen different seemingly contradictory directions at once, and way too much information that belies the assertion that "This is all so simple!" LMAO Trust me, from where I'm sitting, its anything but.
In fairness, the info may not be actually contradictory but is nonetheless confusing the living shit out of me. Again. And I really thought I had this and was ready. Apparently not.
I thought for the past week that Pf Tek was the way to go. The video is SO DAMNED SIMPLE I figured even I could get started quickly and easily. But there are still questions I have, and when I ask them, the responses (which I promise I really appreciate) are scattering my head in 12 different directions and not answering what I asked.
Now, a week later, I still haven't ordered a single thing, nor purchased a single box from Home Depot.
Maybe I was right originally a week ago? Maybe this is just the universe telling me to stick with the seeds and whatever crap I can scrounge up on the street?
For example, Demetrius, do I really need to keep procrastinating getting started and spend the next God only knows how much time studying ALL those threads and links and flowcharts before getting started?
Folks, I'm going to try this one more time before giving up:
Most people initially guided me toward Pf Tek. Great, looks awesome. Now all of a sudden I have flow charts, PMs telling me I should NOT inoculate jars myself, but buy them (quite expensively I might add) from site sponsors pre-inoculated. Some people telling me I need some kind of silicon sealant, some people pushing agar, others insisting on Shoeboxes, some pushing a zillion other ideas.
I'm not in school to be a Mycologist cramming for a final exam. If this is really simple, then can we PLEASE keep it simple? If not, then that's fine, too. But if I am going to get started sometime in the near future, I need answers to questions I actually asked.
Unless you folks think that PF Tek is not the way I should go. In which case, the last week of reading and videos has been a complete waste of my time.
I apologize. I don't mean to come off ungrateful, but I am back to confusion and being overwhelmed to the point where I am once again ready to give up.
Edited by LSA Woodrose (02/26/20 05:08 AM)
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LSA Woodrose
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Re: I Need A Lot of Help to Start Cultivating Mushrooms - Total N00b Here! [Re: LSA Woodrose]
#26504398 - 02/26/20 05:29 AM (3 years, 10 months ago) |
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I wanted to post this separately from my last post. I sincerely apologize if I am taking out my frustration and confusion on all of you kind folks trying to help me. I just want to get started already, and want to follow one procedure, start to finish, get a crop, and see where I'm at. I'm sure all the nuances and more sophisticated techniques being bandied about here will eventually help me immeasurably.
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mushboy
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Re: I Need A Lot of Help to Start Cultivating Mushrooms - Total N00b Here! [Re: LSA Woodrose] 2
#26504466 - 02/26/20 07:45 AM (3 years, 10 months ago) |
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Dude just start with pf tek.
Anyone PMing you to buy premade is really lame. You wanna grow a few shrooms? Do pf tek and change your life. Stop over complicating and listen to the people with silly badges that say trusted cultivator.
Fuck all the nuances and fancy lids and long winded posts trying to explain humidity. Protip: most seasoned cultivators here couldn't tell you the th. Because we dont measure.
Grab some brf. Grab some jars. Get a syringe. Make it work.
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LSA Woodrose
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Re: I Need A Lot of Help to Start Cultivating Mushrooms - Total N00b Here! [Re: mushboy]
#26504470 - 02/26/20 07:55 AM (3 years, 10 months ago) |
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Quote:
mushboy said: Dude just start with pf tek.
Anyone PMing you to buy premade is really lame. You wanna grow a few shrooms? Do pf tek and change your life. Stop over complicating and listen to the people with silly badges that say trusted cultivator.
Fuck all the nuances and fancy lids and long winded posts trying to explain humidity. Protip: most seasoned cultivators here couldn't tell you the th. Because we dont measure.
Grab some brf. Grab some jars. Get a syringe. Make it work.
Fair enough. I am going to start ordering my equipment and stuff today or tomorrow. But because I am still unsure of box sizes and amounts of jars to prepare and inoculate, I still would these last questions answered, if you or others can indulge me:
1. At some point in video 2, at about 04:10, there is no longer any micropore tape over the lid covering the holes when he shows the jars. When do I remove that tape in this process? (Less important since I can worry about this when the time comes)
2. Do I put tape back at some point? Because of the angle of the camera, I can't tell if he puts the tape back on when he puts them on the shelves for the colonizing phase.
3. Is 30%+ ambient humidity in my bedroom good enough, if growing in my closet in that room?
4. For the SGFC are there size limitations? The typical size seems to be 64 Qt, but what about a different size? Say 70 Qt?
5. Moreover, if I want to inoculate more jars at once (20 instead of 10), can I use a 116 quart Sterilite box rather than the typical 64 Quart box? I think that a 116 Quart box would accommodate 20 inoculated jars.
6. Is there a difference between a SGFC and a Terrarium? I found this a little confusing in the videos. I just noticed that in video #3, it looks like he is using two different sizes. Near the end, he uses a smaller box with an opaque lid that fits only 12 cakes, but the SGFC seems to be much larger and he had about 18 cakes in it
I'm ready to get started, but I really need to know what boxes I need because I can go get them today from Home Depot.
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mushboy
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Re: I Need A Lot of Help to Start Cultivating Mushrooms - Total N00b Here! [Re: LSA Woodrose] 2
#26504477 - 02/26/20 08:02 AM (3 years, 10 months ago) |
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1. You dont need tape for pf the dry verm layer is the filter but using tape isnt going to hurt.
2. If you want.
3. Yes
4. I like a chamber that will barely fit the cakes. A snug fitting sgfc will perform better than a big ass one. It's all about microclimates.
5. Packed chamber. Dont go too crazy trying to do crazy cake grows. Just stick to 12jars(1 case) get a reasonably sized chamber to fit them all.
If you pull off your first grow(easy as fuck) you might get the cult bug and move on to grains and doing bulk. Which would make 90% of the pf materials obsolete. Start out small. Get a grasp for it. Go from there.
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LSA Woodrose
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Re: I Need A Lot of Help to Start Cultivating Mushrooms - Total N00b Here! [Re: mushboy] 1
#26504524 - 02/26/20 08:47 AM (3 years, 10 months ago) |
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Quote:
mushboy said:
4. I like a chamber that will barely fit the cakes. A snug fitting sgfc will perform better than a big ass one. It's all about microclimates.
5. Packed chamber. Dont go too crazy trying to do crazy cake grows. Just stick to 12jars(1 case) get a reasonably sized chamber to fit them all.
Okay, great then! So I should stick with the 64 or 70 quart SGFC? Also, several people (I thought you included, but I may be wrong) suggested doing 20 jars to start with, not the 10 I originally intended. So you suggest 10 or 12?
I may be wrong here, and please correct me I am, but if I am getting syringes with Psilocybe cubensis : Golden Teacher, for instance, they are 10 cc syringes. My understanding, which may be wrong, is 1 CC per jar for a total of 10 jars inoculated with each syringe. Ha! Don't even get me started on how the hell I am going to be able to inoculate FOUR holes in each jar with one cc (1/4 CC each hole?). Wouldn't this be further confusing if I try to inoculate 12 jars with one syringe?
Finally, one site sponsor (who I shall not name) gives an extra syringe with an order if I mention I got their name from Shroomery.org. I just confirmed this over the phone a minute ago, and she said I can place my order today. So I guess I can simply refrigerate the second syringe for up to 4 months, I was told. This is the only reason I was seriously considering the 20 jars instead of the 10.
Oh, and before I start, one question was still left unanswered from above:
6. Is there a difference between a SGFC and a Terrarium? I found this a little confusing in the videos. I just noticed that in video #3, it looks like he is using two different sizes. Near the end, he uses a smaller box with an opaque lid that fits only 12 cakes, but the SGFC seems to be much larger and he had about 18 cakes in it
Edited by LSA Woodrose (02/26/20 08:48 AM)
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mushboy
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Re: I Need A Lot of Help to Start Cultivating Mushrooms - Total N00b Here! [Re: LSA Woodrose] 1
#26504547 - 02/26/20 09:13 AM (3 years, 10 months ago) |
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bad camera editing? i dunno dude how do you pick that tiny detail out of everything else to be confused about?
you could of had inoculated jars by now instead of getting hung up on tiny details. jars need to colonize first. so you got a few weeks to obsess over the chamber
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LSA Woodrose
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Re: I Need A Lot of Help to Start Cultivating Mushrooms - Total N00b Here! [Re: mushboy]
#26504568 - 02/26/20 09:28 AM (3 years, 10 months ago) |
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Quote:
mushboy said: bad camera editing? i dunno dude how do you pick that tiny detail out of everything else to be confused about?
you could of had inoculated jars by now instead of getting hung up on tiny details. jars need to colonize first. so you got a few weeks to obsess over the chamber
Fair point LOL, but honestly I was just planning ahead.
I rewatched the video again, by the way, and realized it wasn’t bad camera editing. I missed the part where he had said that he was showing a different terrarium. Apparently the SGFC is the same as the terrarium, but I thought they were maybe two different things. My bad on that.
So I’m going to go to Home Depot today, and pick up some boxes that I need. And I’m going to order the supplies I have in my Amazon cart today, as well as the BOGO syringe(s).
So forget the SGFC for now, what I do need to know now before I start, is if I get two syringes, should I use all of them on 20 jars? Or should I refrigerate one of the syringes? Moreover, you had suggested 12 bottles, but how do I subdivide 10 mL into 12 bottles, and find a way to further subdivide four inoculation points on each jar? You could see my confusion on this part, right?
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Zillard
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Re: I Need A Lot of Help to Start Cultivating Mushrooms - Total N00b Here! [Re: LSA Woodrose] 2
#26504772 - 02/26/20 12:13 PM (3 years, 10 months ago) |
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Dear OP.
Do not feel discouraged. There is a lot of information on here, which is overwhelming to a newcomer. I felt exactly like you did. But i knew i wanted something easy to start with, with less chances of cocking things up.
I read up on the teks available, judging if they were simple enough to follow. Then i checked what options i have available to me for the required materials and equipment. Then i looked at each step of the process and what methods would suit my requirements.
Once i had a plan on what tek i will be using and what equipment and materials i would utilize, i felt very optimistic and excited to get going.
Write down each step of your plan, complete the first step, and move on to the next.
For what its worth, i decided to use shaperdreamings SFF shoebox factory beginners tek. To me it was fairly straightforward and easy to follow. Each major step is broken down in detail and tips to minimize failure is included for free. I would recommend looking at it if uou are still undecided on where to begin.
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LSA Woodrose
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Re: I Need A Lot of Help to Start Cultivating Mushrooms - Total N00b Here! [Re: LSA Woodrose]
#26504782 - 02/26/20 12:20 PM (3 years, 10 months ago) |
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Okay, and update so you guys don't think I am wasting all of your time: I just placed the order with un-named site sponsor X for Psilocybe cubensis : Golden Teacher Spore Syringe Microscopy Kit, shipping Priority Mail. I also took a ride to Home Depot and picked up the 70 Quart clear Sterilite box with a clear top. Oddly enough, I have to wait to pick up the 116 Quart Box since they were on a pallet and I had the choice of waiting an hour for them to drop it to the floor and get me one out, or just pay for it and they will text me when I can pick it up, probably tomorrow.
I am about to order everything else from Amazon, but a few days ago, when I mentioned that the Pf Tek videos suggested using jar lids to line the bottom of my stock pot, Logical Chaos had said jar lids is a ghetto way of doing it, and he suggested this item:

The problem is that it ships from Japan and won't be here for over a week if I order today.
Also a couple of other hitches:
1. How much Perlite do I need? the most cost effective option is on Amazon for a whopping 120 Quarts! Its like 20 pounds, I think, for $35.77. I would imagine, however, if I am lining the bottom of, say a 70 Quart container used for a SGFC, that I would only need like what, about 10 quarts or so? Home Depot has an 8 Qt, .31 Cubic Foot option for a mere $4.49, and a 2 Cu Foot bag for $16.99. Another problem with the Amazon 8 Cu Feet bag is it has an estimated delivery date of March 9th as well.
2. I also noticed the half pint, wide mouth Mason Jars I was looking at, a 24 pack, has a delivery date of March 6th. Are these jars all right instead? They have a one or two day delivery time.
3. Micropore tape on Amazon also has an oddly long delivery time. I assume I can just walk into any drug store like CVS and buy this immediately?
Everything else I need, from this thread, seems like I can just get from Amazon by tomorrow or Friday if I order now.
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Smartattack
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Re: I Need A Lot of Help to Start Cultivating Mushrooms - Total N00b Here! [Re: Zillard] 1
#26504785 - 02/26/20 12:22 PM (3 years, 10 months ago) |
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I say definitely start with agar and monotubs. I can see that you are not yet getting enough conflicting opinions yet.
-------------------- * Smarts videos * Planet of the APES   I'm a fungal white supremacist.
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LSA Woodrose
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Re: I Need A Lot of Help to Start Cultivating Mushrooms - Total N00b Here! [Re: LSA Woodrose]
#26504794 - 02/26/20 12:27 PM (3 years, 10 months ago) |
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lol Smartattack.
Just to be clear, for my 1st n00b grow, I am completely and unequivocally disregarding all advice that doesn't strictly adhere to PF Tek, ala RoggerRabbit's videos.
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LSA Woodrose
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Re: I Need A Lot of Help to Start Cultivating Mushrooms - Total N00b Here! [Re: LSA Woodrose]
#26504871 - 02/26/20 01:23 PM (3 years, 10 months ago) |
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Another update:
So I got a text from Home Depot that my 116 Quart Sterilite Box was ready, so I picked it up. I have the transparent model with the matching lid, same model for both sized boxes. One is the 116 Quart model for my SAB and the other is the matching 70 Quart model, for my SGFC:

I also picked this up while I was at the Home Depot, since Amazon's turnaround time for the 4 cubic feet bag was a little ridiculous.

Then I went next door to the Duane Reade and grabbed some Micropore tape, since the Amazon turnaround time was also a little silly on that item.
Now I'm just waiting to hear from you folks about the jars I am thinking of getting instead of the original wide neck half pint jars. These jars are shaped a little differently than the ones I was looking at originally, but they can be at my house by tomorrow or Friday. Should I order these?
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LSA Woodrose
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Re: I Need A Lot of Help to Start Cultivating Mushrooms - Total N00b Here! [Re: LSA Woodrose]
#26504878 - 02/26/20 01:30 PM (3 years, 10 months ago) |
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Oh and for the inside of my stock pot, instead of jar lids, I need something to substitute for this item, since the one that Logical Chaos suggested. Because if I order this from Amazon, it will get to me around mid-March, and since I have everything else, I would really like to get started this weekend, not in two weeks.
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LSA Woodrose
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Re: I Need A Lot of Help to Start Cultivating Mushrooms - Total N00b Here! *DELETED* [Re: LSA Woodrose]
#26505444 - 02/26/20 07:50 PM (3 years, 10 months ago) |
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Post deleted by fahtster
Reason for deletion: Users request duplicate post
Edited by LSA Woodrose (02/27/20 02:27 AM)
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LSA Woodrose
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Re: I Need A Lot of Help to Start Cultivating Mushrooms - Total N00b Here! [Re: LSA Woodrose] 1
#26505813 - 02/27/20 02:25 AM (3 years, 10 months ago) |
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Update on Order:
Okay, I forgot to put this here, but last night, I ordered the rest of the stuff. Only two hitches:
1. The 2 x 12 pack of the 8 ounce wide-mouth mason jars isn't going to arrive until between March 3rd and March 6th. So obviously, I would have to wait until between next Tuesday and next Friday to start, since you need the jars for the first stage.
2. I didn't get the stainless steel DimSum Steamer that Logical Chaos had recommended. Not only is there a delay in shipping, but if it is only 7" diameter. I was actually thinking of getting this 10" Chrome Steamer Rack instead. My reasoning is that I have four stock pots, and my second to largest stock pot has a 11.4" diameter. Which means I can sterilize more jars at the same time than using a smaller stock pot with a smaller steamer. Is this a good solution to getting the jars off the bottom of the pot and above the simmering/boiling water? According to the description, this steamer has 10.5" diameter with a 2.2" height with the legs open. I also have a bigger stock pot, which has a 12.4" diameter, but maybe that's a little overkill?
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LogicaL Chaos
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Re: I Need A Lot of Help to Start Cultivating Mushrooms - Total N00b Here! [Re: LSA Woodrose] 1
#26505892 - 02/27/20 05:26 AM (3 years, 10 months ago) |
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That steam rack looks perfect 
The other alternative is a tamale steamer which is a pot with a built-in steam rack. But that choice u have there works great too. As long as it fits, dont overthink it. It will be OK.
Also, do not order the tall regular mouth jars! They are a pain to work with. Get wide-mouth only.
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