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tomcards



Registered: 04/24/15
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Loc: San Francisco
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First time growing Psilocybe cyanescens. A failed experiment. 2
#26579485 - 04/05/20 01:07 PM (3 years, 9 months ago) |
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This is a chronicle of my first attempt to grow cyanescens. It’s also the first time that I prepared and sterilized my own jars.
3/2/20: I filled 10 half pint jars with a mixture consisting of 1 part vermiculite, 1 part BRF, 1 part sawdust and 1 part water. I put on plastic lids with injection ports and synthetic filter disks for gas exchange.
I put three quarts of water in my pressure cooker.
I added one tablespoon of white distilled vinegar to prevent hard water deposits from forming on the jars.
I put the jars in the PC, tilting them to ensure that there were no air bubbles underneath their bases. The water in the PC covered the bottom one inch of the jars. I unwisely took someone’s advice and I didn’t cover the lids with aluminum foil.
After heating the PC and venting air for 10 minutes, I cooked the jars at 15psi, 250 F for 60 minutes.
I removed the PC from the oven and let it cool until the pressure gauge read 0 and the air vent/cover lock was in the down position.
I removed the jars and was horrified to discover that the substrate was visibly wetter than it was when I put the jars into the PC. Because I didn’t cover the lids with foil, water had seeped into the jars. Two of the jars were soaked. The other eight jars appeared to have only a slight increase in moisture. The filter on one of those jars had a wet stain on it.
Damn! Lesson learned. Always cover the lids with foil.
I let the jars cool overnight.
3/3/20: When I received the MS cyanescens syringe, it appeared to contain only water. I shook it mercilessly but I couldn’t detect any spores. I emailed the vendor and expressed my concern that he sold me nothing but water. I attached this photo as “proof.” He quickly assured me that his spores were so fresh and so well mixed that they can’t be seen. I remained dubious.

I put the jars in my SAB and inoculated them with the suspect syringe.
I placed the jars on a table, illuminated with a 6500K CFL. The light is on 12 hours per day. To reflect some of the light back onto the jars, I taped to the table a laminated petition to decriminalize psilocybin mushrooms. An appropriate reflector.

3/11/20: To my relief and delight, mycelium appeared in three jars. I emailed the vendor and told him the good news. He was not surprised.
3/13/20: Mycelium appeared in nine jars.
3/20/20: Mycelium appeared in the 10th jar, the one with the water-stained filter.
4/5/20: Here are the jars 33 days after inoculation. The first photo shows the six jars that are doing well and colonizing at the same rate. The second photo shows the four stragglers. The jar on the left didn’t look particularly wet, but it’s colonizing slowly. The two jars in the middle were soaking wet. The jar on the right had the water-stained filter.


If I hadn’t let the jars become overly wet, I’m sure that they would be further colonized than they are now. My blunder added at least a week to the colonization process. But I’m in no hurry.
I welcome your questions, comments and castigation.
Stay tuned for updates.
Edited by tomcards (06/25/21 07:41 AM)
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Babylon
Shaman


Registered: 05/15/11
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Re: First time growing Psilocybe cyanescens (in progress). [Re: tomcards]
#26581029 - 04/06/20 05:06 AM (3 years, 9 months ago) |
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I wasn't aware Ps cyan could be grown indoors. Are you sure it's not paneolus cyanescens?
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tomcards



Registered: 04/24/15
Posts: 427
Loc: San Francisco
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Re: First time growing Psilocybe cyanescens (in progress). [Re: Babylon]
#26581090 - 04/06/20 06:32 AM (3 years, 9 months ago) |
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Babylon,
Yes, it's Ps cyan. I don't plan to try to grow them indoors. Once the jars are colonized, I'm going to mix the spawn with fermented alder chips in an 18 gallon 23.5” L x 18.5” W x 15” H Sterilite tote outdoors on my deck.
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Babylon
Shaman


Registered: 05/15/11
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Re: First time growing Psilocybe cyanescens (in progress). [Re: tomcards]
#26583499 - 04/07/20 09:06 AM (3 years, 9 months ago) |
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Quote:
tomcards said: Babylon,
Yes, it's Ps cyan. I don't plan to try to grow them indoors. Once the jars are colonized, I'm going to mix the spawn with fermented alder chips in an 18 gallon 23.5” L x 18.5” W x 15” H Sterilite tote outdoors on my deck.

Nice. I look forward to seeing how it grows.
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staytrippy420


Registered: 03/23/13
Posts: 2,337
Loc: Canada
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Re: First time growing Psilocybe cyanescens (in progress). [Re: Babylon]
#26583528 - 04/07/20 09:22 AM (3 years, 9 months ago) |
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-------------------- Tek's I use LAGM2020
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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). [Re: staytrippy420]
#26585729 - 04/08/20 07:20 AM (3 years, 9 months ago) |
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I heard that larger chips often produce larger fruit. So I bought a 7/8" dowel made of hard, raman wood and cut it into small nuggets. I scored their sides and drilled holes through them, giving the mycelium crevices and holes to latch onto and grow into.
I'm going to add these tasty treats to the alder chips.
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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). [Re: tomcards]
#26592335 - 04/10/20 10:36 PM (3 years, 9 months ago) |
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--------------------
Meditation Principles Silence: Giving you room to listen / Stillness: Giving you room to feel / Spaciousness: Just giving you room
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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). [Re: mushhead]
#26600497 - 04/14/20 01:15 PM (3 years, 9 months ago) |
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4/13/20: It was a very productive day.
In the past, pterodactyl-size crows have dug up and destroyed several potted plants growing on my deck. The only plant remaining on the deck is my cruel cactus, Spike. The crows don’t mess with him. But I suspect that they would enjoy digging around in my tote full of fermented wood chips and mycelium. Not on my watch!
I already had some metal mesh wire, essentially chicken wire. I cut a square to fit the top of my tote. I drilled a hole near the top of both short ends of the tote. I attached the wire cover to the tote by threading a short piece of twisty metal wire through the holes in the tote and the openings at the edges of the wire cover. The tote in now crow-proof.

After my jars fully colonize, and before I mix the mycelium with the wood chips, I want to save the mycelium for later use. So today, despite a fearful frenzy, I made agar for the first time. The following procedure was based upon Bod’s Comprehensive Agar Tek.
Materials:
Malt extract agar (MEA). Pressure cooker. 70% isopropyl alcohol. Lysol. 100 mm plastic, sterilized petri plates. 1000 ml Pyrex media storage bottle. One pint or quart mason jar with lid. Aluminum foil. 20 mm x 125 mm test tubes with screw caps. Wooden coffee-stirring sticks. 10 ml syringe. Scissors. Parafilm. Infrared thermometer. Tongs. Forceps.
I put on a face mask and gloves. I wiped the gloves with iso and I sprayed my sleeves with Lysol.
I sanitized my SAB with iso.
With iso, I wiped a sealed bag of 10 petri plates and put it in the SAB. I wiped scissors with iso and used them to cut off the bottom of the bag. I left the bag on for now.
In addition to the 10 plates, I decided to make two slants. I worked with the ratio of 5 grams of MEA per 100 ml of water.
Because I didn’t want to buy an autoclavable test tube rack, a mason jar will suffice to hold the test tubes vertically in the pressure cooker. I filled the mason jar with one inch of water.
I weighed 15 grams of MEA and, using a funnel, poured it into the media storage bottle.
I cut two coffee-stirrers into segments just over 2.5 inches long.
I heated a small pan of water until it began boiling.
I threw the stirrers into the pan and put on the lid.
After about 10 minutes, I turned off the heat and removed the lid to verify that the stirrers had sunk to the bottom of the pan, indicating that they were saturated with water. The stirrers need to be saturated so that they sink to the bottom of the agar in the slant, instead of floating on top of it. I left them in the pan for now.
I heated another pan of water to nearly boiling and, using a funnel, poured the water into the media bottle until the level reached 300 ml.
I screwed the lid onto the bottle of shook the shit out of it to ensure the MEA was dissolved.
Using forceps, I removed the stirrers from the pan and inserted one into each test tube.
I removed the cap from the media bottle and tilted the bottle so that the agar was closer to the mouth of the bottle.
I inserted the syringe into the bottle, sucked up 7 ml of agar and injected it into one test tube. I repeated the procedure with the other test tube.
I put the lid on the media bottle and screwed it on half-way to allow pressure to escape. I covered the lid with aluminum foil
I put the caps on the test tubes and screwed them on half-way. I covered the caps with aluminum foil.
I placed the test tubes into the mason jar. The lower ends of the tubes were submerged in the water. I put the lid on the mason jar and screwed it on half-way. I covered the lid with aluminum foil.
I put the PC rack into the PC and poured in 3 quarts of water. I put the media bottle and the mason jar into the PC, lowering them into the water at an angle to prevent air bubbles from getting trapped under their bases.
I put on the lid and turned the stove on to high.
I let the PC vent steam/air for 10 minutes and then I put on the regulator.
I ran the PC at 15 psi for 25 minutes.
I removed the PC from the stove and let it cool until the pressure gauge read 0 and the air vent/cover lock was down.
I took off the lid and, using pot holders, removed the bottle and jar.
Using tongs, I removed the slants from the mason jar. Through the foil, I screwed down the lids of the tubes. Then I removed the foil and tightened the lids again to be sure.
Both tubes displayed a ring of sediment in the position where the top of the agar was when the tubes were vertical in the PC. I must have accidentally drawn some sediment into the syringes and missed it. And then I missed it again when I injected the tubes. I swirled the agar around in the tubes in an attempt to dissolve the rings, but was unsuccessful.
I placed the tubes in the standard, nearly horizontal slant position and allowed the agar to solidify. The sediment rings remain in the tubes. Hopefully they won’t impair the colonization of the slant.
Through the foil, I tightened the lid of the media bottle and removed the foil. I put the bottle in my SAB to let it cool.
Over the next 20 minutes or so, I checked the bottle’s temperature with my handy infrared thermometer.

When the bottle reached 120 F, I removed the bag from the stack of plates and stood it, upright in a corner of the SAB. Because I feared holding 10 plates with one hand, I separated the plates into two five-plate stacks.
I removed the lid from the bottle and put the lid out of the way. I held the bottle with my left hand. With my right hand, I gripped the stack of plates. I filled the plates from the bottom up, in standard plate-pouring fashion. I then placed one five-plate stack onto the other one.
I was delighted to discover that I prepared the precise amount of agar. None was left over in the bottle.
I removed the bottle and cap from the SAB. Before the agar had a chance to completely solidify, I immediately cleaned the bottle and cap with hot water and dish soap. I cleaned up everything else and let the agar cool for an hour.
After re-sanitizing myself, I put 10, pre-cut one inch strips of Parafilm into the SAB. I wrapped each dish with Parafilm and re-stacked them. I tried putting the plastic bag over the stack, but its opening kept sticking to the Parafilm, so I couldn’t do it.
I lifted the SAB off of the plates and put the plates on a table for inspection. Two plates had mild condensation on 100% of their lids. One plate had mild condensation on 80% of its lid. The other lids were clear.

I examined the slants and saw condensation inside the tubes. Later, the condensation had fallen onto the agar. I re-sanitized myself and the SAB. I put the tubes into the SAB. Holding a tube upside down, I removed the lid and turned the lid upside down. I gently shook the tube and a drop of water fall out. I screwed the lid on. I repeated this procedure with the other tube. I laid the tubes horizontally on a shelf.

And then I laid myself horizontally in bed and crashed.
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Hamsabala
Black Swan



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Re: First time growing Psilocybe cyanescens (in progress). [Re: tomcards]
#26600691 - 04/14/20 02:23 PM (3 years, 9 months ago) |
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-------------------- Your way is predefined, but you have to go this way.
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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). [Re: tomcards]
#26600726 - 04/14/20 02:35 PM (3 years, 9 months ago) |
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4/14/20: The slants still appear overly moist inside. And they’re not going to dry out with the lids screwed on tight. So today, I unscrewed the lids and wrapped the lid/tube juncture with Parafilm. To ensure that I knew how much I was unscrewing each cap and to ensure that both caps were equally unscrewed, I did so like this:
With the stirrer side of the slant toward me, I marked the cap with a dab of my wife’s nail polish directly above the stirrer to establish the cap’s orientation.

I placed the slant into the SAB, holding it with the stirrer side of the slant away from me. I unscrewed the cap 180 degrees (one half turn), so that the nail polish dot on the cap was now visually above the stirrer from my perspective. I wrapped the lid/tube juncture with Parafilm. I repeated the procedure with the other slant.
The nail polish dots weren’t visible after I wrapped the slants. But that doesn’t matter. They served their purpose while I was unscrewing the caps. I know that the caps of both slants are now equally unscrewed. Let the evaporation begin.
Edited by tomcards (04/14/20 03:25 PM)
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Ythan
ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ


Registered: 08/08/97
Posts: 18,774
Loc: NY/MA/VT Borderlands
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Re: First time growing Psilocybe cyanescens (in progress). (moved) [Re: tomcards] 1
#26603244 - 04/15/20 03:03 PM (3 years, 9 months ago) |
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This thread was moved from Mushroom Grow Logs and Pictures.
Reason: By request.
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tomcards



Registered: 04/24/15
Posts: 427
Loc: San Francisco
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Re: First time growing Psilocybe cyanescens (in progress). (moved) [Re: Ythan]
#26607780 - 04/17/20 10:26 AM (3 years, 9 months ago) |
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4/15/20: The temperature in my grow room, aka the “mushroom”, ranges from 66 degrees overnight to 77 during the day. The humidity is around 40%. I had the stacked plates and slants on top of a high bookshelf near a heating vent. When the heat comes on, it can reach well over 80 degrees up there. I worried that the higher temperatures might delay the desired evaporation of the condensation on the three plates and the water in the slants.
So I moved the slants and plates to the base of our fireplace in the living room, where the temperature ranges from 58 degrees overnight to 70 during the day, and there is a slight breeze from a window. Hopefully, this placement will facilitate evaporation.
I know there’s a lot of debate about stacking plates upside down, so the agar is on top, to prevent condensation or facilitate its evaporation. I never understood the logic of that practice, so I stacked my plates right-side up, with the agar is on the bottom.
4/16/20: Here are the jars 44 days after inoculation. They don’t look much different than the last set of photos because you can’t see the backs or bottoms of the jars. The six jars are 60% - 75% colonized.

The four jars are 10% - 30% colonized.

They are all colonizing sooo slowly due to the substrate being too wet.
4/17/20: I was pleased to see that the condensation is gone from all of the plates and there is visibly less water in the slants. But I also noticed that there is a small amount of fine sediment scattered on the bottom of the agar in all of the plates. There is also a small amount of sediment suspended in the slants.
Apparently, I didn’t shake the agar well enough before pouring or I didn’t shake it between pours, and I should have. Or perhaps I used too much MEA.
Is this a potential problem? Please chime in and tell me your informed opinions.
Thanks.
Edited by tomcards (04/17/20 02:07 PM)
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Pinball24
Stranger


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Re: First time growing Psilocybe cyanescens (in progress). (moved) [Re: tomcards]
#26607841 - 04/17/20 10:44 AM (3 years, 9 months ago) |
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very interested to see how this grow turns out. good luck!
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tomcards



Registered: 04/24/15
Posts: 427
Loc: San Francisco
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Re: First time growing Psilocybe cyanescens (in progress). (moved) [Re: Pinball24]
#26608047 - 04/17/20 12:16 PM (3 years, 9 months ago) |
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Thanks Pinball!
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tomcards



Registered: 04/24/15
Posts: 427
Loc: San Francisco
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Re: First time growing Psilocybe cyanescens (in progress). (moved) [Re: tomcards]
#26608487 - 04/17/20 04:06 PM (3 years, 9 months ago) |
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4/17/20: It will likely be over a week before I can birth the first cakes. I don't want the plates to sit around and begin drying out while I'm waiting to use them.
So today, I began using the plates for another, unrelated cubensis project. If you're interested in checking it out, here's the link. You can skip everything before 4/17/20 because you've already read it here.
https://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php/Number/26608450
I didn't intend to have two threads running simultaneously. Obviously, working from home affords me way too much free time.
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tomcards



Registered: 04/24/15
Posts: 427
Loc: San Francisco
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Re: First time growing Psilocybe cyanescens (in progress). (moved) [Re: tomcards]
#26610290 - 04/18/20 11:49 AM (3 years, 9 months ago) |
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4/18/20: The excess moisture is no longer present in the slants. I put them in my SAB, removed the Parafilm and screwed the caps closed. I put the slants in a new Ziplock bag and closed it.
Five days after pouring, no contamination has appeared on the plates or in the slants. So far so good.
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artkng
Stranger
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Re: First time growing Psilocybe cyanescens (in progress). (moved) [Re: tomcards]
#26614622 - 04/20/20 08:22 AM (3 years, 9 months ago) |
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Ready to see how this turns out. Best of luck!
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tomcards



Registered: 04/24/15
Posts: 427
Loc: San Francisco
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Re: First time growing Psilocybe cyanescens (in progress). (moved) [Re: artkng]
#26615142 - 04/20/20 11:52 AM (3 years, 9 months ago) |
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Thanks Artking!
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tomcards



Registered: 04/24/15
Posts: 427
Loc: San Francisco
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Re: First time growing Psilocybe cyanescens (in progress). (moved) [Re: tomcards]
#26631850 - 04/27/20 10:07 AM (3 years, 8 months ago) |
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4/27:
It's time for the weekly update. Here are the back-sides (away from the light) of the six players and the best portions of the four slackers.

Their other sides and bottoms are completely colonized. Their tops are partially colonized.

Unfortunately, this is their best side. Their tops and bottoms are partially colonized, at best.
Colonization is painfully slow due to the overly wet substrate. I'm hoping that the six players will be fully colonized in two weeks.
So, either today, or in the next few days, depending upon how motivated and/or crazed I am, I'm going to begin soaking my alder chips. I'll follow Stamets' fermentation protocol and let them soak for two weeks.
Hopefully the six player jars will be fully colonized and the chips will be synchronistically fermented.
I'll deal with the slackers later.
And now for something completely different. While twiddling my thumbs, gazing at my navel and self-flagellating over my substrate mistake, I entered, and was one of the winners of a Stropharia spore-giveaway contest. I inoculated a plate on 4/20.
Unlike my seemingly ill-fated attempt to raise the Thai-tanic (the plate still displays no growth), mycelium appeared on the Stropharia plate in three days. Here's a photo after one week. This is my first attempt and success at germinating spores on agar. I'm thrilled!

I welcome your comments, questions and castigation.
Tom
Edited by tomcards (04/27/20 03:27 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]
#26632422 - 04/27/20 03:35 PM (3 years, 8 months ago) |
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4/27/20: So yes, I was that motivated and crazed.
I dumped one and a half of these bags of alder and my hand-crafted ramin shroom snacks into each of two 5 gallon buckets. Three bags total.

I filled the buckets to the brim with water and snapped on the lids.

And now I wait two weeks and hope that the 6 player jars are fully colonized and the chips and snacks are fermented.
Edited by tomcards (04/28/20 01:46 PM)
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tomcards



Registered: 04/24/15
Posts: 427
Loc: San Francisco
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Re: First time growing Psilocybe cyanescens (in progress). (moved) [Re: tomcards] 1
#26634722 - 04/28/20 03:49 PM (3 years, 8 months ago) |
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4/28/20: I reconfigured my growing set-up. It finally occurred to me that elevating the jars farthest from the light will provide them with more light. Duh!
So, here's a photo of the jars along with one successful, and one, as yet, unsuccessful side project.

I welcome your feedback.
Tom
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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
#26645899 - 05/03/20 12:34 PM (3 years, 8 months ago) |
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5/3/20:
Hey guys,
Time for the weekly update.
The Player jars continue to grow well, and will hopefully fully colonize soon.

The Slackers continue to slack, but at least they continue to grow.

The alder chips have been soaking for a week. There's no reason to photograph and post a photo of their "progress" because it will look like nothing more than wet chips in a bucket of water. And opening the lid may hinder Stamet's two-week fermentation procedure, to which I'm adhering.
On an unrelated note, as you'll see from the final photo, my first attempt at an agar to agar transfer (with Stropharia, thanks to Gizmo) is going very well.

I thank all of you for your interest, support and encouragement. I welcome your comments, questions and castigation.
Thanks,
Tom
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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
#26655336 - 05/07/20 02:58 PM (3 years, 8 months ago) |
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Oh shit!
What have we here?

Please advise!
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Mycoactive
Scientist


Registered: 11/20/19
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Re: First time growing Psilocybe cyanescens (in progress). (moved) [Re: tomcards]
#26655351 - 05/07/20 03:07 PM (3 years, 8 months ago) |
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Hard to tell but looks like bruising.
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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: Mycoactive]
#26655373 - 05/07/20 03:18 PM (3 years, 8 months ago) |
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Thank you!
I didn't even know that was a possible explanation. I assumed that the jar was doomed.
Please. Any other opinions?
Thanks.
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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
#26657002 - 05/08/20 09:41 AM (3 years, 8 months ago) |
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5/7/20:
I learned that mycelium bruising can be the result of dehydration or rough handling. I can't believe it's dehydration because all of the jars started off overly wet to some degree.
I have been picking up the jars, examining them and moving them around. The rough handling explanation seems more plausible. I have to leave them alone.
Speaking of wetness, I had to sacrifice the wettest of the jars, Wet Willy. The mycelium scarcely grew in the swampy morass. It's not worth the effort to extract mycelium from that soup. And I simply got sick of looking at it.

So I'm down to nine jars.
I hope to birth the six Players (including the bruised jar) in a week and finally mix them into the chips outdoors.
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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]
#26657099 - 05/08/20 10:29 AM (3 years, 8 months ago) |
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That jar you were aasking about... that doesn't look like bruising (plus the jar looks wet af/bacterial af). Hard to bruise an immovable mass. I shake the fuck out of grain jars of ps cyan and have seen only the slightest of bruising once. Just a heads up. That said, enjoying following this and wishing you the best.
-------------------- "First we build the tools, then they build us." THE 49th MYCOJOURNAL: Exotics, Auroras, and Entities
Edited by alaskappalachian (05/08/20 10:36 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: alaskappalachian]
#26657708 - 05/08/20 03:16 PM (3 years, 8 months ago) |
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Thanks Alaskapplachian,
Damn! And oh shit once again!
To you and anyone else, please oh please advise me!
The jar looks about the same today. Is it salvageable or should I just pitch it? I'm going to transfer myc from two of the healthy jars to agar anyway, so losing another jar isn't a problem.
This is cyanescens. Can the myc tolerate contamination until, a week from now, I mix it with the chips outside and let it and its brothers and sisters and nature kick the contaminants ass?
Or I could extract what appears to be healthy myc, pitch the rest and add the ostensibly healthy myc to the mix. But healthy appearances can be deceiving.
Please advise ASAP.
Thanks for helping me through this wonderful, anxiety-provoking project.
Tom
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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]
#26657741 - 05/08/20 03:30 PM (3 years, 8 months ago) |
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Yeah just wait a week and break it up in the chips. Maybe toss it in the fridge until then. I've tossed fucked over germ plates in woodchips and they grew like mad. If it gets worse, it gets worse. Probably will still colonize...
-------------------- "First we build the tools, then they build us." THE 49th MYCOJOURNAL: Exotics, Auroras, and Entities
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tomcards



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Re: First time growing Psilocybe cyanescens (in progress). (moved) [Re: alaskappalachian]
#26657800 - 05/08/20 04:03 PM (3 years, 8 months ago) |
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Thanks Alaska!
At least I feel a bit better about waiting a week, instead of impulsively pitching it.
A week from now, to err on the side of safety, I'm going to add only the ostensibly healthy myc from that jar to the mix.
Does anyone have a confirmatory or differing opinion?
Thank you!
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LogicaL Chaos
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Re: First time growing Psilocybe cyanescens (in progress). (moved) [Re: tomcards]
#26657958 - 05/08/20 05:26 PM (3 years, 8 months ago) |
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Ps cyan actually colonizes really well. With that super wet jar, I would have mixed with aged BBQ wood chips (no cedar). Im still trying to figure out the best casing to use. Im gonna try vermiculite next time.
Cool project!
-------------------- "What you must understand is that your physical dimension affects everyone in the higher dimensions as well. All things are interconnected. All things are One. Therefore, if one dimension is broken or out of balance, then all other dimensions will experience repercussions." - Pleiadian Prophecy 2020 The New Golden Age by James Carwin PROJECT BLUE BOOK ANALYSIS! (312 pages!) | Psychedelics & UFOs | Ready to Contact UFOs? | The Source on Mushrooms | Trippy Gematrix | Dj TeknoLogical | Fentanyl Test Kits R.I.P. Big Worm || The Start of the Ascension Process was 2020. Welcome to the Next Great Era of Earth 🌎🌍🌏
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tomcards



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Re: First time growing Psilocybe cyanescens (in progress). (moved) [Re: LogicaL Chaos] 1
#26658054 - 05/08/20 06:10 PM (3 years, 8 months ago) |
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Logical,
Thanks for joining me on the journey.
For all of the jars, I used equal parts BRF, beech sawdust, vermiculite and water. I don't think the recipe was the problem.
The problem was moisture. And I'm happy to self-flagellate once again and say that I could have prevented this problem if I had simply covered the jars with foil when I PC'd them.
Lesson learned.
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LogicaL Chaos
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Re: First time growing Psilocybe cyanescens (in progress). (moved) [Re: tomcards]
#26658083 - 05/08/20 06:23 PM (3 years, 8 months ago) |
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Oh no. So steam water dripped inside the jars?
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tomcards



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Re: First time growing Psilocybe cyanescens (in progress). (moved) [Re: LogicaL Chaos]
#26659372 - 05/09/20 07:05 AM (3 years, 8 months ago) |
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Yes.
And it will never happen again.
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LogicaL Chaos
Ascension Energy & Alien UFOs




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Re: First time growing Psilocybe cyanescens (in progress). (moved) [Re: tomcards]
#26659529 - 05/09/20 08:55 AM (3 years, 8 months ago) |
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An important lesson learened
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alaskappalachian
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Re: First time growing Psilocybe cyanescens (in progress). (moved) [Re: LogicaL Chaos] 1
#26659581 - 05/09/20 09:21 AM (3 years, 8 months ago) |
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These are some brf (slightly chunky)/sdust/verm jars from one of my jar preps. Notice how light/dry/airy. I'd go drier than wetter if in question when you mix. It should sorf of sift through the hand like damp sand and not clump/mush. If next time you get your prep perfect, vent your PC properly, tape your holes, etc, etc and you still get moisture in the jars over the course of your cycle for some inexplicable reason, they'll still come out better if you err on the dry side when you prep. Myc will tear that shit up. As for the foil- I always foil my cakes (not my grains, but always my cakes). I know people on here run cakes with no tape and no foil somehow and that's all good and well but I just don't see how. I'm anal about cakes and especially when amending with sawdust, but when they're prepped right, they're fast and (seemingly) universally appealing to myc. FFR ps cyan myc takes off like a bastard on popcorn as well.
Edit: Just remembered you had those lids. Yeah I'm thinking now you probably prepped too wet. Might be the issue. Geez I should pay more attention... My emphasis above on foil was with traditional lids -w- 4 holes and a verm barrier, which I always have moisture probles with if left un-foiled. Derp.
-------------------- "First we build the tools, then they build us." THE 49th MYCOJOURNAL: Exotics, Auroras, and Entities
Edited by alaskappalachian (05/09/20 09:30 AM)
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LogicaL Chaos
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Re: First time growing Psilocybe cyanescens (in progress). (moved) [Re: alaskappalachian]
#26659615 - 05/09/20 09:39 AM (3 years, 8 months ago) |
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Awesome post. Well said! 
I feel like slightly too dry is always better than slightly too wet with substrates.
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tomcards



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Re: First time growing Psilocybe cyanescens (in progress). (moved) [Re: alaskappalachian] 1
#26659668 - 05/09/20 09:55 AM (3 years, 8 months ago) |
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Alaska,
Yes, I have SFDs on the lids for GE.
I used 1 part BRF, 1 part verm, 1 part sawdust and 1 part water. The substrate was dry, with plenty of nice little airy crevices. I didn't compact it. I think my recipe was fine.
I fucked it up by not covering the lids with foil, allowing moisture to seep in. Mea culpa.
On an unrelated note, I have quart grain jars with SFDs on the lids for GE. I plan to inoculate them with cubensis agar isolates from other projects.
After this unfortunate experience, everything that I put into the PC gets covered with foil. Including my wife!
Please explain why you choose to NOT cover your quart grain jar lids with foil. How are your results?
Thanks.
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mushhead
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Re: First time growing Psilocybe cyanescens (in progress). (moved) [Re: tomcards]
#26659739 - 05/09/20 10:45 AM (3 years, 8 months ago) |
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I always cover my lids with foil - you don't ever want the polyfil/tape to allow water inside your carefully mixed substrate. Quart jars especially when they're wide mouth, however I could see being a bit more lax with regular lid quart jars.
--------------------
Meditation Principles Silence: Giving you room to listen / Stillness: Giving you room to feel / Spaciousness: Just giving you room
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tomcards



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Re: First time growing Psilocybe cyanescens (in progress). (moved) [Re: mushhead]
#26659765 - 05/09/20 11:05 AM (3 years, 8 months ago) |
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Thanks for the validation Mushhead!
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alaskappalachian
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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



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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
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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



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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
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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



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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



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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



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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



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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



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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



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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



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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



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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



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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
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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



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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



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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



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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



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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
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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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tomcards



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Re: First time growing Psilocybe cyanescens (in progress). (moved) [Re: mushhead]
#26715924 - 06/03/20 06:34 AM (3 years, 7 months ago) |
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Mushhead,
For agar prep, I have been using Bod's Comprehensive Agar Tek. For my next pour, I'm going to use D3's Perfect Transfers and Agar Tek.
I clean my SAB with iso. I wash my hands and use gloves wiped with iso. I wear a face mask.
In the past, I neglected to fire the scalpel to red-hot between transfers. For this last transfer, I did fire the scalpel to red-hot between transfers and will continue to do so.
I welcome any and all advise.
Thanks.
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mushhead
Potato Devourer



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Re: First time growing Psilocybe cyanescens (in progress). (moved) [Re: tomcards]
#26717426 - 06/03/20 06:20 PM (3 years, 7 months ago) |
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You're headed in the right direction then. I keep a small shot glass of 70% iso that I also swish my scalpel through to remove any left over debris of agar. I then fire it to red hot and use a "cooling agar plate" which is a separate plate that's used just for cooling your scalpel. This too needs to be as clean as the plates you're transferring to. I cannot wait to see your results!
--------------------
Meditation Principles Silence: Giving you room to listen / Stillness: Giving you room to feel / Spaciousness: Just giving you room
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tomcards



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Re: First time growing Psilocybe cyanescens (in progress). (moved) [Re: mushhead]
#26718481 - 06/04/20 06:37 AM (3 years, 7 months ago) |
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Mushhead,
I neglected to mention one important detail that explains the contamination.
To excise the mycelium from the BRF jar, I opened the jar in my SAB. But I couldn't simply dump the cake out of the jar. I shook the jar, but the cake was stuck. I didn't have room within my SAB to dislodge the cake by whacking the mouth of the jar against the palm of my other hand.
So I removed the jar from the SAB, whacked out the cake and put the cake back into the SAB. I knew the cake would get contaminated and that I would have to clean the transferred mycelium.
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tomcards



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Re: First time growing Psilocybe cyanescens (in progress). (moved) [Re: tomcards]
#26718545 - 06/04/20 07:31 AM (3 years, 7 months ago) |
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I have a question about my outdoor tub. I posted this question on the Woodlovers thread but I haven't received a response. Hopefully you guys can help.
As I've already described, the tub is on my deck in SF. It has drainage. It receives about 4 hours of direct sunlight each day, if the sun chooses to shine. The rest of the time, it's in the shade. The humidity is always between 60%-100%. We have our famous fog. The average temperature is about 60 degrees.
In the absence of rain, how often should I water the tub?
Dry chips on top don't reflect the moisture level of the chips and mycelium underneath. So watering the tub just because the chips on top are dry doesn't seem like a good idea.
Are there other visual signs that indicate that the tub needs to be watered?
Or is establishing some kind of regular watering schedule preferred? Twice per week?
Please share your watering expertise.
Thanks.
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tomcards



Registered: 04/24/15
Posts: 427
Loc: San Francisco
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Re: First time growing Psilocybe cyanescens (in progress). (moved) [Re: tomcards]
#26728918 - 06/08/20 01:06 PM (3 years, 7 months ago) |
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6/8/20: On 6/7/20, I detected mold on the edge of the T2B plate. Closer examination revealed, to my horror, that I had neglected to completely seal the plate with Parafilm. There was a 1/2" gap that granted the beast entry.
I immediately sealed the gap with Parafilm.
The T2A plate seems to be okay, so I'm letting it grow.
Note to self: Don't smoke 29% THC Indica prior to doing transfers.
Today I transferred a plug from the T1A plate to a new plate. I also transferred two ostensibly healthy plugs from the T2B plate.

Let's step outside, shall we?
Since I've received zero, zip, nada, nyet watering advise on two threads, I guess I'm on my own. The chips are moist every morning due to dew and fog. So I decided to water the tub once per week.
I welcome all comments, questions and castigation.
Thanks.
Edited by tomcards (06/08/20 01:25 PM)
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Typerwritermonky
shboop a doop a doop


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Re: First time growing Psilocybe cyanescens (in progress). (moved) [Re: tomcards]
#26729329 - 06/08/20 04:31 PM (3 years, 7 months ago) |
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OOooo very interesting! Im just about to get some jars going with ps. cyans I picked in the bay area, hoping I can get the mycelium I've kept growing into healthy environments and colonize some jars and basically do what you've donee!
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tomcards



Registered: 04/24/15
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Re: First time growing Psilocybe cyanescens (in progress). (moved) [Re: Typerwritermonky]
#26731023 - 06/09/20 10:15 AM (3 years, 7 months ago) |
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6/9/20: And just for the hell of it, here is a current photo of the tub.
Obviously, nothing has visibly changed. Oh, but I'm enthralled by the wondrous ecosystem that is evolving. The mycelium is struggling to establish a foot-hold, while constantly battling against all the beasties that Mother Nature provides.
Boris the spider is trying to make sense of all of this and establish a permanent residence.
While there is visually nothing happening, many biological processes are occurring. There is a lot happening. I revel in imagining what's going on beneath the surface.

Stay tuned...
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tomcards



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Re: First time growing Psilocybe cyanescens (in progress). (moved) [Re: tomcards]
#26736878 - 06/11/20 01:37 PM (3 years, 7 months ago) |
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6/11/20: So far, so good. I don't see any contams.
In the upper left photo at 11:00, I love seeing the thread of mycelium shooting out in its quest to eat and grow.
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tomcards



Registered: 04/24/15
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Re: First time growing Psilocybe cyanescens (in progress). (moved) [Re: tomcards]
#26744134 - 06/14/20 01:39 PM (3 years, 7 months ago) |
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6/14/20: Here’s a photo of the plates. The mycelium is growing, slowly but surely.

On the upper left plate, ignore the white spots at 12:00, 1 and 7 o’clock. They’re specks on the lid. Otherwise, it appears healthy.
On the upper right plate, the dark line at the 10:00 position is an unfortunate visual artifact of that light and the odd angle required to shoot the photo. I think it’s fine for now. I plan to punch out a plug of the heartiest mycelium and transfer it to a slant.
The plug to the right of it arouses concern. I don’t like the gaps at positions 11 and 8. They indicate that the mycelium is fighting with a contaminant that is impeding its growth. I’ll keep my eye on it.
But happy happy joy joy! The bottom plate looks great! Healthy, spikey, rhizo growth! I may pop it into the fridge and use it as my master plate.

Stay tuned...
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tomcards



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Re: First time growing Psilocybe cyanescens (in progress). (moved) [Re: tomcards]
#26744533 - 06/14/20 05:26 PM (3 years, 7 months ago) |
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6/14/10: Yep. Today I flipped the bottom plate upside-down, stacked it on top of the Stroph plate already residing in the bag in the fridge, sealed the bag and popped it back into the fridge.
In the worst case scenario, the outdoor tub will eventually fail, due to an unexpected supernova or the long-awaited zombie apocalypse.
But until then, the mycelium is preserved.
Aaah. What a relief!
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Celestialexplorer1



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Re: First time growing Psilocybe cyanescens (in progress). (moved) [Re: tomcards]
#26744692 - 06/14/20 06:53 PM (3 years, 7 months ago) |
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 I had two of these tubs fully colonized with cyanescens chips a mixture of fir bark, oak, maple and alder. I took one and layered it with more bark chips (seems to be its favorite) in this outdoor container with the holes all over it and lined the bottom and sides with cardboard. And to keep the moisture at at growable level I just wet the cardboard from time to time and I put some coir and mulch on top that I keep wet just whenever it looks dry. Seems to be doing well. So I would just suggest watering it whenever it starts to look dry ever couple days or week or so depending on your climate not to the point you flood it but just the outsides and the moisture will be taken in by the mycelium.
--------------------
 To spend just one moment in eternity
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tomcards



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Re: First time growing Psilocybe cyanescens (in progress). (moved) [Re: Celestialexplorer1]
#26745689 - 06/15/20 06:05 AM (3 years, 7 months ago) |
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Celestial,
Thanks for your watering feedback! Judging by the look of your yummy tubs, your advice is sound.
So unless the chips look really dry, or it has rained, I'll continue to water them once per week.
Best of luck with your grow!
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tomcards



Registered: 04/24/15
Posts: 427
Loc: San Francisco
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Re: First time growing Psilocybe cyanescens (in progress). (moved) [Re: tomcards]
#26781874 - 06/25/20 11:15 AM (3 years, 7 months ago) |
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6/25/20:
17 days after the final transfer, the remaining two plates are growing slowly but surely, with no contamination. Hooray!
The plate on the left is growing a ¼” plug on my second, shallower, more appropriate agar pour. It’s doing well.
The plate on the right is growing two 5/16” plugs extracted from my very first, needlessly deep agar pour. It looks like two galaxies colliding, or two asymmetric breasts with proud, pointy nipples. I'm just thrilled that they're growing well.
I'll let them grow for about a week to see what happens. Then I'll use my 1/4" punch to extract the healthiest growth and transfer it to a slant for permanent storage.
Edited by tomcards (06/25/20 11:36 AM)
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tomcards



Registered: 04/24/15
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Re: First time growing Psilocybe cyanescens (in progress). (moved) [Re: tomcards]
#26815155 - 07/10/20 01:09 PM (3 years, 6 months ago) |
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7/10/20: Time for an update. Here’s a photo of the final plates. The myc is growing slowly but surely.

In a few days, I’ll excise one final plug from the healthiest portion of one of the plates and transfer it to a slant.
Then I’ll remove the remaining colonized pucks from the plates, place them on top of the outdoor wood chips and cover them with an inch of wood chips that have been soaking for over a week.
Speaking of the outdoor tub. I’m now watering it on Wednesdays and Saturdays. It continues to drain well.
Three days ago, I just couldn’t resist. I carefully lifted a small section of chips and was delighted to discover that mycelium has begun growing on them! I gently replaced the chips. I must resist the daily temptation to peek under the chips! I must leave them alone and relish the magic that is occurring beneath the surface.
Boris is doing well. He sends his regards.
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tomcards



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Re: First time growing Psilocybe cyanescens (in progress). (moved) [Re: tomcards] 1
#26819520 - 07/12/20 02:09 PM (3 years, 6 months ago) |
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7/12/20: Today, using my trusty punch, I excised two plugs from the plate on the left in the photo above.
Inside the SAB, under sanitized conditions, I transferred the plugs to the slant. I used two plugs, just in case. I’ll let the slant sit for a few days and watch for signs of colonization.

My indoor work is done.
I removed the colonized agar from both plates, cut it into smaller pieces and put it on top of the outdoor chips.

I covered the agar pieces with about an inch of alder chips that have been soaking for almost two weeks. I sprinkled some hardwood sawdust onto the chips to fill in a few cracks.

I watered the chips to help everything settle.
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tomcards



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Re: First time growing Psilocybe cyanescens (in progress). (moved) [Re: tomcards]
#26845900 - 07/26/20 10:48 AM (3 years, 6 months ago) |
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7/26/20: Two weeks after transferring the plugs to the slant, the mycelium is growing well.
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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]
#26898588 - 08/25/20 11:45 AM (3 years, 5 months ago) |
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8/25/20: Six weeks after transferring the plug to the slant, the mycelium is not only growing well on the agar, it’s growing through the agar to feast on the wood below. So today I put the slant in the refrigerator for permanent storage.

Now I just have to try to be patient as I wait and watch for development of the outdoor tub. It could be six months before I have anything new to report, so you won’t be hearing from me for a while.
Thanks again for accompanying me on this journey.
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MolecularConcept
Old School Back Again



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Re: First time growing Psilocybe cyanescens (in progress). (moved) [Re: tomcards]
#26898612 - 08/25/20 12:02 PM (3 years, 5 months ago) |
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nice job im about to start some too. no way ill get fruits this fall but maybe in spring? otr at least get a really good jump on next year.
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tomcards



Registered: 04/24/15
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Loc: San Francisco
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Re: First time growing Psilocybe cyanescens (in progress). (moved) [Re: MolecularConcept]
#27048622 - 11/20/20 09:32 AM (3 years, 2 months ago) |
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Guys,
It's time for an update. Last night, the temperature was in the low 40's. This morning it's still in the high 40's. I checked the tub and, to my horror, I discovered this growing on the chips!

It sure as hell doesn't look like cyanescens. Does anyone know what this is? Should I remove it? Please advise.
Thanks.
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coAsTal
Friend


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Re: First time growing Psilocybe cyanescens (in progress). (moved) [Re: tomcards]
#27048899 - 11/20/20 12:41 PM (3 years, 2 months ago) |
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Looks like insect eggs or something. I wouldn't bug out over it.
-------------------- I am certain of nothing but the holiness of the Heart's affections and the truth of Imagination-- John Keats Spore Trading List
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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: coAsTal]
#27048938 - 11/20/20 01:18 PM (3 years, 2 months ago) |
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Thanks Coastal,
I'm getting conflicting messages. A guy from the Woodlover's thread said they were snail or slug eggs. The nearest soil and vegetation is four stories down. How did a snail or slug get into the tub? Did it actually crawl up the side of a four story building on the hunch that there was a tub of wood chips on my deck? Amazing!
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coAsTal
Friend


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Re: First time growing Psilocybe cyanescens (in progress). (moved) [Re: tomcards]
#27048957 - 11/20/20 01:25 PM (3 years, 2 months ago) |
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tomcards



Registered: 04/24/15
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Re: First time growing Psilocybe cyanescens (in progress). (moved) [Re: coAsTal]
#27049126 - 11/20/20 03:22 PM (3 years, 2 months ago) |
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I removed and pitched a few egg-laden chips. Then I used a spoon to scoop out the other visible eggs. When the spoon contacted the eggs and I applied pressure, the eggs dissolved into cream-colored, runny, puss-like goo. I scooped it out.
Perhaps that delectable description will assist in positively identifying the culprit.
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LogicaL Chaos
Ascension Energy & Alien UFOs




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Re: First time growing Psilocybe cyanescens (in progress). (moved) [Re: coAsTal]
#27049221 - 11/20/20 04:13 PM (3 years, 2 months ago) |
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Quote:
coAsTal said: Looks like insect eggs or something. I wouldn't bug out over it.

Kinda looks like frost-ice
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tomcards



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Re: First time growing Psilocybe cyanescens (in progress). (moved) [Re: LogicaL Chaos]
#27059774 - 11/27/20 08:26 AM (3 years, 2 months ago) |
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A week after scooping them out, there is no sign of the inscrutable, mutant pus-eggs or their devil spawn. Hooray!
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tomcards



Registered: 04/24/15
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Re: First time growing Psilocybe cyanescens. A failed experiment. (moved) [Re: tomcards]
#27362425 - 06/25/21 07:40 AM (2 years, 7 months ago) |
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Well, it's been over a year since I attempted this outdoor grow. There are still no signs of colonization on the surface. Today, I gently dug into the chips, looking for colonization. Nothing. I dug into several other areas of the tub. I couldn't find any colonization. Hell, I couldn't find any mycelium! Nada. Zero. Zilch.
Damn!
The deck of a four-story building in SF is simply too cold and windy to promote colonization. The temperature rarely gets above 68 degrees during the day and at night it drops to the high 40's.
Sustained winds of 20 mph are common. The wind continuously dries the chips, necessitating frequent watering. The incessant watering certainly flushed some of the mycelium out of the drain holes in the bottom of the tub. The rest simply couldn't survive and thrive.
I should have left the tub indoors in my toasty 78 degree "mush-room" until the chips were thoroughly colonized. Only then should I have moved the tub out onto the chilly deck for fruiting. Lesson learned.
Fortunately, I have a slant of cyanescens awaiting my next attempt, which won't be any time soon.
Thanks for playing along.
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