A noob's journal...I mean I'm the noob, not that this is a TEK for noobs.
Although, for my notes, I'm putting a lot of obvious detail in that might help.
Spoiler Alert, it all contamed. I think not enough Aspen, too much coir.
Also perhaps the Aspen need PCing? 11/20/2020







In The Pit's PIO! Grow LogSpecies: Agrocybe Aegerita (Pioppino) black popler
Variety : PIO! Inthepit said:I confess I have no idea what to call this.
Agrocybe Aegerita (Pioppino) black popler
Thanks Psilo

Mebbe AA, or PIO, or BP?

Edit: well kinda looks "Pio" is the nickname.
I'll be looping spores to agar soon.
And I plan to start a Grow Log in the Gourmet Forum.
Also this grow log is good...
Agrocybe Aegerita (Pioppino) on supplemented sawdust - EnlightenmentPsiloPsychIn said:
Glad you got the spore print. 😊
I hope you are able to grow some tasty eats with those. You are right they have a bunch of names - for the same mushroom.
I just had some delicious sautéed king oyster mushrooms for dinner. Let me know if you’d like some king oyster spores!
I’ll look for your grow log and cheer you on!
Peace MycoBro! 24 September 2020:
Rhizomorphic or tomentose or contam, oh my! So...I'm still here woikin on PIO and these look sooo disorganized.
PIO B T4.2

T5

and PIO D T5
.8g 1.6% Agar, 7.5g 1.5% Pilsner LME, green, no broth So sooo fuzzy. I would have thought there would be better organization by T5...

Is PIO just going to keep looking like this?
trubblesomesaid:
pioppino? yes Sockadin said:
Just lower your nutrient recipe in your next batch of agar. They tend to get whispy with higher amounts of LME or PD.tryptkaloids said:
Looks of a culture have less to do with #of transfers and more to do with available nutrition.
I woulx go down to even 1.3 and keep the agar at 2%
However, they definitely look kinda sketch.
See how they look on grain. Forrester said:
Both of those T5 pics look fine to me!
Although it's been a while since I worked with A. aegerita.
Don't expect most edible cultures to look like those crazy rhizo cube plates everyone gets.
Maybe if you starve the hell out of em, I dunno but I've worked with 40+ edible cultures
and none of them ever looked like those.
Your culture looks fine 28 September 2020:Ok, at long last taking each plate to a jar.
When is a door not a door? When it's ajar!

I wonder, mebbe I should also take a wedge to a plate while I'm in there.
Generally after taking all those wedges there's not much sense in keeping the plate.
8 October 2020:Quote:
Munchauzen said:
Grated cakes suck dick. Grains are superior. That's why you see everyone using grains and only noobs grating cakes.
Oh Mun! Tell us what ya really think!
Ok so this subject line could be Use it or Lose it!
So noobiness prevails, I let the grain dry out too much this time.
Looks like the myc is just struggling too much. Note: went 3 weeks to 100%
and 
Crackatoa's easy oats Works great!
So the myc looks better in these pics, but IRL not so much.
Jars going for 10 days now, shaken twice. The green agar looks
like contam, but it's just uh, agar...
8g 1.6% Agar, 7.5g 1.5% Pilsner LME, green, no broth 9/10 nice
So these will prolly fail and that's why the two plates are pictured.
I think they're pretty
They're strong growing T4, so gonna
put them to 4 jars again. This time mebbe get the water better.
Oh, and yes the jars are a little short of grain! 
Ah, so now I'm hovering over the drying grains like
a helicopter parent. 2hrs just on the edge of wetness. 
17 October 2020:Ok the jars with little water and less grain! Going to spawn, surprisingly...
2 shoeboxes, T3 & T5 jars, from 9/28, 3 weeks.
1 jar Aspen Chips, and 1 jar coir, each shoebox.
And a topping layer of coir.
2 shoeboxes going to a tub. After reading
Munch's Shoebox Method.

Aspen chips are weightless, so 2.5L, 400g coir
2 L water 150F so far, another L on the stove in case, doesn't seem like
numbers are gonna get an exact "field capacity",
so it's add water as needed. Added .5L, now a little over field capacity.
Or use this:
EAT'S UNBUCKET T3K 1.0 ™Or coir and pasteurization don't go in the same sentence.
you pasteurize poo substrates. no need to do that with coir. - Munch
Next check coir temp with radar gun to at least 80F. And mix Baby!
TedsDead said:
Well, the thermal death temp for cubes is 104F...I usually wait until the coir is 85F. After that there's 4 more jars closely following...still PIOPPINO, it's finally cooling down to 80F here!
Maybe get some surf Tuesday...here comes surf season!
23 October 2020:For 2 shoeboxes, T4.1 & T4.2 Pioppino
300g coir, hot water from tap ~160F, 2.5L chips. Oooops, 1.7L water a bit much!
Heated cooler first. Broke coir in first L of water. Added chips and more water.

So two jars are NOT recovering from a second shake so well, so didn't make the cut!
24 October 2020:Oh I see where I got the larger hole idea...first Mushboy and then your video...
Mushboys

and mine

2" holes
I saw it in
Mushboy Making Shoeboxes (some hilarity)
Ya I liked the idea of dialing in the FAE with tape, although not sure that idea is in there either.

Ok found it, you said it! " I use the standard holes with micropore tape as a FAE regulator" LOL
AND I can pretty well see where you put the holes now that I go over the video again. I suppose
this tub's holes are gonna be pretty big, so perhaps I'll double up the tape...
Anyways, FAE is prolly not so important while the lids are snapped on.
So there will be room in front of the holes when there's just two open Shoeboxes, duh.
Sorry just getting up to speed here...
Munch's Shoebox Method.
Muchauzen said:
get it dialed in the sooner the better! just given how big they are, I'd go ahead and put a 2nd layer on. 31 October 2020:Ok, new 66 quart tub gets 1.35" dia. holes from my biggest
hot socket!

and voilà!

I put two layers of micropore tape because there's no moisture in the other one since 8 days.
I'm up to 4 & 5 layers for those big 4" holes (ex-SAB).
(I know I could have four SBs in one tub till fruiting, but...)
Thanks for the tub method Munch!
31 October 2020:1000g dry Race Horse Oats + 500g Coir = 1500g substrate
First flush for 4 shoeboxes wet 1200g
(1200g fruit / 1500g substrate ) x 100 =
80% BE 11 November 2020:Ah Forrester there you are, I love this community!
Ya still have the jars, I might just put some coir on top
and see what the jar can do. I should post a picture.
Mebbe give them another shake. It's all good.
Kinda surprised they're behaving like that.
But there's 4 shoeboxes going with with Great Expectations! So here's the two jars that didn't respond to a second shake. Still kinda hanging in there.
Relegated to coffee table status!

Pioppino from 9/28
And two shoeboxes triched out really bad with a few gnats!
It seems like the lid on the tub is warped or ill fitting.
So I added weather stripping, the black stuff under the lid.

SB1 spawned 10/17, SB3 10/23
Now hopefully the tub will start showing some moisture in it.
This is the new 66 qrt tub with six 1.3" diameter holes.
Covered by 2 layers of micropore tape.
I wonder if the Aspen Chips need to be sterilized instead of
pasteurized with the coir?
12 November 2020:Haywire said :
yo, nice grow log.
you should really look into sawdust substrates for agrocybe.
coir really doesn't do the trick. you could supplement the sawdust with some coir, I guess.
also, If you can sterilize the substrates, you should. it'll give you a much bigger chance of fruits. 13 November 2020:
Well to answer your question Bobbit, uh sorta...
" Doesn’t the extra hole encourage through drafts?"I plan to burn some incense in the SAB and watch for air currents. Om...
I hope it's not bad, cause I'm really starting to like it.
I'm sure there's plenty air exchange from the forearm ins & outs.
Hard to tell in the pic, but the torch is a couple inches away and
the flame is soft and silent, in fact I almost forgot to turn it off!
17 November 2020:Well, 3 weeks for one Shoebox and 4 for the other.
Frankly they look, not so much!

Lost two Shoeboxes to Trichoderma, so not doing so good.
It's possible the Alpine chips should be sterilized.
Or there should be way more chips to coir.
Spawn could be suspect also, cause what does a noob know.

Also took a hit dialing in the Munchauzen/Mushman tub FAE. Have to start somewhere.
Also, I don't think the myc appreciates my sprayer, need a real mister.
Even though I "spray" from 5 feet away, the drops are still not mist worthy!
20 November 2020:Spoiler Alert, it all contamed. I think not enough Aspen, too much coir.
Also perhaps the Aspen need PCing? 11/20/2020

Say Goodnight Gracey!