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Dmac316
Dazed & Confused 🥴



Registered: 01/18/20
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Its Only Your First Time Once ... For Noobs 4
#26613990 - 04/19/20 10:06 PM (3 years, 9 months ago) |
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Whether this is your first time ever reading about mushroom cultivation or you have attempted a few times and have yet to successfully grow well this thread is for you. For the low price of zero dollars you will get the advice of someone that it took over 6 months to grow their very first ever mushroom 🍄 fruit on the 3rd try mind you so definitely not expert advice but is the advice of someone that recognizes common mistakes and I like to feel I have a way of explaining to people in similar situations. If you have had a successful grow already then this advice really won't benefit you and this is written specifically for someone who is dead serious about wanting to grow but has yet been able to or just starting out and are brand new to cultivation. Since most novice growers forget how confusing it can be for someone and speak in tongues to someone that hasn't a f'ing clue what they are saying I am attempting to save hours of confusion with this thread. It doesn't make anyone look smarter or in that case dumber because you can use scientific terms that most people won't get. I believe in keeping things as simple as possible. Abbreviations and basic mycology term understanding is easy to pick up after few times reading and is all that is needed... you don't need to know all about the dikaryotic phase as that is the mushrooms part of the process all anyone needs to know is how to do their part of the process correctly.
It's a long post but I'm trying to share a truthful and accurate as possible experience and by doing this encourage those that have little or no faith that you can do it.... I promise you can if you just have patience.
First off I will tell you this .... the amount of information is Overwhelming when you first start out. You will get pulled million different ways and you will hear a TON of conflicting advice from folks. Just don't freak out ... take a breath and have patience. Patience is by far the most important quality any ambitious mycologist must have. If you don't have patience then pick a different hobby this ain't for you. It is vital you take the time to research and learn the basic terminology and in my opinion the largest most complete library for cultivation success is on Shroomery message board. Become familiar with Shroomery and how to navigate the site. Everything one needs to know is there ... if it isn't u better name it because u just invented something new.
OK now that is out of the way let's talk shrooms 😃
I will not go into great detail about life cycle and terminology as that information is already available and I can't say it better. I will say this which I don't see as much ... Mushroom and Plants are completely different when getting or giving growing advice. I see so many that confuse how different mushroom and plant cultivation are from one another. If you try to grow mushrooms like u grow a plant it will not give good results. Over watering, High Heat and FAE issues are probably the biggest reason most fail early on. Mushrooms breath oxygen in and CO2 out just like humans. Would you want to be put into a plastic sauna on the equator have a heat mat stuck under your ass and be constantly over saturated??? You do not need fancy automated systems with heat mats and ultraviolet hydroponic humidifier system and elaborate gadgets ... these things will 100% decrease your chances at growing. Simple is Better ... also way cheaper so win win 😊
The 2nd biggest obstacle to overcome starting out is understanding the importance of sterile technique. You are the creator here ... u want to take a spore and create life. Early on in the process has to be sterile as possible so the little fellas have a chance to grow and win out against the millions of other microscopic spores and bacteria that is in the air around us and love the delicious nutrients and grain you want to feed it. It is impossible to have 100% sterile area ... I mean even Hepa Filters will state 99.8% or whatever because there is no such thing as 100% sterile it don't exist. Even jars, bags, deli dishes, etc that you sterilize is no longer 100% sterile once a foreign utensil or substance is introduced. Do not under estimate sterile technique and study a lot about it ... its a numbers game and you want to increase your odds.
The third hurdle to overcome is to stop underestimating your own abilities to make your own materials. The amount of money wasted on pre-made grow kits and grain is just insane. Take the money you plan to send someone else and invest in your own equipment to make it over and over and over again for pennies!!! Plus doing it yourself you know exactly what you have. I made this mistake and cost myself a lot of wasted time and cash ... it sucks so don't do this. Plus the satisfaction the first time you enjoy the fruits of your own labor is just simply amazing 🙃
At this point I'm going to assume you have a basic understanding of terminology and abbreviations of terminology. If you don't stop and search the term to learn what it is as you read and then continue along. Mycology has its own language and you have to learn it 🤷♂️
Most important tool in the cultivator shed is the PC. If you don't have one I suggest getting one. They are not horribly expensive and I'm sure it isn't hard to pick up a 2nd hand one but if you go 2nd hand make sure you inspect the unit. Be sure all the gaskets and gauges work and definitely make sure you get the pressure weights. If you just don't have a PC or the means to get one right now then research and learn PF Tek. Using BRF is cheapest and easiest way to get started but grain is way to go for better yields. I think most serious people will invest in a PC so I'm going to go into things once I went that route.
Once I got my PC I ditched BRF and went to grain with great results. You can use Rye, Oats, Wild Bird Seed, Corn, Wheat, etc... When going to grain you ideally want to start on agar. It takes 1 tiny drop of a spore syringe on agar to start. 1cc can make a lot of plates. I had bought 2 syringes and knocked up 20 plates. Once I seen some mycelium growing I went ahead and use the other syringe to knock up some jars.
It is at this point that if we were all in a room together many would scoff and groan .... spores to grain grrr blah blah stupid blah blah ... but as I said I had way more solution then I needed and nothing but time as I worked on my agar game.
I used 1cc in each jar total of 10 quart jars filled 3/4 of way with grain. Now you will lose some jars to contamination since spores to grain isn't ideal but I wanted to practice and since I still had basically a full syringe because agar takes just a drop I had back up. 1 spore syringe make a ridiculous amount of agar plates. As the jars began to colonize I shook at 20% and again at 70%. I lost 3 jars to contam but other 7 came out good. I spawned each qt jar to their individual shoebox or small tote ... and actually got a nice harvest off 5 of them and other 2 stalled out. I took my best fruits and made some spore prints and cloned like 5 nice fruits.
The clones on agar are taking off. My clones are much further along in the game then the spore to agar inoculations are thats for sure. It is crazy how mycelium grows on agar and how easy it is to identify contams early on. Agar work takes time but while you isolate a strain you can do MS inoculation and yes you will lose some jars but doing small boxes will help increase odds to get at least some of them to fruit and don't put all your eggs in 1 basket (66qt tub lovers). I prefer several smaller containers then 1 or 2 larger one but to each their own. Since agar takes time and you will go through many many transfers before you have agar ready to go to grain go ahead and shoot up couple jars with spore syringe. You can even make a jar of LC and use 1 drop of spore syringe to make hundreds of more syringes to drop on agar or practice with. You will only ever do spore to grain as a beginner but while you learn and isolate strains this will give you the practice and the ability to clone a actual fruit thus helping your agar game along.
Remember Agar is where its at. If you want to Run 🏃♂️ with the BIG dogs 🐕 in this space you have to learn agar. Having clean culture is 99% of The battle and in the toolbox of cultivation agar is the best tool to use.
Study the teks and pick one that you want to try. When you pick a tek follow it exactly. Don't take pieces of different teks and combine them follow 1 tek 100% all the way thru. Try multiple teks individually all at once if u like but until you become comfortable at being able to recognize and identify issues stick to the tek. This way when you run into trouble it is easier to help find out what went wrong.
Having sound sterile practices and patience you will find success in this hobby. The community of people willing to help is also amazing. There are more good than bad people in this space in my opinion but be wary of scammers they lurk in shadows everywhere. Never buy drugs off of someone as it is a scam. Not to mention just plain stupid, careless and dangerous.
Don't be afraid to fail. It is OK to F up and majority of people whether they will admit it or not did not have success first attempt. For those of you that did have success and you have never lost a single spawn jar well congrats your a F'ing unicorn 🦄 because i don't believe they/you exist 😊
With each day you are 1 day closer to success and this hobby will pull you in. I wanted to share this because I am still new enough that the pains of the first couple failures hurt and the memories are fresh. I have begun to really dive into mycology with buying a microscope and several books to expand my understanding but that level of interest is not necessary to grow successfully. I just ask everyone to remember the emotions and confusion that comes along with getting from start to the very first fruit you eat that you grew 😍
Everyone is a noob once so be kind and pay it forward once you got your game tight and get it. Have patience with aspiring cultivators the way you have patience with this hobby. In my own weird way of thinking I hope that this encourages at least 1 person in the entire universe to not give up. To be willing to let go of the fact that you may be 4 months into trying but trust me ... the very first time you see a mushroom 🍄 pin poking its tiny primordial head at you ... in that moment you will be full of joy and pride.
That's it ... I now want to say to all those that have now read all this and you have gotten this far that have successfully grown before ... let the MS to Grain roast now commence 🙄🙉
For the rest of you ... get out there and grow your first mushroom 😉
-------------------- We are all Time Travelers of the Universe 🍄🌱🍄
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ModularMind
M.P.F.



Registered: 02/09/10
Posts: 7,902
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Re: Its Only Your First Time Once ... For Noobs [Re: Dmac316]
#26614004 - 04/19/20 10:19 PM (3 years, 9 months ago) |
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Thoughtful and well written. I appreciate your positivity. It seems in short supply of late.
   
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Dmac316
Dazed & Confused 🥴



Registered: 01/18/20
Posts: 45
Loc: Middle of Nowhere
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Re: Its Only Your First Time Once ... For Noobs [Re: ModularMind]
#26614056 - 04/19/20 11:00 PM (3 years, 9 months ago) |
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Well Thank you 😊 and I agree as of late is seems decency has escaped many. Maybe one day there will be a movement and humanity takes back decency and kindness. I will say that in all the directions my mind takes me at times the Mushroom Community has been one of the most welcoming IME
-------------------- We are all Time Travelers of the Universe 🍄🌱🍄
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mycothea
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Registered: 10/03/19
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Re: Its Only Your First Time Once ... For Noobs [Re: ModularMind]
#26614062 - 04/19/20 11:04 PM (3 years, 9 months ago) |
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Thanks for the advice, im watching this presto pot making sure im at 15 psi for 40 min with my first agar.
Working with some king oyster and pink oyster.
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Dmac316
Dazed & Confused 🥴



Registered: 01/18/20
Posts: 45
Loc: Middle of Nowhere
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Re: Its Only Your First Time Once ... For Noobs [Re: mycothea]
#26614406 - 04/20/20 05:45 AM (3 years, 9 months ago) |
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Just remember it takes longer when watching water boil lol JK ... yea Agar is 100% where its at but it is just so super intimidating when first starting out. It feels like almost you supposed to be some kind of certified scientist or something when you do agar and clones. I was just amazed tho at how well the Clones took off on agar the mycelium literally started jumping off the plate and it looks super cool. Good luck in your grow 😊
-------------------- We are all Time Travelers of the Universe 🍄🌱🍄
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poisoned
untitled



Registered: 04/17/13
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Loc: Yurop
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Re: Its Only Your First Time Once ... For Noobs [Re: Dmac316]
#26614417 - 04/20/20 05:55 AM (3 years, 9 months ago) |
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I'd add another step to your procedure. After you see growth on transfers from that germination plate, drop the germination plate to a few jars if it looks healthy. I noced up a plate and 2 jars with a ms syringe on the same day. Jars with that germination plate are now further along than syringe jars, since germination happened way faster on agar compared to grain.
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MrMong


Registered: 10/16/13
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Re: Its Only Your First Time Once ... For Noobs [Re: Dmac316]
#26614424 - 04/20/20 06:00 AM (3 years, 9 months ago) |
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Good info and a good read. I inoculated a load of wheat jars and 3 agar plates 2 weeks ago, with the same aim of doing small tubs to get a fruit to clone.
Still have no sign of myc on the grains and more worryingly no signs of life on the agar dishes.
Is 2 weeks too long to wait for germination of MSS on agar? Starting to overthink my agar TEK and if I've fucked up along the way.
I'm gonna innoc some more agar plates today anyways
-------------------- Flick and Nip
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poisoned
untitled



Registered: 04/17/13
Posts: 1,738
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Re: Its Only Your First Time Once ... For Noobs [Re: MrMong]
#26614433 - 04/20/20 06:06 AM (3 years, 9 months ago) |
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Some spores take a long time. I hope they germinate soon.
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Dmac316
Dazed & Confused 🥴



Registered: 01/18/20
Posts: 45
Loc: Middle of Nowhere
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Re: Its Only Your First Time Once ... For Noobs [Re: poisoned]
#26617052 - 04/21/20 08:14 AM (3 years, 9 months ago) |
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Absolutely using live mycelium is best to drop on agar as it is already germinated and will take off quick. When someone first starts they need to get spores to germinate as thats half the battle for sure.
-------------------- We are all Time Travelers of the Universe 🍄🌱🍄
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Dmac316
Dazed & Confused 🥴



Registered: 01/18/20
Posts: 45
Loc: Middle of Nowhere
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Re: Its Only Your First Time Once ... For Noobs [Re: MrMong]
#26617056 - 04/21/20 08:15 AM (3 years, 9 months ago) |
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yeah spores can take a while sometimes depending on how viable they are. As long as you are confident you followed good agar tek then give it little longer to see if they take.
-------------------- We are all Time Travelers of the Universe 🍄🌱🍄
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Psyche delics
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Re: Its Only Your First Time Once ... For Noobs [Re: Dmac316]
#26617219 - 04/21/20 09:27 AM (3 years, 9 months ago) |
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My first time I did 6 jars from MS and only one made it and I got an 8th. My second time all of them made it.
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Dmac316
Dazed & Confused 🥴



Registered: 01/18/20
Posts: 45
Loc: Middle of Nowhere
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Re: Its Only Your First Time Once ... For Noobs [Re: Psyche delics]
#26617586 - 04/21/20 11:54 AM (3 years, 9 months ago) |
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Most definitely agar is the way to go for consistency in flushes. It takes such little spore syringe that is why i was saying that once someone knocks up a bunch of plates first then try couple small boxes to grow some fruits to clone. Even a drop of syringe can make alot of LC and use that live mycelium on agar as well. It takes alot of patience in this hobby that is for sure.
-------------------- We are all Time Travelers of the Universe 🍄🌱🍄
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LSA Woodrose
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Re: Its Only Your First Time Once ... For Noobs [Re: Psyche delics]
#26617720 - 04/21/20 12:52 PM (3 years, 9 months ago) |
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Love the thread, Dmac316! However, I want to offer an alternate, perhaps in some ways an opposite opinion. First, let me say that I am a total n00b. Before coming to this forum, it never even occurred to grow my own mushrooms. I found the Psychedelic Experience Forum on this site by accident, doing a Google search on LSA extraction techniques with Hawaiian Baby Woodrose seeds and MG seeds. It was great info I got here, too!
But eventually a stray, random thought made me create a thread about what a n00b I am and how I would be interested in possibly growing; a thread in which I solicited much advice. First off, let me say that I wanted to answer your poll question, but its loaded lol and doesn't apply to me. I'm not a unicorn. I have had one successful grow under my belt I am in the harvesting and flush(es) stage of it now, but have not had a single issue with contamination. I am very, very happy with my grow, but it differs from your recommendations in your OP in many ways.
First, being a total n00b, I was looking for the most n00b-friendly tek I could find. Thank Goddess for RogerRabbit and his videos, as well as the kind people in this forum who walked me through sooooooooo many questions I had, and still have. But I am very happy with my yields so far. Sure, it could be more, I suppose, and maybe if I used another tek it may very well be. But I chose PF Tek because of its simplicity and because watching RogerRabbit's videos was like watching a cooking show where everything was easy, simple, laid out to the point where he almost spoon-fed me and held my hand.
Here's thing I will say in closing:
I chose PF Tek right from the beginning. I stuck to my guns and pretty much ignored everyone telling me to deviate from that tek in even minuscule ways. I meticulously and fastidiously followed every small, seemingly infinitesimal step, to the point where I was borderline OCD about the whole fucking thing. I did NOT use my pressure cooker, since it is only a 6 quart unit and I didn't want to buy another one on my first time through. In the end, I did just fine without it. Without all the other fancier and arguably more productive teks than PF Tek. I made a decision, stuck to it to the very end, and am reaping the rewards right now. Am I open to other ideas? Sure. But I still have to disagree with the idea that what what you are asserting here about your steps being the end-all. I am perfect proof that a person can grow, get a great yield, and have a satisfactory amount of shrooms and not look any further than PF Tek.
Edit: I forgot to mentions something above. Not only has this been an incredibly successful grow so far, at least graded on a n00b curve, but a few fun facts:
-I inoculated all my cakes on 04/06/20. I birthed my first 10 cakes (I inoculated 24 in total) on 03/31, when they were already pinning. The rest were a little slower, but fully all jars were consolidated a week later. -I started harvesting decent amounts by 04/08, just a month and two days after inoculation.
Edited by LSA Woodrose (04/21/20 01:08 PM)
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Dmac316
Dazed & Confused 🥴



Registered: 01/18/20
Posts: 45
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Re: Its Only Your First Time Once ... For Noobs [Re: LSA Woodrose] 1
#26619164 - 04/22/20 02:42 AM (3 years, 9 months ago) |
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Thank you for sharing your experience. The PF tek is a great place to start for noobs as well. Roger Rabbit video series is absolutely 💯 awesome and highly encourage those that are just dipping their feet into this hobby it is good place to start especially if not using a PC. I never intended to make my post seem like it was the end all be all by any means. There are just so many out there that make it seem way more difficult than it is and this hobby can be absolutely overwhelming to newcomers. Main thing I hope to share and get across is to not be afraid to try. Little spore solution goes such a long way and a person can do alot with very little. I will say my 23qt PC was the best investment I've made to increase my production and yields so I encourage you to consider 😉 getting one as im sure u will be glad u did ... but to each their own and I digress. Agar is a blast to do and watching clones explode off the plates is a sight that brings tears of joy to my eyes 👀. There are several ways to cook an egg and I just hope those that are trying and have yet to have success just know that with patience and determination everyone can grow if they just believe and trust in their abilities.
-------------------- We are all Time Travelers of the Universe 🍄🌱🍄
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TedsDead


Registered: 01/03/17
Posts: 4,998
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Re: Its Only Your First Time Once ... For Noobs [Re: Dmac316]
#26619197 - 04/22/20 03:05 AM (3 years, 9 months ago) |
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Im glad someone is helping the noobs its a lot to take on
-------------------- weed gets you through times of no money better than money gets you through times of no weed... -the fabulous furry freak bros If you can buy it, you can burn it!
https://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php/Number/25947396#25947396
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Dmac316
Dazed & Confused 🥴



Registered: 01/18/20
Posts: 45
Loc: Middle of Nowhere
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Re: Its Only Your First Time Once ... For Noobs [Re: TedsDead]
#26624204 - 04/24/20 09:04 AM (3 years, 9 months ago) |
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Definitely trying to ... if I can prevent 1 person from buying a pre-made kit I will feel complete 😄
-------------------- We are all Time Travelers of the Universe 🍄🌱🍄
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