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alaskappalachian
Entitiologist


Registered: 10/22/19
Posts: 1,674
Loc: The 49th Dimension
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Re: First time growing Psilocybe cyanescens (in progress). (moved) [Re: tomcards]
#26659809 - 05/09/20 11:31 AM (3 years, 8 months ago) |
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The reason you don't need to foil your grain jars is that if you prepped your grains properly and used your PC correctly, the little bit of moisture/condensation you get in jars after ANY PC cycle (steam does the work, after all...) will be gone withing 24 hrs or so if you shake your jars after that pressure drops and a couplle more times throughout that day. With cakes if you get them soaked they are soaked. Make potato soup out of them and try again. I stopped using foil on grain jars recently and noticcced zero differnece, Only moisture I see in jars is when temps swing 30+ degrees from night to day during a cold snap. It's just a waste of foil.
-------------------- "First we build the tools, then they build us." THE 49th MYCOJOURNAL: Exotics, Auroras, and Entities
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tomcards



Registered: 04/24/15
Posts: 427
Loc: San Francisco
Last seen: 10 months, 19 days
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Re: First time growing Psilocybe cyanescens (in progress). (moved) [Re: alaskappalachian] 1
#26660145 - 05/09/20 02:17 PM (3 years, 8 months ago) |
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Thanks for the information, Alaska!
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Roger Clemency
Smile


Registered: 03/23/20
Posts: 2,005
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Re: First time growing Psilocybe cyanescens (in progress). (moved) [Re: tomcards]
#26660219 - 05/09/20 03:00 PM (3 years, 8 months ago) |
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I always cover with foil just in case, and I save the foil after I take it off and just keep them in a box. You can use them forever if you’re gentle.
And
-------------------- Sour grapes, sweet revenge Heaven starts right where hell ends
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tomcards



Registered: 04/24/15
Posts: 427
Loc: San Francisco
Last seen: 10 months, 19 days
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Re: First time growing Psilocybe cyanescens (in progress). (moved) [Re: Roger Clemency]
#26686109 - 05/21/20 04:57 PM (3 years, 8 months ago) |
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5/19/20: Two of the player jars are fully colonized. I placed them on a shelf 11" behind and 9" beneath the other jars. The temperature is cooler and they receive much less light than the other jars.
The four other player jars are in the front row, receiving the most light. They are about 95% colonized.
The four slacker jars are 50%-80% colonized.
Due to the wetness of the substrate, this has taken far too long. The chips have been soaking for over three weeks. I need to get the spawn into the chips in the outdoor tub so I can move onto other projects.
So on Saturday, I'm going to birth the cakes, even though they won't be fully colonized. I'll have enough spawn to mix with the chips. Before I do, I'll excise some mycelium from two areas of the jar that was first to fully colonize. I'll transfer the mycelium to agar for cleaning and ultimately for long-term storage on a plate and in a slant.
Stay tuned....
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alaskappalachian
Entitiologist


Registered: 10/22/19
Posts: 1,674
Loc: The 49th Dimension
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Re: First time growing Psilocybe cyanescens (in progress). (moved) [Re: tomcards]
#26686150 - 05/21/20 05:16 PM (3 years, 8 months ago) |
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Good plan. Shouldn't be a problem they aren't 100% colonized. Psyched to see how this turns out for you.
-------------------- "First we build the tools, then they build us." THE 49th MYCOJOURNAL: Exotics, Auroras, and Entities
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tomcards



Registered: 04/24/15
Posts: 427
Loc: San Francisco
Last seen: 10 months, 19 days
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Re: First time growing Psilocybe cyanescens (in progress). (moved) [Re: alaskappalachian] 1
#26690705 - 05/23/20 03:52 PM (3 years, 8 months ago) |
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5/23/20: 81 days after inoculating the jars, I finally birthed the cakes. 81 days!! The overly wet substrate added at least three weeks to the colonization time. And as I mentioned, the jars weren’t completed colonized.
(Outside)
I cracked the lid of the 5 gallon bucket in which the chips have been soaking for 3 weeks. I tipped over the bucket, letting the water pour out while keeping the chips inside.
When most of the water was out, I set the bucket upright.
I put the mouth of an old pillow case over the mouth of the bucket. It fit very well. I turned the bucket upside down, dumping the chips and remaining water into the pillow case.
I pulled off the pillow case and set it on the deck. I removed the remaining chips from the bucket and put them in the pillow case.
I repeated the procedure to dump the second bucket of chips into the pillow case.
I twisted the opening of the pillow case.
I hung the pillow case in a crack of the chimney on my deck. I let the chips drain for 35 minutes.

I dumped all of the chips into the outdoor tub and levelled them. I measured their depth and it was 3 inches.
I removed 1 inch of chips and put them back in one of the buckets.
That left 2 inches of chips in the bottom of the tub.
(Inside)
I opened the first jar that fully colonized and dumped out the cake. I placed the cake on a piece of foil.
I put on gloves and sanitizied my SAB and myself.
I put two plates of MEA agar, the cake and two strips of Parafilm in the SAB. I removed the parafilm from the plates.
I flame sterilized the blade of a scalpel. With my right hand, I brought the scalpel into the SAB. With my left hand, I removed the lid from the first plate. I touched the blade to the surface of the agar several times to cool it. With my left hand, I put the lid back on the plate.
With my left hand, I picked up the cake. With my right hand, I excised a piece of spawn from the top of the cake. I speared it with the tip of the scalpel. My left hand put the cake on the floor of the SAB.
With my left hand, I removed the lid from the first plate. With my right hand, I tapped the spawn onto the center of the plate. I put the lid back on the plate.
With my left hand, I picked up the cake. With my right hand, I excised a piece of spawn from the side of the cake. My left hand put the cake on the floor of the SAB. With my left hand, I removed the lid from the second plate. With my right hand, I tapped the spawn onto the center of the plate. I put the lid back on the plate.
I sealed the edges of the plates with Parafilm. Oh joy! Cyan preserved for the future!

I removed the cake from the SAB.
Next I birthed all the other cakes. The slacker cakes were still overly wet. The player jars varied from being appropriately dry to a wee bit wet.
I removed all of the wet and uncolonized substrate and threw it into the compost.
I used a cheese grater to break up the cakes. I put the spawn in a big blue bowl. There appeared to be about a little over a quart of spawn. I took the bowl of spawn outside.
I dumped the spawn onto the chips and levelled it. Notice my wooden dowel "shroom snacks?"

I dumped the remaining chips from the bucket on top of the spawn and levelled it.

I lightly sprayed the chips with the hose.
I attached my critter-deterring chicken wire lid.

Aaah. I thought I was done.
(Inside)
While cleaning up, to my horror, I discovered the other fully colonized player jar sitting on the shelf behind my grow area. I had forgotten it! Shit!!
I birthed the elusive cake and grated it into the big blue bowl that I had just washed and dried. I took the bowl outside.
(Outside)
I removed the chicken wire and did my best to scoop off about an inch of chips from the tub. I didn’t want to disrupt the already-laid spawn too much. I put the chips in a bowl.
I dumped the spawn into the tub and levelled it.
I dumped the remaining chips on top of the spawn and levelled it. I tried to cover all of the spawn with chips, but I wasn’t compulsive about it. Tiny bits of spawn are visible here and there, but I’m not going to worry about it.
The depth of the chips/spawn is 3 inches.
It’s sunny and surprisingly warm in SF today and this weather is supposed to continue throughout Memorial Day. The chips had already lost a lot of moisture. So I gently sprayed them with the hose.
About half an hour later, I discovered that my original placement of the tub would have caused the chips to receive too much light for too long. So I moved the tub near the westernmost outer wall of my apartment, where the tub is in the shade by 1:00. If the sun bothers to come out at all, which in this part of SF, if often doesn't.
After all this time, and all my efforts to keep everything sanitary, I must now leave the spawn to the weather vagaries of Mother Nature and all her mold, bacteria, viruses, pollutants and critters.
I welcome your questions comments and castigation.
It’s time to abuse the bong.
Edited by tomcards (05/23/20 04:08 PM)
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tomcards



Registered: 04/24/15
Posts: 427
Loc: San Francisco
Last seen: 10 months, 19 days
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Re: First time growing Psilocybe cyanescens (in progress). (moved) [Re: tomcards]
#26692485 - 05/24/20 11:43 AM (3 years, 8 months ago) |
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5/24/20: For most of last night, I obsessed about the patches of exposed spawn in the tub. Then I remembered that I have a bunch of hardwood sawdust.
This morning I sprinkled a thin frosting of sawdust onto the chips, ensuring that the spawn was covered. It should help maintain the moisture of the chips. I gave the tub a light sprinkling of water.
Direct sunlight hit the chips at 9:30 this morning. The chips will be back in the shadow of the tub by around 1:30. They're currently getting 4 hours of direct sunlight each day.
A spider has already taken up residence. I call him Boris.
Edited by tomcards (05/25/20 01:23 PM)
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gizmo1



Registered: 06/15/11
Posts: 3,831
Loc: FREEDOM
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Re: First time growing Psilocybe cyanescens (in progress). (moved) [Re: tomcards]
#26692486 - 05/24/20 11:44 AM (3 years, 8 months ago) |
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Lmao Boris nice.
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tomcards



Registered: 04/24/15
Posts: 427
Loc: San Francisco
Last seen: 10 months, 19 days
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Re: First time growing Psilocybe cyanescens (in progress). (moved) [Re: gizmo1]
#26696729 - 05/26/20 10:41 AM (3 years, 7 months ago) |
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5/26/20: Two days after I transferred two pieces of spawn to agar (5/25), nasty globules formed around the second piece of spawn. Here's what it looks like today:

If a healthy patch of mycelium is able to grow on that plate, I'll excise it and toss the plate. The other plate looks fine so far.
I've never had contamination on agar. Can anyone identify this beastie?
Thanks.
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gizmo1



Registered: 06/15/11
Posts: 3,831
Loc: FREEDOM
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Re: First time growing Psilocybe cyanescens (in progress). (moved) [Re: tomcards]
#26696904 - 05/26/20 12:03 PM (3 years, 7 months ago) |
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Bacteria
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tomcards



Registered: 04/24/15
Posts: 427
Loc: San Francisco
Last seen: 10 months, 19 days
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Re: First time growing Psilocybe cyanescens (in progress). (moved) [Re: gizmo1]
#26696919 - 05/26/20 12:11 PM (3 years, 7 months ago) |
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Damn, that's what I feared. Thanks Giz.
Well, I wait and see if any healthy, salvageable mycelium appears. Otherwise, that plate is outta here.
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tomcards



Registered: 04/24/15
Posts: 427
Loc: San Francisco
Last seen: 10 months, 19 days
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Re: First time growing Psilocybe cyanescens (in progress). (moved) [Re: tomcards]
#26701137 - 05/28/20 07:36 AM (3 years, 7 months ago) |
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5/28/20: Plate A is displaying good rhizomorphic growth. Plus those two tiny two satellites that appeared this morning. I'll let it grow a few more days, then I'm going to transfer a piece of myc from that section just to the left of 12:00 to a new plate.

Plate B has become The Blob! I was hoping to excise that piece at 8:00, but the bacteria has overtaken it. It's outta here.
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mushhead
Potato Devourer



Registered: 08/22/14
Posts: 2,215
Loc: Dimension X-124
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Re: First time growing Psilocybe cyanescens (in progress). (moved) [Re: tomcards]
#26701532 - 05/28/20 10:54 AM (3 years, 7 months ago) |
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you should transfer off that first plate before those satellites sporulate.
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tomcards



Registered: 04/24/15
Posts: 427
Loc: San Francisco
Last seen: 10 months, 19 days
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Re: First time growing Psilocybe cyanescens (in progress). (moved) [Re: mushhead]
#26701606 - 05/28/20 11:26 AM (3 years, 7 months ago) |
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Why do you recommend that?
Thanks.
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mushhead
Potato Devourer



Registered: 08/22/14
Posts: 2,215
Loc: Dimension X-124
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Re: First time growing Psilocybe cyanescens (in progress). (moved) [Re: tomcards]
#26701643 - 05/28/20 11:41 AM (3 years, 7 months ago) |
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I've taken transfers after doing the same, I noticed some mold beginning to grow hyphae but decided i'd give it a bit more time before taking a cut. A day maybe more occurred before i decided to transfer, the mold at this time had thrown spores. I took myc that I thought was clean, but it had mold spores with it. because of this I had to make two extra transfers just to escape the mold. just better to move on to a different cleaner plate before spores happen imo. fyi I'm a germophobe so mold on plates makes me so uncomfortable.
Edited by mushhead (05/28/20 11:47 AM)
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tomcards



Registered: 04/24/15
Posts: 427
Loc: San Francisco
Last seen: 10 months, 19 days
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Re: First time growing Psilocybe cyanescens (in progress). (moved) [Re: mushhead]
#26701878 - 05/28/20 01:39 PM (3 years, 7 months ago) |
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Mushhead,
Thanks for the advice. I'll transfer a piece tomorrow.
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tomcards



Registered: 04/24/15
Posts: 427
Loc: San Francisco
Last seen: 10 months, 19 days
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Re: First time growing Psilocybe cyanescens (in progress). (moved) [Re: tomcards] 1
#26701912 - 05/28/20 02:01 PM (3 years, 7 months ago) |
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I bought this cool set of leather punches to punch a circular plug of agar on the plate.
Cudos to D3monic for alerting the community to this nifty tool.

After creating the plug, I'll spear it with the tip of the scalpel and transfer the petite plug to a new plate.
It's supposed to arrive by tonight. That's why I'm waiting until tomorrow to make the transfer.
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tomcards



Registered: 04/24/15
Posts: 427
Loc: San Francisco
Last seen: 10 months, 19 days
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Re: First time growing Psilocybe cyanescens (in progress). (moved) [Re: tomcards] 1
#26702207 - 05/28/20 04:35 PM (3 years, 7 months ago) |
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5/28/20: I spotted even more of the satellites, validating Mushhead's concern about sporulating mold. The punch hasn't arrived yet, and I was freaking out, so I used a scalpel to excise two pieces of mycelium and transferred them to two new plates.
I'm going to keep the satellite plate around a while just to witness the horror that unfolds.
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tomcards



Registered: 04/24/15
Posts: 427
Loc: San Francisco
Last seen: 10 months, 19 days
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Re: First time growing Psilocybe cyanescens (in progress). (moved) [Re: tomcards]
#26714575 - 06/02/20 04:24 PM (3 years, 7 months ago) |
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6/2/20: I tossed the satellite plate. It was hideous. I couldn't even bear to take a photo. I don't want to remember it.
Today, the T1A plate displayed a tiny speck of mold. The T1B plate first displayed mold on 5/30. So, on to T2. Using my newly acquired punch, I punched a 1/4" plug from the ostensibly clean leading edges of both plates and transferred them to clean plates.
We'll see what develops.
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mushhead
Potato Devourer



Registered: 08/22/14
Posts: 2,215
Loc: Dimension X-124
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Re: First time growing Psilocybe cyanescens (in progress). (moved) [Re: tomcards]
#26714793 - 06/02/20 06:15 PM (3 years, 7 months ago) |
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Would you mind sharing your agar sanitation prep process with us? Are you cleaning out your SAB? Washing hands/body/using gloves/firing your scalpel to red hot every transfer kind of stuff. Perhaps we here could offer some advice to prevent those contams from recurring?
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